Organizational Capacity Matters
By Renae Oswald-Anderson
I recently had the great pleasure of attending the Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute in Scottsdale. The Institute was founded by Susan Kenny Stevens Ph.D., author of the seminal book, Nonprofit Lifecycles-Stage-Based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity. There are clearly identified diagnostic/assessment characteristics for management, governance, financial resources, and administrative systems across all the life stages or cycles an organization can experience, from Start-up through Maturity, Turn-around, and even Decline. The “legs” of organizational capacity support programs and services that help advance the mission.
I had an awesome experience attending workshops and training with other consultants and funders from around the country, as well as Vancouver! We shared a common desire to help nonprofits thrive and our communities be a better place to live and work. There was commonality as well as great differences among our group whether in a solo practice with a singular focus area such as resource development or as part of a firm like SCC. Deepening our understanding of the Nonprofit Lifecycle tool was the focus of the entire first day. Learning how to use the lifecycles model with leadership transitions or in a strategic planning process provides another tool in our work with organizational clients.
Organizational Capacity Matters
Strengthening the organizational platform which supports a nonprofit’s mission and programs is critical to the health of high-impact organizations. We all want to see nonprofit organizations that are strong, durable, relevant, and capable of addressing complex problems in these often chaotic and stressful times. As was so eloquently stated at the conference, “Capacity costs are the costs necessary to achieve organizational competence.”
Now as a Capacity Lifecycle Consultant and a member of the Nonprofit Lifecycle Institute (www.nonprofitlifecycles.com), SCC will continue to use the lifecycles model in many facets of our work with our nonprofit clients. We are committed to helping nonprofits at every stage on their mission journey!
If you’d like to learn more about how the lifecycles model could be used to strengthen the focus and future of your organization please contact Renae: roanderson@strategic-cc.com