Starting your own nonprofit? Here are 3 exercises to help you plan more effectively.
You are passionate, driven, and excited to pursue your dream of starting your own nonprofit. You want to make an impact on an issue that has a deep and powerful meaning to you. So, what are some strategies that you can use to build a strategic vision and provide thoughtful and effective structure to your organization? In this article, we will walk through some simple exercises you can use to maximize your nonprofit’s long-run impact.
Theory of Change
The Theory of Change model allows you to articulate your long-term goals by clarifying your intentions, expected outcomes, and your actions. The DIY Toolkit has a great Theory of Change template you can use to get started. Filling in the template can help you make a roadmap for future activity, articulates outcomes that will guide evaluation, and define your approach and reasoning for your work. All of these are extremely important because having well-thought through theory will not only get you the results that have the greatest meaning to you, but it will help you find what donors you should target, what programs you should create, and your vision and values for your work.
Business Model Canvas
As a nonprofit leader, you understand how easy it can be to become overwhelmed by managing the day to day of your nonprofit and lose sight of the resources you need for your organization to will flow and function. The Business Model Canvas is a one-page tool that visualizes the basic logic of how a nonprofit creates and delivers value to its customers while financially sustaining itself. Strategyzer has a detailed website about the Business Model Canvas with free downloadable templates you can use. This tool is helpful in thinking through your organization’s channels for delivering services to target audiences, your established partnerships, your sources of funding, and more.
SWOT Analysis
A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis is one of the most useful strategies you can use to figure out the next steps for your organization. Mind Tools has a free template which guides you through the process. This tool provides you with a more objective insight into your organization’s current state and allows you to see how you can use opportunities to build, expand, and shape your nonprofit.
Now that you have learned about these, try them out and let me know if they help you!
This article was originally published on arpitasharma.net.
