The New Nonprofit Model: Organizational Sustainability Through Leadership & Mission

Staying True to the Nonprofit’s Mission

As your nonprofit continues to grow and it receives more donations and a bigger donor following, it’s inevitable that your nonprofit will evolve as well—and that’s great. But the one thing that your nonprofit never wants to change is its mission. The nonprofit’s mission is the sole reason why the nonprofit was created—and why it exists. It’s also the reason why donors have gravitated toward your mission… because they truly believe in the work that you’re doing to create change in this world.

“Every organization is different, and, yet, I believe that any organization can be successful when you identify what is most meaningful to donors and figure out how that aligns with your mission and your goals. For us at CHOP, we focus on the full continuum of the donor relationships, we really think about the importance of both individuals and organizations, and then we rely on very successful partnerships with our caregivers, our physicians, our nurses, our clinical staff and our volunteers. Those partnerships help us to implement our fundraising strategy,” Hocking said.

It’s no big surprise, donor engagement helps with cultivation, stewardship and retention. But thinking and acting on donor engagement is equally important internally as it is externally. The practices that nonprofits utilize to engage donors are the practices that the nonprofit should also be using with its staff. An engaged staff that feels like leadership has their best interest at heart and has passion for the mission will also bestow passionate staff members.

“My success is based on my colleagues’ success, and I spend a lot of time trying to understand what their motivations are, what their goals are for them to be successful and I think that, as fundraisers or for anyone in advancement, we're best positioned to do that kind of high-level cultivation,” Hocking said.

Keeping the mission in the frontline is crucial for nonprofit success, which is why Hocking strongly advises that it’s the responsibility of all nonprofit leaders to train the next generation of leadership to ensure that our organizations are vital in the future.

“I think that we owe that to the next generation to be able to prepare them, to help our organization be successful,” she added.