Strategy

"Most prefer the security of known misery to the misery of unfamiliar security."  Sheldon Kopp

There is no doubt that a great wave of fear has fallen over the nonprofit sector and indeed the nation.   The constant barrage of bad news, while tempered by the jubilation surrounding the historic inauguration in Washington, affects our psyches as we approach each day a bit more unsure than the previous.      Einstein said that problems can not be solved at the level of analysis that created them and yet we try.  We are attempting to solve problems in which the allusive answers seem to create their own host of other problems.  Downsizing may temporarily help our organization, but how then will we continue to provide essential services?  We attempt to expand our individual donor base, but if all nonprofits make the same attempt how effective will we be?   The conversation about the generational shift in leadership change has shifted to a fear that the sector will lose its young and entrepreneurial talent to layoffs.   In most cases there are no good answers, only better solutions. 

Within the last year, MCS eliminated all of its technology infrastructure by moving our applications to “the cloud”. For those of you not familiar with cloud computing, its essentially hosted software applications and associated data on the Internet in a models. Such models are also known as “software as a service” or as IBM coined “on demand computing” (for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing). MCS’s move is indicative of major changes underway in the technology world and could be a model for nonprofits.

What is the financial health of your organization?  Recently, the Boston Foundation (TBF) report “Passion & Purpose” raised concerns about the nonprofit sector.   According to TBF, nonprofits rightfully focus on mission – but they need to manage financially to deliver on their mission.

Michael Richards writing (MCS Intern, MBA in non-profit management at Brandeis University's Heller School):

MCS is planning a couple of informative summer lunchtime
programs, and an exciting fall schedule of training and education events,
including the “Networked Non-profit Series”, a leadership development program
for IT managers and leaders, and a new series on “Information Technology for
Non-profits”.

Please be sure and bring your lunch for our first summer
brown bag networking and education lunches ("Drowning in Paperwork") on Wednesday, July 16 (there are 3 deli’s within half a block
of MCS, 6 Beacon St., Beacon Hill) from noon to 1:30pm, and again on Wed.
August 13 (exact title coming soon). Look here on the MCS web site
for discussion groups regarding these lunchtime programs.

Nonprofit leaders are becoming more familiar with the 2.0 tools and strategies that are creating a new paradigm for constituency engagement.  A simple look at a nonprofit employment website shows a proliferation in new positions with titles such as "online community manager" or "new media communications associate".  Even if an organization has yet to adopt the new technology, there is a growing awareness of a brave new world in which the organization must seek to engage.   

MCS hosts leadership groups for nonprofit leaders. The group asked me to develop a list of terms for an upcoming training so that we're all starting from the same page. I figured it would make for a good blog post. Here's the cheat sheet: