Good to Great: Growth Strategies for Up-and-Coming Nonprofits

The best nonprofits identify their core competencies and strive to be the best in those—even if that means being the best local hospice charity in your city, for example. Greatness comes about by consistently applying a simple, coherent idea—what =mc calls the "Hedgehog Concept."

The hedgehog concept involves three intersecting circles: what you can be the best at, what you're passionate about and what drives your resource engine. Too many people spend too much time pursuing the new rather than focusing on core competencies. Make sure your organization spends most of its resources on the intersection of what you're the best at, what you're passionate about and what drives your resource engine—while investing remaining time on the new and innovative.