Is Your Nonprofit Going for the Right Kind of Growth?

So often, conversations among nonprofit executive teams and boards of directors are focused on growth.

Growth in revenue.
Growth in the number of supporters & people served.
Growth in impact.
Growth in the number of staff & volunteers.

There are many societal, historical, and situational realities that make us default to this lens of “getting bigger” and “doing more.”

But this lens represents only one facet of growth.

And it’s worth asking – should this be our default? Or is there a different kind of growth we should be focusing on - for this year, or beyond?

If we let ourselves zoom out a bit, it becomes easier to see the various facets of growth available for our consideration.

Growth that looks like:
→ Clear, consistent strategy and decision-making
→ Useful insights and applied wisdom
→ Calm, capable, and compassionate leadership
→ Strong connections, relationships, and partnerships
→ Refined approaches, processes, perspectives, and techniques
→ Targeted investments in staff development & wellness, technology and infrastructure
→ Demonstrating an understanding of what it takes to effectively, sustainably enable impact (or, at least, an understanding of what doesn't)
→ Going deeper on the things we’re really good at
→ And more.

Taken together, these facets of growth constitute a level of organizational maturity that helps us shift from a “short-term success mindset" to more sustainable ways of working.

This "maturity mindset" is especially important in times when funding and the future feel less certain.

That's because growth in these other areas may not guarantee quick wins, but it does create a firmer foundation to build from - one that can help weather the storms that remain on the horizon.

Are you having conversations about growth in your organization? How are they going? Are you seeing shifts from a "getting bigger" lens to a maturity mindset?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Linkedin or contact me if you’d rather share privately.