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Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Mosaic

 

Have you discovered total resources?

By Shawn Sheridan, Dewey & Kaye


"The greater the change in external forces – government policies, economic and social conditions – the greater the need for internal strength and flexibility. Not every nonprofit survives. The established fail along with the new. Those that make it have a number of characteristics in common. Perhaps foremost is the ability to make the most of community resources."

This quote comes from Discover Total Resources, an award-winning resource development guide for nonprofit organizations created by Mellon Financial Corporation (now Bank of New York Mellon) and rings as true today as when it was first published in 1985. The guide's purpose was to serve as a self-audit for nonprofit leaders to evaluate the degree to which they are leveraging a range of community resources: people, money, services and goods.

Since its initial release, over 400,000 copies of the publication have been distributed worldwide. While it may be familiar to some Mosaic readers, given the proliferation of nonprofit organizations and number of new entrants to the nonprofit workforce since its publication, we thought a review of this valuable guide would be appropriate, especially since nonprofits today are continually challenged to do more with less.

Here is a sample of the guide's many tools and insights:

  • Begin the process of discovering total community resources through a structured self-examination of your organization. While most nonprofit leaders have a clear understanding of their organization's identity, powerfully articulating their mission and purpose can be a challenge. A structured discussion of the guide's self-examination questions (p.2) can help your board of directors fine-tune and gain confidence in making an elevator speech to prospective funders, donors, collaborators and other stakeholders.
  • A strong, informed board of directors is fundamental to any organization's success. Developing and maintaining an effective, engaged board of directors is a necessity for all, and a challenge for many, nonprofit organizations. A checklist (p.6) is provided to cover the major considerations and tips in recruiting, informing, motivating and refreshing your board.
  • Mitigate the risk of starting a new earned-revenue business through careful planning. Given the estimated first-year failure rate of over half of new commercial businesses (and even higher rates among nonprofit businesses), a strategic approach to new ventures is a must. Follow a few key steps (p.17) before undertaking any business venture such as conducting appropriate market research, developing a business plan and assessing the financial and operational impact of the venture on current staff and programs.

Discover Total Resources (updated 2000 version) is available online for download through Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania here. Take some time to review the document to see how your organization is leveraging its community resources. For more information on how to prioritize, plan and implement the strategies found in Discover Total Resources, contact Dewey & Kaye at 412.434.1335 or by visiting us on the web at www.deweykaye.com.

 

Shawn Sheridan specializes in nonprofit business and strategic planning
and financial analysis.
Shawn can be reached at 412.434.1335 or ssheridan@deweykaye.com.

 

Dewey & Kaye