Program Planning and Design

We Made a Plan. NOW what do we do?

You invested in a strategic planning process and everything seemed to line up—until your world got turned upside down by the pandemic and its aftershocks. These are five things your nonprofit might do to stay the course. Since you can’t rely on the old habits or the old assumptions, now’s a good time to renovate the way you go about your business.

Evaluation Is Not Your Enemy

Evaluation ought to be a part of the DNA of a nonprofit. It’s the way you know you are on the right track and all of the targets and goals are clear, realistic and appropriate. If you want to get to a destination, one of the first things to know is how you’ll recognize it when you arrive.

Understanding Capacity Building Grant Proposals

A capacity-building grant is a specific type of award meant to strengthen an organization’s systems and thereby increase its effectiveness. The term is a little confusing, so it’s not uncommon for grantseekers to think the purpose of these grants is to increase service capacity and expand programming. While strengthening internal systems can eventually result in expanded service capacity, that’s not the immediate focus here.

Beyond Policy Change – Assessing Social Justice Programs

Identifying the specific social-change outcomes you hope to achieve is challenging, but it’s critical that the outcomes you propose accurately reflect your organization’s values and views along with an understanding of how social change works

Get Ready to Reboot

This forced hiatus from the office is an anxiety-filled nightmare of handwringing and handwashing. The worries are real, but we can’t get frozen in place, we’ve got to discipline ourselves to be productive and prepare to rebound.

Crisis? Communicate!

Clear, strategic communication has always been the magic ingredient that promotes strong program implementation, good working relationships, and effective nonprofit management. But when a crisis crashes in and disrupts any notion of business-as-usual, the imperative for communication escalates at the same trajectory as the disruption. Don’t go quiet with panic or let the huge details of change management side-line communications.

Working From Home? Prepare Now to Rebuild

By: Barbara Floersch

Community Engagement Boosts Grant Success

Some nonprofits always seem to be in the right place at the right time, standing shoulder to shoulder with other community organizations and reeling in grant awards one after another. What’s the story? Why are these nonprofits the darlings of every get-things-done project of every local school, community group, and municipal agency? When you see a nonprofit partnering intensely and successfully, you’re looking at an organization that values and cultivates community engagement.

Tackling the Nonprofit Conundrum?

The strain of inadequate, insecure funding is exhausting and often sends nonprofits tilting at every windmill that might throw out a grant dollar. Every organization has its own pressure points and problems, but there are some commonalities throughout the sector.

Commitment to Evaluation is Commitment to Impact

When developing a grant proposal, it’s tempting to think of the evaluation plan as something you tack on once the program plan is in place. But the evaluation plan is an integral part of the program.

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