Raise your hand if these have been tough times for you and your organization? Leading in tumultuous times requires an extraordinary demeanor. When staring down pandemics, national instability, revenue reductions, increased need, and all the other typical challenges, a Nonprofit Leader has an essential tool in their holster. In crisis, it is the time to focus on your MISSION. When the going gets tough, a tough leader focuses on the mission of the organization.
Nonprofit leaders have a job much tougher than their for-profit counterparts in business. In a typical business, the bottom line is profit. You have to make money. Whatever a company says it does, it has a product or service to achieve profit. Nike, Turbo Tax, Exxon, Apple, What business are they in? Shoes? Tax Preparation? Oil and Gas? Technology? No, ultimately, they are in the business of making a profit.
Nonprofit leaders have a double bottom line. You have the revenue-producing activity (Fundraising), and that is likely a totally separate business than the other bottom line, which is your MISSION!
So, we are going to focus on one of your bottom lines, MISSION.
Take a minute to think about your organization’s mission statement. Maybe even write it down…
