10 Tips on How to Run a Successful Non Profit Organization

How to Run a Successful Non Profit Organizations (10 Tips)

If you want to be successful and helpful at the causes that matter to you, you have to ensure that your non-profit organization have three attributes:

• It must be effective
• It must be efficient and 
• It must achieve its goals

While keeping those in mind, here are ten revised tips to making it happen:

1. Have a clear vision, mission statement, theory of change, and performance metrics.
If you can't clearly define (in eight words or less) the outcome you want to create for the world, you aren't focused enough. Once you have your goal, your organization needs to be very clear regarding how you will specifically achieve your goals. (Get help filing for 501(c) 3 and grant proposal writing with us.)

2. Say "NO" to every good idea.
There is never enough time, talent or "treasure" (i.e. money) to do everything that any organization wants to do. While you want to be flexible and opportunistic in bringing new ideas forward, the most important tool in your tool chest is the word "no." It is critical to be disciplined enough to only say "yes" to GREAT ideas.

3. Perfection is the enemy of the "good enough."
Once you are implementing your focused "great ideas," don't let your desire for perfection stand in the way of achieving solid performance metrics. Good results on a great plan are always faster, more efficient and effective than perfection. Perfection is too slow to achieve in a rapid 24/7 environment.

4. Work backwards from the finish line.
Determine the goal you want to achieve, and then work your plan and timeline backwards from your goal. If you can't get to your finish line of victory (however you define it) with the time, talent and treasure you have, go back to the drawing board and re-do your plan.

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To read the full report on all 10 tips, go here.

Entrepreneur Freedom: How To Manage Your Free Time Wisely and Successfully

 Entrepreneur Freedom: How To Manage Your Free Time Wisely and Successfully

Susan Strayer for Young Entrepreneur Council has some great information for those of us who need to manage their entrepreneur freedom. Don't take this advice lightly. To be successful at any business, even the free time you gain, needs to be used wisely for your business.

Read more to find out why and hear her story:

This isn’t my first entrepreneurial rodeo. I started my first business in the early 2000s, before I was lured back into corporate America and all its fancy resources, stability and brand names. But after five years of the so-called stability, I was ready for that freedom again—freedom to tweet, to travel and ideate. Freedom to speak as I saw fit, to work where I wanted and to manage my own time. That’s just not possible in corporate America.

I get it—there are brands and images to protect, a voice to maintain. But I’m from Philadelphia, and we’re just not quiet people.

Unfortunately, another run at entrepreneurship came with an unexpected freedom—freedom from focus. All this newfound freedom meant zero accountability to anyone but myself. Before I knew it, I was spending more time tweeting than consulting, more time having coffee than getting new business. As an entrepreneur, freedom must be managed properly and use it for true business productivity. Here are four key ways to do just that:

1. Avoid the downtime spiral. No more commute. No more required 9 to 5. No more endless executive approval meetings. It’s amazing how your calendar opens up! But it’s also easy to fill because initially, you have the perception of having more downtime (at least until you really get the business cooking). All of that flexibility means you can visit Mom and Dad during the week, or extend that weekend by an extra day. But it also means you quickly turn well-deserved downtime into wasted time. Instead, schedule your downtime in a way that works for you...
2. Use travel time wisely. Now that I’m not chained to a desk in a building on the other side of town, it’s easy for me to go anywhere for lunch or a meeting. Because of that, I often found myself spending more time in the car or on the subway than I did when I had a long commute to my corporate gig. I always offered to go to the person directly instead of meeting somewhere in between. Though there are cases where it’s appropriate and imperative to make that sacrifice, don’t always be the one to travel to an appointment...
3. Be social with a purpose. As an entrepreneur, you can now use that limitless voice as loud and as often as you want. But it’s so easy to get sucked into a long Facebook conversation with a fellow entrepreneur, or join every live Twitter chat your industry has to offer. Stop. Instead, be purposeful with your time on social media...
4. Be free from being an entrepreneur. While entrepreneurs are famous for living and breathing their businesses 24/7, there’s real value in stepping away, even if only briefly. I found that stepping away into something completely different is the best way to refocus.... Source

Susan Strayer gave some great information on managing your entrepreneur time. We can all use this knowledge to better our lives surrounding our business life.

To get focused again on what's important, if you do not have a business plan or need to create a new one for your new or existing business, you can get it done HERE at IWRITE. 

IWRITE professionals can help you turn your business ideas and goals into a winning and professional business plan.

Contact an IWRITE professional today!