Impact

At the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, we completed the Charting Impact process because we wanted to clarify where we were going as an organization, to clarify our strategies, and to be clear on what we measure and why. The questions were each answered independently by our staff and we then came together to compile the best of our individual answers into one complete answer. When we were satisfied with our work as a staff, we sent the draft answers to a team of our board and others who understand our work but are not inside our company. We then integrated their feedback into the final Charting Impact document that we have posted on our website and on www.chartingimpact.org.

We found this process tremendously valuable. It has made us feel stronger and better able to communicate our focus for the next three to five years. We realize that the document is not static. We will be updating it as things change in our work.

We hope you will find it useful to review our work as you think about going through this process with your organization. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the process info@nonprofitleadershipcenter.com.

Charting Impact Question One

What is your organization aiming to accomplish?

Clearly and concisely state your organization’s ultimate goal for intended impact. Identify the groups or communities you aim to assist, the needs your work is addressing, and your expected outcomes. Examine how your goals for the next three to five years fit within your overall plan to contribute to lasting, meaningful change. When finished, ask yourself, “If someone unfamiliar with our work were to read this, would they have a clear definition of what long-term success means for my organization?”

The mission of the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay is to teach nonprofits the skills to run their businesses through affordable training, coaching and online resources.

It is the goal of the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay for the next three to five years to:

• Strengthen the management infrastructure of the Tampa Bay nonprofit sector by providing education through in-person classroom instruction, relevant online resources, one-on-one coaching and networking forums.
• Increase the number of individuals and nonprofit organizations served each year.
• Increase awareness of the importance of board of directors’ education as a means of strengthening organizations.
• Deliver best in class programs and teach best practices so nonprofits can more effectively and efficiently deliver their missions.
• Provide a comfortable and welcoming environment for personal and professional growth.

Through the education and support services we provide, it is our ultimate goal to promote the impact, adaptability, and sustainability of each organization we touch. 

Charting Impact Question 2

What are your strategies for making this happen?

Describe your organization’s strategies for accomplishing the long-term goals you cited in your previous answer (Q1). Specify the broad approaches you employ and why your organization believes these methods will benefit your target audience or advance your issue. Lay out near-term activities that serve as important building blocks for future success, explaining how these elements strengthen your organization’s strategic approach.

Our strategies for having a greater impact on the nonprofit sector by serving an increasing number of individuals and nonprofit organizations:

• Develop new, relevant, timely, and high quality programs based on the needs of the sector.
• Seek additional talented presenters who offer a new perspective and expertise.
• Continuously research trends in the nonprofit sector, communicate this information to our constituents, and develop new programs based on this research.
• Focus on outreach to the community to increase attendance and awareness of the Nonprofit Leadership Center.
• Partner with local corporate community to share best practices in the business community with nonprofits.
•  Increase knowledge of tools and technology already in use to better target program announcements.
• Upgrade technology available in the Training Center in order to provide the most inviting and state of the art training space.
• Offer the annual Leadership Conference with continued emphasis on innovative speakers who offer practical information for implementation by the nonprofit sector.

Our strategies, while basic, are very focused on 1) the delivery of program content that will enable those associated with nonprofit organizations to do their jobs with excellence and efficiency and 2) broadening our reach within the sector so that more staff and board members have the skills needed to meet the mission of their organizations.

Charting Impact Question 3

What are your organization’s capabilities for doing this?

Detail the resources, capacities, and connections that support your progress towards long-term goals. While describing your organization’s core assets, identify both internal resources (including, but not limited to, staff, budget, and expertise) and external strengths (including partnerships, networks, and influence) that have contributed to, or will contribute in the future to, the accomplishment of these goals. Include any future resources and tools that will further strengthen your work.

Our core assets, both internal and external, are all directed to excellent customer service and the delivery of relevant, high quality programs and resources to the nonprofit sector.

Our organization’s internal resources:

• Experienced and talented staff
• A team of knowledgeable and experienced presenters/content experts
• A culture built around our guiding principle of “living by the education we deliver” and we do it with “Wow” customer service and dedication.
• A board of directors who are trained, passionate about the mission, and role models for the sector
• A growing reserve that will allow the organization to weather unforeseen financial challenges
• A focused program curriculum and a vast array of online resources
• A comfortable and welcoming Training Center
• A commitment to state of the art technology

Our organization’s external strengths:

• Committed, long-term funding sources who understand that an investment in us is an investment that pays dividends across the Tampa Bay area nonprofit sector
• Long term partnership with the University of Tampa to develop leaders in the sector
• A growing community perception that our organization is the go-to place for support, coaching, and education in the nonprofit sector in this community
• Multi-year contracts with funding sources will further strengthen our organization as these develop in the future
• Strong working relationships with similar organizations throughout the state
  
  As an organization that has the potential to have a powerful impact on the nonprofit sector in our community, it is our goal to grow our internal resources and build upon our external strengths in order to provide maximum service to the nonprofit organizations that we touch.

Charting Impact Question 4

How will your organization know if you are making progress?

Explain key qualitative and quantitative indicators against which your organization assesses your progress toward your intended impact. In addition to describing what you measure, identify key milestones—what your interim targets are, and when you want to reach them-- that signal progress and success. Include a description of your assessment and improvement process: the qualitative and quantitative methods you use as you monitor key indicators and how your organization uses and will use that information to refine your efforts.

Our participants tell us if we are making progress by evaluating each program they attend at our training center. Therefore, our assessment process is ongoing. We measure those areas that we can control. We control our content and its quality. However, there are additional indicators that also signal progress and success.

What we formally measure:

Participants complete an evaluation form at the end of every program rating the following:

• Presenter
• Value received relative to time and money invested
• If they would recommend the program to others
• Increase in knowledge, understanding or skill level
• If what they learned could be used by them in their position to increase organizational efficiency or effectiveness

For every program we aim to have at least a 4.5 overall rating with at minimum 90% of the participants rating the program at 4.5 or better.

If a program is rated lower than 4.5, we immediately work with the presenter to improve the issues identified by the participants or eliminate the program if the issue is lack of interest in the topic.

Other indicators that signal progress and success towards our three to five year goals:

Annual Increases in the following:

• New program offerings
• Number of participants
• Number of unduplicated organizations
• Number of board members attending programs
• Number of repeat participants
• Open rate of program emails and newsletters
• Website visits

Increased name recognition in community

Word of mouth attendance increase as indicated by answers to “How did you hear about this program?”

Up to date program content (reviewed before each offering)

Semi-monthly blog posts

State of the Nonprofit Sector report every other year

Smart Board technology in Training Center

Annual Leadership Conference rated at 4.5 or higher

Charting Impact Question Five

What have and haven’t you accomplished so far?

Demonstrate recent progress toward your long-term goals by describing how your near-term objectives are propelling your organization toward your ultimate intended impact. Go beyond the outputs of your work to make clear how these outcomes are contributing to fulfilling long-term goals. In describing both outcomes achieved and those not yet realized, include what your organization has learned about what does and doesn’t work, what risks and obstacles exist, and what adjustments to goals, strategies, or objectives have been made along the way.

Progress towards long term goals:

1. Strengthen the management infrastructure of the Tampa Bay nonprofit sector by providing education through in-person classroom instruction, relevant online resources, one-on-one  coaching and networking forums. 

• Increased number of programs offered over prior year
• Served more participants than in prior year; more participants attended multiple programs
• Provided more one-on-one coaching than in prior years
• Offered new topics based on request, needs, and identified trends
• Developed a pricing structure for custom designed programs and coaching
• Developed networking forums for CEOs, CFOs, and Development Professionals
• Updated our online resources on an ongoing basis

2. Deliver best in class programs and teach best practices so nonprofits can more effectively and  efficiently deliver their missions.

• Developed company values statements with emphasis on quality of programs and customer service
• Achieved over a 4.5 average on a scale of 5 in the evaluation of programs by participants
• Developed presenter audition process
• Added new teachers to our existing group of talented presenters
• Increased outreach to the community by adding part time position
• Obtained CFRE points for Fund Development programs
• Designed and taught new programs based on current best practice trends (Program Evaluation, Succession Planning)

3. Increase awareness of the importance of board of directors’ education as a means of strengthening organizations.

• Offered three new programs related to boards
• Emphasized board of directors education as an important priority in our public speaking
• Provided Telling Your Story training to our Nonprofit Leadership Center Board Members so they can better tell the story of our organization
• Testing new formats and times for governance training

What we have learned and what needs further work:

1. Identifying and reaching out to members of boards of directors is challenging. We will work on obtaining contact information and creating programs that fit into their schedules.
2. We must work on adding more leadership development programs at all levels of the leadership spectrum.
3. Presenters must be auditioned. Their reputations cannot precede them; we must judge for ourselves.
4. Fulfilling requests for customized programs and one on one coaching is easier with an established pricing structure. We learned not to be embarrassed by having to charge a fee.
5. Increasing the number of individuals and organizations served requires having a consistent message and taking advantage of every opportunity and every ambassador.
6. We must continue to improve email outreach to include upcoming programs and other events.
7. To stay on top of trends and news in the sector all staff members must make the commitment to read and stay informed.
8. In order to become the leader and voice of the Tampa Bay sector we must push ourselves to provide useful information and surveys to the sector.