This document provides guidance on creating and managing a successful nonprofit organization. It discusses what nonprofits are, questions to consider before starting a nonprofit like determining the mission and ensuring there is no duplication of services. It also covers establishing the organization through developing vision and mission statements and establishing a board of directors. The document emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, communications, technology, succession planning, and accountability for nonprofit sustainability.

1. Creating and Managing a
Successful and Sustainable
Nonprofit Organization
By
Ebele Mogo
Twitter - @ebyral

2. What are non-profits?

Non-profit organizations are private in that they are separate
institutions from the government.

While they may generate revenue and provide services, they do
not distribute profits to their owners

They are self governing which means the board controls their
activities

They involve voluntary participation

Other words used for non-profits: "third sector", "civil society
organizations", "non-governmental organization"

3. So you want to start a non-profit?
Questions for Clarity
What is your mission?

What will be your activities?

Who will you serve?

What unique benefit are you creating for the greater
community?
(Make sure there is no duplication or overlap or else you may
hinder instead of help)

Have you researched non-profits doing related work and
started a conversation with them?

Might you further your mission through an existing non-
profit?

4. Questions for Clarity (continued)

Have you researched the laws and best practices for starting a
non-profit and do you have the time and resource
commitment to make it happen and to attract the funding you
need?

Have you researched the community you want to work with
to know the specific need and if your plan is feasible?

How will you fund your non-profit? Have you conducted a
feasibility assessment to be sure this plan is viable?

5. Non-traditional social change
models to considerWithin the non-profit sector

Social enterprise

Social entrepreneurship

Social purpose business

Program Related Investments
Within the private sector

Triple bottom line

Low profit, limited liability corp. / benefit corp.

Hybrid corporations

Social responsiblility

Bottom of pyramid

6. Establishing the organization

Your vision statement:
-What values will inform your non-profit's work?
-What future do you hope to create due to the work you do?

Your mission statement:
-How will you work for your vision?
-Who will you serve and who will benefit from your work?

Who will be on your board of directors?

Fill and file your certificate of incorporation

What will be the bylaws of your board?

Develop a plan to raise funds

7. Leading in the non-profit sector today

Requires private sector business skills + Traditional non-
profit attributes

The dual role of being a Manager-Leader is needed in the
non-profit sector.

Financial Leadership
- Leaders should be able to apply an entrepreneurial business
management style in order to ensure the financial stability of the
organization.
- Financial understanding in order to plan, share information and
understand the impact of finances on the organizations' work.
-Widen service offerings and donor relationships in order to draw from a
wider resource base while being prudent about finances

8. Leading in the non-profit sector today...

Leadership in operational effectiveness
- There is the need to improve transparency and create systems which
yield information and evaluative measurements
- Board centred leadership: Non-profit leaders will also need to master
engaging, building and reverting to their board members. This alliance
is built through frequent communication, building both formal and
informal relationships with the board, building trust, a match between
the leader and board's philosophies, clear cut roles and mutual
expectations.
-Given the fast rate of change, the nonprofit leader will need to be able to
adopt new models for structuring and restructuring the organization

9. Leading in the non-profit sector today...

Competitive Leadership
- Collaborating and aligning shared purposes across organizations in
order to ensure sustainability
- Need to communicate, market their cause and engage the public
consistently in order to maintain social relevance
- Leaders in this sector will need to stay abreast of technological trends,
and create the infrastructure to support technological capacity.

10. Leading in the non-profit sector...

Attracting and developing talent
- Given the competition for talent, the non-profit sector will need to
attract, train and mentor staff while creating a succession model to be
used for transitioms
- Leaders will need to be able to engage new leaders through listening,
participatory leadership, and empowering their people in self-
actualization which is attractive to staff in the 21st century

Diversity promotion and management
- Diversity in clientele and in the organization will require leaders to
have the social skills to manage and deal with various forms of
diversity including staff, volunteers, cultures, age, worldview, gender,
amongst others.

11. Strategy and how this makes all the
difference

Strategic plan: A succinct but salient proposition of what you
hope to achieve

Key components
- Mission statement: This is the clear reason why you exist
- Goals and objectives (concrete and measurable)
- Activities
- Assessment of resources- money, people, expertise, skills
- Strategic analysis: how you will make the best use of your
resources to achieve your goals given the information above

12. Evaluating for sustainability

Critical 'reflection' by the organization.

What is your blueprint (target population, objectives, success
indicators, timeline)?

Anticipate needs for data collection: process data are needed to
evaluate implementation while outcomes data are needed to
evaluate effectiveness

Pre-test data collection system

Collect information at baseline to have a standard for evaluation

Implement according to plan and collect data and document all
the way

Use results to refine programme- this links evaluation to
sustainability

13. Accountability: what it takes...

Quality
- High level of excellence in the organization
- Ongoing evaluation of the organization

Leadership
- Show that you represent and enhance your communities'
wellbeing through your work, advocacy, lobbying if applicable,
education, inclusiveness and impact

Stewardship
-Effective management and governance of resources including
staff, volunteers, finances etc
- Avoiding abuse of trust and power and conflicts of interest

14. Accountability: What it takes

Transparency- share information on governance, finances and
operations. The level of detail depends on the nature of the work
(Sometimes it is not safe to share some information. So from the
beginning determine the level of transparency to commit to)

Mission fulfilment and relevance - How will you show that you
have done what you promised and what is expected of you in the
environment?

15. Show me the money: Fundraising

They will not come simply because you built it

They will come because you have given them a reason to
invest in you.

Therefore you need to research, identify, cultivate prospects'
interest, create a connection to the organization and then ask
for an investment

Marketing is a conversation at its finest.

Fundraising is a form of marketing

16. Fundraising continued...

Both people bring something to the table.

The funder brings money, connections, credibility,
relationship.

The nonprofit brings value, solutions, services

Questions
What value do your funders need?
What value do you have to offer?

There has to be a match

17. Fundraising continued...

People give to people. A worthy cause is not enough.

Donor development is cultivating relationships

Identify prospects (people with interest in, ability to give and
connection to your mission)

Create relationships and a framework for them to last after
the fundraiser has left the organization.

Ask

Thank often and sincerely and at higher levels for bigger gifts

Create an investment, rather than giving mindset. Funders are
investing to create a clear outcome, rather than giving simply
to help

18. How to market your organization
effectively

Which groups, organizations and associations would
constitute your target market?

What are the best means to reach them- direct mail, email,
brochures, social media?

What are their demographics- age, socioeconomic status,
culture

What are their psychographics- personality, attitudes,
worldview?

19. How to market your organization
effectively...

What outcome do you want to result from your marketing
effort?

Create marketing materials that communicate consistently to
your target market the alignment in values, opportunities to
partner with your organization, and benefits

Communicate how you are achieving set goals

Continually search for ways to build and diversify
partnerships with organizations, private sector, government,
and media

20. Designing your non-profit
communications...

To create a unified voice for the organization, spokespersons
who engage with media, the public, donors and influencers
should be trained and comfortable in representing the
organization professionally on a wide variety of topics

Execution should be regular and mapped out in order to
prioritize messaging and to continue generating awareness

Strategic use of social media- to engage, inspire, share
content. Social media should be one of a mix of
communication vehicles and should be message-driven

21. Designing your non-profit
communications

Best practices
- Communications activities should demonstrate a consistent
message
- Story: The organization should have a unique story, position and
value proposition at the core of its communications strategy. This
messaging should be consistent across diverse communications
vehicles and audiences. Facts are not the messages. Who, what,
when, where, how help to put flesh around the facts and the why

22. Public relations

Key questions to ask
- What do you want to accomplish with your communications with
the public ?
- Who do you need to reach to make this programme work?
- How will you communicate within the organization- staff, board,
volunteers, other chapters?
- How will you communicate with external targeted groups?
- What are the key ideas you want to communicate?

23. Public relations...

What is your grand design for reaching your target audiences?
This includes volunteers, funders, public, etc

What tools will you employ to achieve your strategy?

What is your timeframe for carrying out the plans you wish to
adopt?

How much do you have and wish to spend on public relations?

24. Information technology and your
organization

Your information management technology should be strategic- what
are your short term needs? long term needs? how is the technological
landscape changing?

Data storage and retrieval: backup information- grant applications,
files, fundraising information, programmes and personnel information

Build staff capacity for technology

Strategic use of the internet for communications- website, email,
social media sites that are most relevant to your audience.

Policies for data storage and sharing, how and what information to
back up and who will have access to information and who is
responsible for maintaining these functions

25. Succession Planning

Necessary for sustainability

Questions to guide this plan:
- What challenges are envisaged and what leadership skills will be
needed to deal with these challenges?
- Do you need an interim leader?
- What is the timeline for the succession?
- In the case of an unexpected transition do you have an emergency
transition plan?
- What leadership development opportunities (including cross-training)
are in place for staff and board in order to have a pool of future
leaders and to help new employees?
- How will you communicate with stakeholders about the transition?

26. Thank you

Questions?