Criteria for Growth
Through a comprehensive literature review, a collection of best practices, and practitioner input, the Wheelhouse determined the 20 key criteria and 60 indicators needed for nonprofit growth.
20 Key Criteria
The 20 key criteria for growth have been grouped under five focus areas. Not all criteria are required for expansion but the more criteria that exist, the more attainable sustainable and meaningful growth will become. All of the criteria and indicators were selected because of their proven impact on nonprofit growth. Each of the 20 criteria has three indicators to analyze and crystalize data on an organization's readiness to growth.
Focus Areas
1
The Power of People
Behind every successful program are successful people. People will power change, scale operations, and expand services. The right team culture, staff structure, talent management, and leadership support can have an extremely high impact on your organization's ability to grow.
2
Financial Strength
The financial health and strength of your organization is a predictor for sustainable growth. Assessing the success of your fund development, determining the scalability of your revenue streams, analyzing your investments in growth, and understanding your return on investment, can have a significant impact on your readiness to growth.
3
Proven Impact
A proven impact toward program outcomes is a prerequisite for any growth. Assessing your organization's ability to properly monitor, evaluate, and replicate programming is key. Proven impact also extends to the organization's ability to use data for learning, decision-making, and for continuous improvement.
4
Operational Acumen
Your nonprofit needs to invest in the flow of information and communications to avoid operational traffic jams. Developing a growth strategy, capturing your institutional knowledge, building operational systems, and adopting a proven model for scale will create the infrastructure you need to expand.
5
Community Momentum
You can't do this alone. The community needs to play a key role in creating sustainable and meaningful growth. Nurturing diverse grassroots support, building a shared vision, investing in a scalable partnership model, and understanding the need for programming are all important elements that will contribute to community momentum.