Focus on Excellence
Focus on Excellence
At this time of year, there are many blog posts on resolutions (mine, Kate’s) and strategies about how to achieve our goals. PhilanTopic has one that stood out, More Good Advice for Nonprofits.
I suggest you read the entire post, but my favorite suggestion is:
2. Grow your mission. Many nonprofit organizations that were founded between 1929 and 1935 are still in existence. Focus your attention on growing your mission. If you focus on excellence, money will follow. If you focus on money, excellence never happens. As in the best of times, let your mission dictate management decisions.
Grow as in nurture, not grow as in expand. At a time when we are all fighting the urge to do more with less, let your mission and core competencies be your guide.
Outlook for 2009
This week, the Chronicle of Philanthropy hosted an online discussion, Outlook for 2009: What the Recession Will Mean for Your Organization.
This was a particularly useful and timely discussion. In the risk of overdoing it, the topic of mission creep came up here as well:
What would be the top five things you would recommend in either assessment/ evaluation or strategic implementation for 2009?
The response?
1. Making sure mission and program [and budget] are aligned. If not, why not?
2. Make sure that core competencies of the org – including staff, facilities, etc are aligned with #1. In good times, orgs sometimes add all sorts of people and programs, and suddenly find that there is an imbalance between what is being done with core mission. Has you mission in fact changed? Ask the hard questions.
If I seem preoccupied with mission creep, it is because we see how it impacts organizations. An expanded mission may not create a stronger organization. Often it dilutes the services, goals, and focus — which we cannot afford right now.
Check out the rest of the transcript for more information on how the recession may impact your organization’s bottom line.
Giving in Minnesota
For local organizations looking for additional insights, MCF has released its 2009 Outlook Report, which projects foundation and corporate giving for the year. According to their findings, we should anticipate a decrease in overall giving as compared to 2008:
Overall, grantmakers anticipate giving will drop about four percent in 2009, as compared to 2008. For grantmakers in the sample who give $10 million or more annually, giving is expected to decrease only 1 to 2 percent.
MCF President Bill King also issues a reminder: “This is, of course, a snapshot in time. The giving picture may change with the economy throughout the year.”
The upcoming Giving Forum will include additional analysis and recommendations.
This Week’s Harvest
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Climate Change on SSIR (Hat tip: Rosetta Thurman)
- Briefing on the Economy and Charitable Giving: December 2008 from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
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Fiscal Sponsors Directory: Connecting Community Projects with Fiscal Sponsors (Hat tip: PhilanTopic)
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How Small Foundations Can Protect Themselves From a Madoff-Style Scandal