Smart Stewardship for Nonprofits by Peter C. Brinckerhoff

Author:Peter C. Brinckerhoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2012-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

In looking at this list, I'm sure you see a lot of work, but it's essential to do this part of the work before you grow, so that you can stage your capacity building to match up with service needs, cash availability, and management-oversight capacity. It's Smart Stewardship at its best.

You have to have both the capacity and the capability to grow, but it's also true that examining your capability and capacity—even if you don't plan a major new initiative—allows you to focus on what you do well and look down the road to see what you need to do well going forward. Such a review also lets you take a hard look at your current capacity, which may show that your staff and volunteers are already at the breaking point.

Too many of us in the nonprofit sector always start with “Yes!” when offered a chance to help. In fact, few, if any of us, came to the sector to say no. That's fundamentally a good thing. The problem comes when we say Yes, Yes, Yes! over and over without making sure that we really can do what we're promising. Think of my story about my takeoff adventure. I had said yes too quickly, and it could have turned out much worse than just one very relieved pilot.

You don't want to crash your organization for any reason. You're in the mission for the long haul and people depend on you to be there this year, next, and far into the future. Figuring out what you're best at (and doing more of that), confessing where you don't excel (and getting help or getting out), and constantly evaluating your capacity to do the things you've promised the community all figure in to your ability to do great mission for many years to come.

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