Nonprofit professionals are do-ers. We are fixers. Heck, we build planes while we fly them, right? Believe it or not, these penchants for action and for fixing can actually interfere with sound problem solving, data-informed decision-making, and continuous improvement. In our rush to make changes and improvements, we skip important steps that shortchange our understanding[…]
In my last post, I argued that this crisis is an opportunity to re-imagine your work. It has the potential to change the way we define our Why, What, and How as organizations. In this post, I want to focus on our How – the processes we use to serve our clients, lead our teams,[…]
This is the fourth and final post in a series in which I implore nonprofits to do some critical reflecting and planning before you embark on any evaluation work or make changes to your data collection forms, tools, or processes. I think there are four key things organizations need to know when planning their evaluation[…]
This is the third post in a series in which I implore nonprofits to do some critical reflecting and planning before they purchase, design, or modify their client databases. However, the same tips are helpful before you embark on any evaluation work or make changes to your data collection forms, tools, or processes, too. This[…]
In my last post, I pointed out that a database is just a tool. It’s not magic. It’s not omniscient or omnipotent. Your database is only as good as your evaluation planning and data strategy. I think there are four key things organizations need to know in order to design and make the best use[…]
For years, I’ve had an image in my head that represented the results of nonprofits’ often piecemeal, reactive efforts to respond to stakeholder demands and ill-fitting funding opportunities. It can be a patched together, mismatched, less-than-functional mishmash of unclear intentions and unfocused efforts. In my research, I came across a term in home remodeling: subtraction[…]
In my last post, I argued that for continuous quality improvement work in nonprofits to be meaningful and make significant impacts on an organization, it must be: Intrinsically motivated Guided by our own definitions of quality Directed toward goals and driven to change Integrated, not siloed Applied and iterated In this post, I want to[…]
In my last post, I introduced a widely accepted definition of quality – meeting or exceeding customer expectations – and how a narrow (and uninspired) interpretation and application of that definition in the nonprofit sector has led to a focus on compliance rather than improvement. Rather than defining high quality service for ourselves, nonprofits define[…]
This is my third in a series of four posts that aim to provide nonprofits with some insights and tips for managing the multiple, sometimes overlapping, divergent, or competing demands of their funders. Last time, we pulled back the curtain to understand some explanations for some funder strategies. This week, I’m suggesting some ways nonprofits[…]
There have been a few distinct moments in my career when I’ve had the opportunity to pull back or step behind the curtain of some much-revered, awe- or fear-inducing thing. Each time, I’ve found that what’s behind it is often more manageable than mystifying. This was never more true than when I transitioned from my[…]