One of the reoccurring discussions at work is how to manage a non-profit. The goal of creating more social good is laudable, but how does it translate into what each of us does during the day? In discussing The Goal we've taken a manufacturing plant's process (sale, production, delivery) and applied it to our work. We'e substituted a grant for a sales opportunity, the process of fulfilling the grant—running a conference, for instance— as the assembly line process and delivery of the final report to the funder the delivery of goods manufactured and sold.
Obvious as this may seem now, it took outlining the process to make clear that final funder reports are not annoying administrivia, but necessary components of any grant-funded work, and that project workplans need to be considered from an organizational level. Our internal incentives have not always lined up with this picture, so we tended to think in terms of projects (is the website up, the paper written) and their completion, rather than the grants backing the projects. So it was a relief to learn from a friend that he too ran into similar difficulties at his nonprofit. Colleagues lacked an organizational view; some newer staff did not know how to the grant-making process worked, and many missed media opportunities for selling their work to the public at large.So, obviously doing social good must be translated into less abstract concepts so we can answer the question, how does what I do benefit the organization's ability to do good? (Not quite as straightforward as how do I improve the bottom line).
Posted at July 31, 2003 05:23 PMThis discussion has been closed. No more comments may be added.