the lifecycle washington state stage of your nonprofit

TheLifecycleStageofyourNon-Profitand

WhyitMatters

A presentation for the

Washington State Nonprofit Conference May 2019 by

The Leading Change Collaborative Susan Burgess Dianne Dickerson Susan Smallidge

InspiredLeadership|PositiveService©Allrightsreserved

InspiredLeadership|PositiveService©Allrightsreserved

© All Rights Reserved

Thestoryofonenon-profit

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throughthelensofLifecycles

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Whatisittimefornow?4

Capacity Matters The

organizational platform which supports nonprofit Mission and Programs

Copyright©2001-2016SusanKennyStevens,Ph.D.ExcerptedfromthebookNonprofitLifecycles:Stage-basedWisdomforNonprofitCapacity.Allrightsreserved. 5

Copyright©2001-2016SusanKennyStevens,Ph.D.NonprofitLifecyclesInstitute.Allrightsreserved.ExcerptsfromthebookNonprofitLifecycles:Stage-basedWisdomforNonprofitCapacity.

Lifecycle Capacity Is Most Usefully Assessed at the “Table Leg” Level

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Programs(Services)

Simple, experi-mental, more breadth than depth, may lack distinct approach

Begin to see and define distinct methods and approach

Well-organized, results focused, in touch with community needs

Losing clients to others whose approach is more accessible or relevant

Programs are re-assessed and modified in light of current market needs and financial viability

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Management

Leader is a “spark-plug” and the group’s most experi-enced staff person

Organ-ization is led by people who see infinite potential and do multiple jobs

Role clarity exists and Executive leadership is often second or third generation

Organ-izational slippage is either unseen, denied, or blamed on others

Turn-around leader is a gutsy, strong-willed person with a clear sense of direction

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Governance

Members almost always have a personal connect-ion to founder

Board structure begins to appear, but director is still driving

Board sets direction, is policy oriented and leaves manage-ment to staff

Board is unaware something is wrong; and often don’t take action

Core of committed board members are ready to do what it takes to restore

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Financial Resources

Usually a low-budget, boot strap operation grant

More income sources create greater acctg & compliance complexity

Organiz-ation has sound and multiple sources of income and is not dependent on one source of funding

Budgets are fixed-cost and expense heavy, with income projections not reflecting current reality

Willing to cut expenses to reflect realistic income and cash flow

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Systems/Administration

Financial & admin functions & systems are generally weak and may be out-sourced to others

Current systems, never good to begin, must be substant-ially improved to meet demands

Organiz-ation operates with clear course of action for routine client, board and personnel matters

Systems, although developed, are often antiquated, and physical space may be deterior-ating

Existing policies and processes may be too complex, expensive, and “mature” for us

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LifecycleCapacityPlacement

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Doing the “Selfie” with your team »  Gives you the vocabulary to understand “where you are” and puts your challenges in perspective

»  What you need to be a healthy start-up is not the same as for a healthy mature organization… it can even be dangerous!

»  You realize you’re “normal” and not the only one going through this

»  You now have a way to talk to contributors about where you are – and what you need to make progress

»  It depersonalizes management, staff and even board weaknesses

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Questions from the Assessment

»  What immediate changes would improve your organization’s capacity at this lifecycle stage?

»  What long-term changes would help support your organization’s capacity and sustainability?

»  Which of these changes can you make on your own?

»  Which require additional resources?

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Copyright©2001-2016SusanKennyStevens,Ph.D.NonprofitLifecyclesInstitute.Allrightsreserved.

NonprofitLifecyclesInstitute

Acommunityofnonprofits,fundersandconsultantsdriving

organizationalcapacityinthenonprofitsector

tobuildstrongercommunities.

StrongNonprofits.StrongerCommunities.

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buildingcapacity

The Leading Change Collaborative www.leadingchangecollaborative.com

contact: Susan Smallidge [email protected] Dianne Dickerson [email protected] Susan Burgess [email protected]

the lifecycle washington state stage of your nonprofit

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