Not-for-Profit Organizational Development

Strategic Organizational Development approach for Not for Profit Organization

Not-for-Profit Organizational Development

Strategic Organizational Development approach for Not for Profit Organization

Project Overview:

We were approached by a not-for-profit organization that was struggling and needed to address multiple issues. They had a specialized educational program for the local community which was working quite well, but there were a lot of problems and goals that needed to be addressed.
At Atlanta-based not-for-profit organization approached us looking for a way to expand the vision for their organization. While they had a strong leader, she began to grow disenchanted with her dual role of Executive Director and Program Director.  She was ready for the organization to grow so that it could support additional staff and not require so much of her time and energy.  She knew that in order for the organization to move out of its present situation, it would need to have a strategic organizational development approach to get it from its present operating model to one that would support its future aspirations.

Challenge

Create

We conducted a full assessment of the organization, looking at both internal and external elements. A better understanding of their market and its strengths and weaknesses was also gained. We got more familiar with the organization and sought to clarify the real problems.  On the surface the problem was not getting enough students enrolled in the program on a regular basis and did not have an effective way to recruit them. Our analysis showed the deeper issue of the client needing a more effective business model that would meet the different operational requirements to help them build a sustainable organization.  Through a series of workshops, we worked with the board and executive leadership identify their strengths and weaknesses, presented them with some opportunities and threats and prioritized them according to their organizational beliefs.
At the core of our solution was a 5-year model that would guide them to building a stronger board and leadership team. We understood their fundraising capabilities and the limitations they had so that the strategy would be designed as a grassroots approach. To address their fundraising limitations, we developed a program that would guide them to enhance their overall brand awareness and program visibility to reach their student and donor visibility, including guiding them to capitalize on their social assets and rebuild their website for better user experience and clearer messaging to connect with their audiences.  One of the key challenges we identified with regard to their fundraising and limited enrollment was that the organization was serving a community that couldn’t support them. Further, the Board of Directors had become disengaged and not working at a level that would support the organizational direction. to address them, we helped them to identify additional target audiences to support enrollment and clarified the role of the board to both set expectations and guide them to be more productive.

Design

Build

By implementing the organizational development model we had designed, we provided them with a blueprint based on the models we created to address all the concerns shared by the client, and the board and revealed by our analysis. The program we designed would significantly enhance the visibility for the organization as a whole, enhance the brand, and provide them with direction to build a sustainable model for the organization, including additional programs that would meet the needs of a broader audience. We helped the client identify how to reach the new market that had both the interest and income to support the organization without alienating the audience they had originally set out to server. Moreover, our strategic model also provided them with a construct to help them identify new, motivated board members that would be assets to the organization. Given the nature of the work that the organization does and the impact that they make, this was an important project for the local community.  As a result of the project, the client enjoyed the following results: 
  • Restructured the organization and its board to improve performance and effectiveness
  • Increased the number programs the organization would offer
  • Established strong leadership support via new Board of Directors 
  • Partnership with local companies 
  • Identified and connected the organization with much better communities 
  • Enhanced brand awareness 
  • A clear plan for implementation of stage III organizational growth 

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