Engage People for Sustainable Progress

Nonprofit organizations live and die by their stakeholders -- by the people who give their time, talent and treasure to advance the mission. The people who are around for the long-haul and in the tough times. Engage them. Don't rely on a one-shot report or consultant solution, both of which become too easy for people to disregard in challenging times. Use a process that engages your stakeholders. When they invest some of themselves in the process, in the ideas and in the solution, they feel greater responsibility and ownership. When the challenge has become clear,  they've offered ideas about how it might be overcome and then realized the need for a commitment to action, that’s gold. That's a model for sustainable progress.