It is undeniable that you want your nonprofit organization to be as successful as possible, but do you really know what that takes? It can be easy, almost too easy, to simply do what has always been done at your organization instead of trying to be the best you can be and set yourselves apart from the pack. Too often, nonprofits do what they have always done instead of being innovative leaders themselves. Don’t let the success of your organization be robbed by a lack of initiative and best practices to simply maintain what has always been done and what is comfortable.
If you agree that you want to be as successful as possible as a nonprofit, that some things will need to be developed instead of staying the same in order to get there, and that you want to separate yourselves from the identity of “surviving” with acceptable practices to “thriving,” how do you do this? It starts by having a true focus on so much more than just day-to-day operations and tasks. It stems from a focus on people.
Developing the Right Focus on People instead of Operations
Let’s take it a step further and consider if your organization really does even focus at all beyond the day-to-day operations. Should your focus just be on routines and practices or should there be more of a focus on the people? Have you considered the people you are trying to reach and the people trying to make this outreach possible by working for your organization? This is an important starting point to evaluate your priorities and where your focus actually lies. It takes being focused on your mission and its constituents and helping your staff to be successful in these efforts.
If the focus of your organization should be on the mission/constituents and staff, you need to evaluate how they currently are being reached and how they are feeling. Let’s take a closer look at how to evaluate this by using some reflection questions you can ask yourself. The reality is that these questions should highlight if you are keeping your commitments to these groups because keeping commitments is essential to success.
Questions to ask yourself regarding those you are trying to reach based on your mission (your nonprofit constituents):
- Are we meeting the needs we said we would meet or failing to provide what was promised?
- Are constituents satisfied or disgruntled?
- Does our mission come across to our constituents in how we act upon it or not?
- Do constituents feel comfortable interacting with staff members and that their needs are being understood and responded to?
Questions to ask yourself regarding your organization’s staff:
- Are we keeping promises made to our staff?
- Are staff members feeling like they are being taken for granted, or are they appreciated?
- Are staff needs being met by the organization to the point that they can truly focus on meeting the needs of others—of the nonprofit constituents being served?
- Are staff members treating constituents well?
- Are staff members bought in to the mission?
- Are staff members equipped with the resources and training they need or not?
As Beck and Company Certified Public Accountants and Business Advisors, we realize just how much goes into being successful as a nonprofit. This is so much more than just day-to-day operations but requires pouring time, energy, and resources into the people serving and being served by the nonprofit. That is why we are here to help. You can allow yourself to focus on your mission and the important people involved with your nonprofit more if you have less to focus on in terms of the financial side of daily operations. We would be happy to assist you with your auditing, accounting, and overall financial needs. For more information on the variety of nonprofit services we offer including CFO, controllership, and accounting services, visit here.
Contact Beck and Company CPAs to find out more about helping your nonprofit to be successful and how we can help you achieve this by meeting your auditing and accounting needs.