Access to child care, access to adult care, access to coordinating care, access to after school programs, access to higher education, access learning environments and the list goes on.  In your community have you conducted a needs assessment of the services needed, what assets of the nonprofit are underutilized and how you can offer a service at price that private and publicly funded individuals would pay.

For-profits are building more child care capacity, more companies are opening adult care services, new schools are being created at all levels,  and many after school and summer programs require early enrollment.

Success does not come to those whom wait for it to happen.  Success takes time and vision.  Success takes energy and effort.  Nonprofits have strengths that most individuals do not realize can make them very competitive.   The strengths of a nonprofit organization just need to be identified and used strategically to tap into positive cash flow ventures.

Does your nonprofit board or leadership feel tired and frustrated? Have you found the government has grown tired of supporting your efforts. Does your organization feel it has strength to continue to carry the burden of government shortages, failures or inaction? For a nonprofit to carry its mission it is important for the organization to be clear and consistent in its mission?

It is OK for a nonprofit to be revolution in its ideas on how to accomplish its mission, its goals and objectives. In promoting change and a message remember that symbols can have a different meaning to individuals than you intended. When symbols carry too much of a distraction, it is best to adjust.

Whether it is youth, children, environment, elderly, arts, families, animals, education or any other focus; the outcome will measure whether the means was worth it. Leading in a different direction than those who lead before you does not mean that your a radical leader. Not accepting past practices as the only way to accomplish the organizations goals does not mean that your nonprofit organization is wrong. Being the first nonprofit to accept a new practice or state a new means to accomplish a goal does not mean your organization is advocating throwing out all past practices. It is OK to take risks. It is OK to be first. Invention and evolution comes with revolutionary ideas. An individual or nonprofit organization should expect to become a leader whom will be able to stand the time when their country or community or a group needs that extra effort to hold them together during a time of change. Asking for help is not admitting defeat. It takes a wise leader to know when to ask for help. One great example is the The Mozilla Foundation which can be found at mozilla.org. You might have heard of Mozilla Firefox, the open source browser.

Are many of us prevented from truly helping a child because society has stuck children in societies bubble. Has parental rights and government policy shackled children to a life of methodical control where they have no rights. Time after time we read and hear of actions that seem more based on property rights or the dollar then whats best for a child.

To unshackled children from the restricted boundaries of society and increase opportunities for maximizing children to succeed I would advocate giving children a true voice. Set into regulation where parental rights are terminated the automatic appointment of a court appointed advocate for child under 13. Those 13 and above should be part of a Service Team and be given the opportunity to be part of the planning and decision making of their treatment plan.

There should be a child advocate who ’s only responsibility is what is in the best interest of the child.

My papa allowed my brother and I to build our own a camp fire. Snow was still on the ground. I put it out with the snow when it got dark. We wanted smores but our parents said no one bought the stuff to make it. That is alright I know my Aunts will bring stuff for the smores and banana boats. Camp fires are times for me to play, hunt for wood, and eat treats. Some nights we go to other camp fires. We take turns.

From Papa: “Camping is an opportunity for children with or with out their families to experience many outdoor options. Exposure to the environment provides an education for everyone. The more a person understands their relationship to nature the more likely the person will work to have a lesser impact on the environment.”

Frisbee golf works any where.  You make the course yourself.  You decide how hard to make it.  What par to make it.  Does anyone know if Tigger Woods can play it?  I wish every kid could have a Frisbee like me.  I can play anywhere with it. 

TV does not make anything. Sitting with my family playing my guitar is fun. My brother and I play UNO with our parents. Tonight we all played kickball. Sunday we went to the ZOO. Family time is important to me.

From Papa: “Government and nonprofits promoting and supporting opportunities for family time provide a non sexual and non violence means for children to grow up in a healthy environment. Help families to be informed of programs and have the ability to take advantage of the programs.”

1. List Your Priorities of Programming Ideas
2. Elements to Use in Action Steps/Approaches/Strategies (Working Together)

• Strategic Planning (What, where, when and why baseline)
• Maximizing Assets: People, Organization, Effort, Space, Allocation of costs, Labeling, Cost allocation plan, Assignment of job function.
• Referral and Intake Systems
• Cross Pollination: Using resources already available and maximizing capacity.
• Whom do you serve: Geography, community, age and service type. (Who shows up in the Service Plan or the Strategic Plan?)
• Reality Check on ability to serve
• Equal Access Goal (Where are the cases? Where are the resources?) Geo coding for allocating resources. (Transportation weight to consider. How do you manage yourself to complete all of your daily tasks?)
• Low Lying Fruit
• 20-40 Minute Rule
• Day Job Syndrome (Capacity to change, evolve, develop vs. the day to day job) (Capacity to change, evolve, develop vs. the day to day job)
• Investment Risk Scale of Capital (Can what I am committed to doing be used for something else if I am wrong?)
• Management Choices for change vs. Institutional Choices for change
• Defining Outcomes
• Branding: Ownership, reporting, sharing, confidence and leadership
• Communication: web, telecommunicating, Co-location, transparency, team responsibility, and risk
• Continuous Quality Improvement (How do you learn?)
• How do you compete? Niche vs. General and Narrow vs. Broad. What does your mission allow?
• Who are my Funders?

1. 1. Donors
   2. Foundations
   3. State
   4. Federal
   5. City/Town
   6. Community
   7. Individuals
   8. Your Organizations Assets

If you are interested in overcoming barriers check out the previous post:

http://mynonprofitwebsite.com/blog/2008/04/30/nonprofits-evolution/

Do you want to changed the business environment of your organization? Try the outline below.

1. List Your Barriers and Challenges

2. Evolution of the Non-Profit Business Environment (Supporters Working Together) List supporters.
   1. Donors
   2. Foundations
   3. State
   4. Federal
   5. City/Town
   6. Community
   7. Individuals
   8. Your Organizations Assets

3. Successful Approaches and Innovative Strategies

• Strategic Planning (Why do you exist? Whom do you not serve? Why do you not serve them? Why do you do things the way you do? Whom do you consider a competitor? When was the last time you asked a person you served what’s missing?)
• Whom do you serve: Geography, community, age and service type. Who shows up in the Service Plan?
• Day Job Syndrome (What is the organization’s capacity to change, evolve, develop vs. the day to day job)
• Maximizing Assets (Review your people, organization, effort, space, allocation of costs, labeling, cost allocation plan, assignment of job function, etc)
• Systematic Evaluation at Intake (How is it done thorough out the organization?)
• Cross Pollination of Expertise
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Thinking Out of the Box
• Defining Outcomes
• Branding
• Co-location of Programs

It is important for a nonprofit to plan on how it is going to raise money or support for its organization. To help nonprofits in their outline of the planning the process I have provided 6 questions below.

1. Do you have a Strategic Plan?

2. Do you have a Development Plan?

3. Is the Development Plan incorporated into the Strategic Plan?

4. Can you describe for your nonprofit each outcome in three sentences or less?

5. Is each outcome for the nonprofit something that can be publicize?

6. Do you know what it costs the nonprofit to deliver each outcome?

If you answer no to any of the six, your nonprofit needs to improve to be more successful in raising money.

Bulking up does not necessarily mean an organization needs to get bigger itself, merge, or be acquired. A low cost to getting the best price is to pool resources. A cooperative allows you an equal voice and control. A cooperative provides you with the benefit of not giving up control over your organization and gaining the benefits of the economics of being part of a larger entity via the cooperative. Your organization is independent but united in one voice.

The power of one large group allows you to compete and get pricing that is more affordable and brings more benefits.

If you have an interest and would like more information feel free to contact me at robert.guinto@npcm.com .