Smart Stewardship
for Nonprofits
Based on the widely
acclaimed book by
Peter Brinckerhoff
October 10, 2013
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| 2013 NIB/NAEPB National Conference and Expo
Your Presenter
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Peter Brinckerhoff
Corporate Alternatives, Inc.
217-341-3836
peter@missionbased.com
www.missionbased.com
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Three Key Philosophies, and a
pair of rules...
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Philosophies
1. Your nonprofit is a mission-based business.
2. No one gives you a dime.
3. Non profit doesn’t mean no profit. Why?
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Rules
1. Money is the enabler of mission.
2. Profit is the enabler of more mission.
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Not all services need to be profitable.
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There’s a double return on investment.
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Return on Investment
High
F
I
N
A
N
C
I
A
L
Consider, based on
strategic plan.
Proceed, if it matches
a core competence.
Avoid if at all
possible.
Consider, based on
strategic plan.
R
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N
Low
Low
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MISSION RETURN
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High
Most Importantly....
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Remember that your mission is your most valuable
asset.
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More valuable than your building, your board, your
cash and yes, your staff.
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Why? Because the mission is why all those people
show up, it’s why the building and cash were
acquired.
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Your mission is THE. MOST. VALUABLE. ASSET.
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So protect it, invest in it, use it all the time.
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Your decisions....
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It needs to be about mission first, middle, last.
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Each decision you make as a staff or board should result
in:
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More mission
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Better mission
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More efficient mission
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More effective mission
That’s the point.
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Now, two key questions:
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For each question, you have one minute to write down
your answer. Then your table will discuss for 10 minutes.
Make sure each person gets to contribute. At the end of
that time, we’ll talk about what you’ve learned, or what
was the most prevalent answer, or the most unexpected.
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Make sure you have at least six people at your table.
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Ready?
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Question # 1: What’s the single biggest challenge facing
your nonprofit over the next 5 years? Be specific!
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Write for one, talk for 10, and I’ll call on each table for
common issues.
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Question # 2: What can you do personally in the next 12
months to assure your nonprofit’s success over the next
10 years?
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Again, write for one, talk for 10, and I’ll call on each table
for common issues.
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The Smart Growth Decision
Tree
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A Decision Tree...
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Allows you to let staff and board have the same decision
context
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Allows you to make sure you’re asking all the key questions
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Allows flexibility within an overall framework
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Evaluating a Growth
Opportunity
Is the growth area
consistent with our
mission and
values?
Is it something we
already do really
well?
Do we have the
capacity to grow?
Can we protect
our existing
services’ quality?
Can we get
good before
we start?
Do NOT
proceed until
problems are
resolved
Do we have the
cash to invest?
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Have we done the
appropriate
business analyses?
Have we
consulted/involved
the appropriate
people?
Proceed with
caution
Leading Change....
 There are a ton of theories of change,
and guides on change management.
 This session will be about LEADING
your people through the seismic
changes you’re making.
 So, we’ll start where we should --with
mission.
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Remember, mission is...
 YOUR. MOST. VALUABLE. ASSET.
 More valuable than your building, your
board, your cash and yes, your staff.
 Decisions, strategies and plans should all
result in more mission, better mission, more
effective mission and/or more efficient mission.
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So it’s about mission--but what
about values?
 The mission is the why or your nonprofit.
 Your values are the how....
 Values will define your culture, attract (or
repel) staff, board and volunteers.
 Values require constant, personal
leadership.
 When people feel comfortable in their
values environment, everything benefits.
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Hands-on Values
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State your case in your values.
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Think these through collaboratively, and
don’t just put obvious things in.
Have values that require discussion to
implement.
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Be analog not digital.
Google’s key value?
Don’t have values you can’t live with.
Share and amend as needed.
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More on values
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Use your values in your employee and
volunteer recruitment.
Use your values as a management and
decision-making tool.
Enforce values in your behavior
management.
Be public-hold yourself accountable!
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Have some values….
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Respect: We will treat others as we would like to be
treated. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful
treatment.
Integrity: We work with customers and prospects openly
and sincerely. When we say we will do something we will
do it. When we say we cannot or will not do something
then we won’t do it.
Communication: We have an obligation to communicate.
Here, we take the time to talk to each other….and to
listen. We believe that information is meant to move and
that information moves people.
Excellence: We are satisfied with nothing less than the
very best in everything we do. We will continue to raise
the bar for everyone. The great fun here will be for all of
us to discover just how good we can really be.
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Leading Your People Through
Change
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Key philosophy:
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Your organization needs good staff a lot
more than your good staff need your
organization!
In growth situations, your people need to
be visibly led.
Navigating change requires constant
leadership.
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Leadership in change
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You have to lead from the front—be visible
and accessible.
“People don’t care how much you know
until they know that you care.” ---John
Maxwell.
Be a mission cheerleader.
You’re asking every staff and volunteer to
do more in significant change situations-relate it to mission and values and they
are more likely to come with you.
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Growth is change. Shrinking is change.
Change is change.
 People resist change, right? Some always will,
but in the main....
 Poorly led people resist change....
 If you engaged them in developing your change
strategy,
 If you relate the changes to mission outcomes
every day,
 If you are visible and engaged with your people,
 If you show that your staff that you value
them.....then....
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What will happen?
 The people you want, the people you need,
the best staff and volunteers:
 They’ll come with you because they want to,
not because they have to.
 So, let’s celebrate--bottoms up!
 Huh?
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Bottom-up management
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Treats management as a support function,
not a restrictive one.
Values direct service staff above all.
Pushes decisions as close to the line of
service as possible.
Flips the organization chart upside down.
Works in competitive, growing
environments and with younger
workers.
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The traditional model…
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This traditional
organizational chart
was developed for
large organizations in
non-competitive
environments.
It worked-under those
conditions.
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The improved model…
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By valuing the people who
deliver service, training
them, and empowering
them, the organization is
more responsive, flexible,
provides higher quality
service and is more
competitive.
And staff stay longer,
work harder and have
more enthusiasm for their
work.
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Components of bottom-up management.
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You are an enabler, not a restrictor.
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Treat others the way THEY would like to be treated.
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Be a leader, but be willing to follow!
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When you are praised, pass it on; when criticized, take the fall.
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They are not your staff. You are their supervisor.
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Thus the supervisor’s job is to get the tools and training in
the hands of those closer to the line of service, to
encourage, coach, mentor them, and to let them do their
jobs.
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This also requires:
๏ Good delegation
๏ Delegating both the work and the authority.
๏ Holding people accountable for outcomes not process.
๏ Good evaluation
๏ Constant, supportive and firm.
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Leadership Takeaways
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You need your good staff more than they need you.
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Leading change is about leading people.
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Leadership is a support function. You support those you
supervise.
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Final Check
 What’s your big takeaway?
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Books to consider....
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Mission-Based Management: Leading Your
Nonprofit in the 21st Century, 3rd Edition, by
Peter Brinckerhoff
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Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime for
Your Nonprofit, by Peter Brinckerhoff
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First Break All the Rules, by Marcus
Buckingham
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Developing the Leaders Around You, by John
Maxwell
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That’s it for me.....
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Thanks for having me, and remember to email me with
any questions.
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Enjoy the rest of the conference!
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