Our Services
Organizational Development, Fund Development & Strategic Communications
3 Service Areas to Boost Sustainable Nonprofit Success
When we partner with nonprofit clients, we always stress the importance of three key areas: organizational development, fund development and strategic communications.
Not only are they critical for success, but they’re also inherently linked. You can’t be effective if your organization excels in one area and falls short in another. To truly thrive, you must do well in all three:
- Building a firm foundation for your organization
- Cultivating and maintaining strong funder relationships
- Clearly communicating your mission and impact through storytelling and emotional connections
Nonprofits come to us for help at varying stages of development and growth. Some need guidance in one area and others in all three. No matter where you are in your journey, we can help you optimize your practices so you can achieve sustainable success in the communities you serve.
Organizational Development
Think of organizational development as the structural integrity of your nonprofit. A thriving, sustainable organization keeps a close eye on the fundamentals and refines them on a regular basis:
- Do we have consensus on a clear mission and vision?
- Is our strategic plan still relevant to our mission and vision?
- Are our governing bylaws optimized to ensure protections and efficient operations?
- Does our governing board effectively support our leadership and mission?
- Does our leadership support our governing board?
- Do we have the right people in the right staff positions to get the job done?
- Are we managing our budget responsibly?
- Do we have a strategic plan for scaling our services and programming?
Despite the best intentions, it’s difficult to grow a successful nonprofit without building and maintaining a firm foundation. Only then can you effectively devote resources to the other critical areas: fund development and strategic communications.
Fund Development
As nonprofits know, fund development requires constant care and attention. Individual donors are often fickle – annual donor retention rates average about 45% – foundations can shift their giving priorities, and the grant prospecting and writing process can be overwhelming.
Since reliable funding sources are no longer a given, the most effective organizations develop solid networking strategies and plan for a rainy day by:
- Diversifying their funding sources
- Monitoring foundations’ funding priorities to pivot when needed
- Developing a strong donor retention strategy, making a clear connection between giving and organizational impact
They also recognize the common thread among all potential giving sources: funders need to see meaningful results. They want to know how much impact your organization has on the communities it serves. Are you really making a difference? That’s where strategic communications comes into play.
Strategic Communications
Good storytelling supports your organization’s mission and vision and resonates with key stakeholders. But the secret sauce lies in how you set your organization apart, especially from nonprofits with similar missions.
Successful nonprofits develop strategic communications plans, building a strong case for funding support by sharing unique and compelling stories that:
- Connect funding to specific outcomes
- Create emotional connections with funders
- Incorporate meaningful data that clearly quantifies community impact
- Position them as thought leaders in their area of expertise
They develop a strong elevator pitch and are prepared to communicate with the media, funders and other key stakeholder groups – whether it’s good news or bad. If something goes wrong, internally or externally, an organization and its board of directors may need a steady hand to offer guidance while navigating challenges in the spotlight. As important as reacting to unexpected developments is the discipline of addressing things as they emerge privately, prior to public scrutiny. How matters are handled directly impacts funders and shapes public perception about whether the organization is managed well and merits investment.