01 Mar 2013 No Comments

Finding your nonprofit’s north star


Understanding your nonprofit’s “why” is critical. We’ve been hinting at this concept for quite some time now. With the elevator pitch and Sinek’s “Golden Circle” posts, we stressed the importance of including and leveraging your “why.” It’s your nonprofit’s north star after all. However, you’d be shocked to learn how many organizations don’t have a clearly defined “why.” This is huge problem. So for those who are having trouble, let’s ask the following question…

How do you know what your nonprofit’s “why” is?

You can start by trying to answer the following:

  • What’s your organization’s purpose, cause, or belief?
  • Why does your nonprofit exist?
  • Why should people care about your organization?
  • What’s the problem? What are you trying to solve?


Does your nonprofit believe that no one should suffer from cancer? How about that every animal must be treated with respect? That no one should experience sexual harassment?

Here are some “why” examples:

  • Children with specials needs should have access to the resources they require.
  • Everyone should have affordable health care.
  • No one should starve.


Your “why” is your north star

If your organization has correctly identified its “why,” it should be at the core of every action. It should be able to drive email communication to outreach programs. Every action should point to the north star.

What’s your nonprofit’s “why?”

nonprofit software, peer to peer fundraising, fundraising ideas

 

by Dan Fonseca in Nonprofit Resources Tags: , ,