BLOG for ADVOCATES

We created this blog to share interesting advocacy related items that cross our desks. It can be anything from new research on funding for advocacy to examples of unusual advocacy strategies. If you have an item to share please send it to npaction@npaction.org.
NPAction Staff

Friday, November 09, 2007

What Makes A Nonprofit Great?

In a recent podcast from Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovations, the authors of Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits discuss what makes the best nonprofits great. After surveying thousands of executive directors across the country, Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie Crutchfield found that high impact nonprofits do not perfectly fit popular conceptions. In fact, according to the authors, being a great nonprofit is not always about having a great board, a great idea, a large budget, perfect management or even the most profound mission statement. Survey results from 3,000 executive directors in nine different fields reveal the following about high impact nonprofits:

Great Nonprofits…

1. Don’t focus solely on internal operations

2. Engage the government through advocacy

3. Work with the private sector

4. Inspire evangelist/create whole social movements

5. Work through nonprofit networks

6. Share leadership and create more leaders

7. Are Highly Adaptive

To listen to the podcast and get further information on what makes a nonprofit great, click here.