Non-Profit Organizations

We have worked extensively with and understand non-profit organizations, especially associations. These unique environments where the same people are owners, customers, and the workforce offer very special opportunities and challenges. Because of the particularly complex nature of the relationships in non-profit organizations, some view these environments as especially difficult. We don't. We see non-profit organizations, where so many people contribute passionately to a shared purpose, as places brimming with collective wisdom and craving enriching community experiences. Because of these conditions, the possibility for making a difference is remarkable.

There are a common set of dilemmas that are confronting a large number of non-profit organizations. Many of these organizations struggle with volunteer leadership issues, Board-staff relations, enhancing member value and meaning, coordinating fiscal responsibility, and encouraging innovative strategic direction. In too many non-profit organizations the Board either micro-manages or "rubber stamps". The governance and decision-making process can either be too cumbersome or disenfranchise stakeholders. In some organizations, the volunteer leadership pool is dwindling as the competition for people's time increases, while others are facing external pressures from new sources of competition. The typical response to these dilemmas has been to re-invent governance through the creation of new job descriptions, clarify lines of authority, and desperately search for new strategies and new communication tools. At best, these approaches give the appearance of being more organized, but they simply entrench the cultural attitudes and the organizational behaviors that already existed. The organization usually does not become a nimble and dynamic place where creative strategies are explored, embraced, and exquisitely implemented by vested stakeholders.

Altering the dynamics in non-profit organizations using a community-based and knowledge-based approach is our expertise and our purpose. Our approach allows miraculous change to happen. Oftentimes, the entry point for change is an annual Board strategic retreat or some other type of leadership meeting with staff, non-board volunteer leaders, or members. Whether we work with you on an event or outside of an event, the outcome is the same - long lasting positive progress.