The Top 3 Takeaways from Nonprofit Organization Design Projects

You may have heard the phrase “structure follows strategy”, which signifies the need to assess and change how an organization operates to ensure its ability to fulfill its’ nonprofit strategic plan. When our nonprofit consultants engage with clients during organization design projects we often see 3 common themes that arise throughout the process. The way in which the nonprofit organization and its leadership respond to these themes is critical to success and the ability to achieve desired outcomes.

Balancing working “in” the organization versus working “on” the organization.  

Capacity and the pace of business are major factors in our daily work life. The overwhelming amount of to-dos and the rapid rate at which tasks must be completed constantly pull us away from setting aside the time to focus on strategy, improvements to processes and systems, and team development. 

While spending time on operational or tactical tasks is a necessary component of the workday, it becomes an issue when it is 100% of the focus and often prevents an organization from achieving desired results.

This is where the need for establishing balance arises. 

The act of setting aside a portion of each week to look at the future of your sector and what you must do to get there often breaks the pattern that many nonprofits find themselves in when their growth becomes stagnant. By using time to focus on your organization and team, you can develop ways to enhance services, empower staff to problem-solve independently, identify systems for accountability, and improve processes so there are fewer operational fires to put out.

Strengthening the operational foundation to achieve growth.

When taking an in-depth look at the structure, capabilities, and processes of their organizations, leaders will find that their operational foundation is either built to support growth or that new things are simply being added to an unstable or legacy infrastructure. 

Successful nonprofit organizational growth requires solid foundational strength. When we look at designing the future of an organization, it is important to have an honest discussion about the current realities of the organization, an assessment of the future direction of the sector it operates in, where they want to operate in that space, and a review of what is needed to make that vision a reality. 

Having the right people and systems in place and increasing levels of order and organization, you’ll be positioned to materialize the organizational growth you envision.

 Building clarity regarding high-value activities 

When a nonprofit is restructured, new positions are added, existing positions are updated, and individual roles and responsibilities evolve. During this time it is important to establish clarity regarding priority and focus especially amongst existing team members that have transitioned into new roles. 

New roles bring new responsibilities and if time is not allocated to ensuring that team members have clarity regarding the high-priority activities they must focus on, then their time could be filled with non-value-add activities. Devoting the time to establish clarity regarding priority and focus amongst your team will help avoid the common pitfall of employees reverting to previous tasks when they are unsure of how to operate within their new role. 

An organization design process offers nonprofit leaders an opportunity to assess where they are and to reimagine the future of their organizations. But taking a closer look at where you are today is something that can and should be revisited on a regular basis. It allows you to celebrate and reinforce areas of strength and to course correct in areas that will not lead you to your end goal. 

Actively setting aside time to work “on” the business, building a solid organizational foundation, and ensuring you are clearly defining priority and focus, will strengthen your nonprofit organization and provide you with the advantage you need to advance to the next level.