Do you feel like your nonprofit is missing out on an opportunity to make a significant impact because of the culture within the organization? Are their days when you feel stuck, wondering if you’re ever going to achieve your mission?
As a leader, it’s important that you identify the reasons why your nonprofit isn’t gaining momentum and then figure out a way to fix them. Before you start pointing the finger at those around you, there’s something you should understand…
One of the most valuable things you can do as a nonprofit leader is to create a comprehensive framework for your organization that outlines how all of the integral components of your organization connect to one another. Developing a strategic agenda is essential if you want to lead your organization to reach its full potential.
What Causes Nonprofits to Feel Stuck?
Front-line confusion exists because senior staff members lack a coordinated strategic direction—often because a compelling vision hasn’t been articulated. More than likely, your nonprofit’s vision is ill-defined because no one has developed a profile of target customers and donors, and your leadership team isn’t sure what exists outside the organization’s four walls.
While changes in your operational strategy may be necessary, the root causes of pain or a lack of progress in an organization usually exist in strategic areas. Therefore, those foundational, strategic elements must be addressed before your plans can operate at peak performance.
How to Avoid the Problem That Causes Nonprofits to Feel Stuck
While every organization is unique, the structure of the foundational and strategic elements is the same. As a leader, here are two things you can do to proactively address the foundational issues that cause nonprofits to lose momentum:
- Keep your nonprofit’s strategic agenda at the forefront of everything you do. Addressing the strategic agenda framework is the central responsibility of every nonprofit leader. Your organization has internal and external stakeholders who are longing to hear a consistent and compelling organizational story. These same stakeholders become staunch supporters when they observe a fully coordinated strategic message that’s integrated from top to bottom.
- Make sure your staff and board of directors are just as committed to your strategic agenda as you are. Spend some time with your leadership team digesting and implementing your strategic agenda. The results will be better decisions, a healthier organization, more consistent fundraising results, and prolonged organizational impact.
What other tips would you give nonprofit leaders who are trying to overcome some of the frustrations of a disconnected strategy?