6 Key success mantras for Non-Profit Organisation

1. Factors responsible for success of Non-Profit
organizations
Dr. Deshmukh Sachin

2. The 6 core components of a successful NFP need to work together for effective
organisational management.
• Vision: Adoption of a clearly defined vision and mission statements for the
organisation.
• Strategy: The systematic approach to charting an organisation’s future business
activity. This will include the development of formal strategic plans for fund
raising and the engagement of holders.
• Culture: The shared assumptions, beliefs, values, expectations, rules, and
predominant practices collectively held by members of an organisation

3. • Business Model: The economic logic of an organisation. There is a constant
need for Board involvement in revenue development and implementation of
plans for the diversity of revenue sources.
• Operations: Organisational apparatus engaged in administration and service
delivery. Client-centricity of service delivery and quality control systems
• People: Policies and practices around the engagement of staff and
volunteers. Clarity on performance accountability, job definition and staff
support systems.

4. 1. They Are Agile
• Agile nonprofits focus on delivering results in self-managed teams. In those
teams, the hierarchy is not as present as in traditional models of management.
There is also a big focus on transparency and an emphasis on frequent, short
conversations. Immediate feedback is preferred instead of long meetings.
• If a nonprofit is to be successful today, it needs to continuously successfully face
change and unexpected risks. The agile methodology can really help with learning
and adapting fast. And organizations that are able to learn and adapt fast are the
ones that are successful in today’s environment.

5. 2. They Are Focused On Their Mission, Always
• An organization’s mission is its reason for existing, its purpose, the where it’s
“headed”. A successful nonprofit always remains focused on the mission, in spite
of the firefighting that almost all nonprofit organizations need to do on an almost
daily basis.
• successful nonprofit organizations are those which create a mission-oriented
culture. In mission-oriented organizational cultures, employees have a clear sense
of purpose. They understand how their roles contribute to the bigger picture and
to the immediate and long-term goals.

6. 3 They Are Donor-Centric
• Truly successful nonprofits are donor-centric. They understand that donors are
more than their wallets – they are people. Until a nonprofit truly understands that
its donors are a key part of the mission, it will always be hindered in its work.
• Donors enable your nonprofit’s work. Successful nonprofits show their donors
how their contributions made a difference in the world. They keep their donors
informed of the progress and they explain in measurable terms what their
donations have accomplished.

7. 4 They Develop Diverse Funding Sources
• While opinion varies as to what a nonprofit’s “ideal” funding model is, utilizing
several diverse sources to achieve sustainability is generally a good practice. In
general, it is advisable for nonprofits to never receive more than 30 percent of
their funding from any one source. If an organization loses 30 percent of its
revenue, it could probably restructure in order to survive.
• There are many possible funding sources out there: individual donations
(online and offline), grants, corporate sponsorships, membership fees, selling
goods and services, in-kind donations and more.

8. 5 They Are Able To Mobilize And Inspire
Others
• Successful nonprofits are able to mobilize and inspire their staff, their volunteers,
and their donors. They constantly create meaningful ways to engage these individuals
and connect them to the nonprofit’s mission and core values. They build and sustain
strong communities.
• While successful nonprofit organizations are really good at managing their internal
operations and internal stakeholders, nonprofits that have the highest impact are the
ones that are able to mobilize every sector of society — government, business,
nonprofits, and the public.

9. 6 They Are Digitally-Savvy
• Technology is transforming how nonprofit organizations work and how nonprofit
professionals engage with donors and supporters across online platforms.
• While offline fundraising still accounts for a significant amount of charitable
giving, online fundraising is growing every year. A successful nonprofit is on top
of all things digital. It is constantly honing digital skills and acquiring knowledge
of new tools, applications, and platforms.

10. They Continuously Listen And Improve• Successful nonprofits continuously and consistently take time to listen. They
listen to their beneficiaries, they listen to their Board, they listen to their staff, to
their volunteers, and to other organizations.
• Such organizations use a variety of innovative approaches to identify, share, and
apply results and lessons learned from their programs and initiatives. They collect
and learn from data to develop new or better programs that meet the evolving
needs and requirements of their beneficiaries.
• One of the ways to always listen and improve is to create a culture of feedback in
your nonprofit. Fostering a culture of feedback is crucial to the success of every
organization. Creating an open, feedback-oriented company culture requires
people to be able to give and receive feedback about any aspect of organizational
life. However, this feedback should be given and received clearly, productively,
empathetically, and with sensitivity.