Five Key Strategies for Making Your Nonprofit Business More Effective

I love tennis both as a spectator and a weekend player. I also believe that effective nonprofit organizations are an essential part of vibrant, engaged communities. As I was watching The Championships - Wimbledon this year, I realized there are lessons from Wimbledon (both from the players and the tournament itself) that can help your nonprofit achieve attention-getting results. What are these lessons?

Have a game plan
Successful players know their own strengths and weaknesses and the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. They develop game plans designed to take advantage of their best weapons and to capitalize on opportunities provided by their opponents. Successful nonprofits know their external environment, know what they do well, stay flexible so they can capitalize on opportunities and use strategies based on their strengths.

Don't play a clay court game on grass
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass. Grass is a fast, slick surface and the ball bounces in strange ways. Players must be able to adapt their game to compete effectively. The nonprofit environment is constantly changing and effective organizations are able to anticipate and adapt to these changes.

Stand out from the crowd
Grass courts. All white tennis attire. The green backstops and stands. Turn on a televised tennis match and these images let you know immediately that you are watching The Championships-Wimbledon. From the distinctive crossed rackets of the Wimbledon logo to the familiar Wimbledon colors of green and purple, the Wimbledon brand is well-defined. Like it or not, nonprofits must develop an identity and consistently communicate their values and mission.

You can't play doubles alone
Although not as popular as singles, doubles is an integral part of tennis. Doubles teams are partnerships that take advantage of the strengths of each player. It is not uncommon to see competitors in singles form successful doubles teams. In the nonprofit world, effective partnerships can enhance the ability of each organization to meet community needs and often result in more effective use of each organization's resources.

Take advantage of rain delays
Wimbledon is famous for its rain delays. These delays often turn out to be opportunities. Time and again I've watched players raise the level of their game or successfully use new tactics after unplanned time in the locker room. All of us get caught up in day-to-day activities and feel we can't take time out. The reality is that taking time away often leads to new ideas and new strategies for advancing your mission.

Consistently applying these strategies will help you achieve attention-getting results. Give it a try and track your progress.

Judith Rothbaum helps talented nonprofit professionals and volunteers use information to build their business and think more boldly about who they are and the changes they create in their communities. Visit www.datafordecisionmaking.com for tips, information and helpful tools.

---

Recruitment - Do You Know What Youre Looking For?

The time will come when you'll need to interview someone... Read More

Avoiding The Sheep Dip

It is a sad fact that many employees are still... Read More

Are You Managing to Lead?

For many people, the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous.... Read More

Try It Out On Your Team First

Wow! You're brilliant! You have a great idea. You've looked... Read More

Five Strategies for Profitable Services Growth

In today's era of Professional and IT Services competition and... Read More

Communicating with Offsite Workers

How do you, or would you, communicate with employees who... Read More

Uncommon Common Sense ? Know What is the Most Important Thing in Your Business

Over 3 of my meetings with 3 business owners last... Read More

Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works

A leader's role is to focus on those areas of... Read More

The Supervisors 14 Essential Truths For Communicating With Direct Reports

One amazing, but sadly true, fact of today's advances in... Read More

Gift Giving for Business a Major Headache

Corporate gifting is a big headache for most business owners;... Read More

Communication, Feedback, and Participation: Three Easy Tidbits For Smarter Business

On communication: One of the biggest strains on the communication... Read More

Small Business Outsourcing: An Introduction

Outsourcing is the delegation of a business process to an... Read More

Why All Managers Are Alike

Because, like you I suspect, they have key target audiences... Read More

Outsourcing Quiz: Cheap Vs. Good

Someone can say, 'Why do you oppose this?' So I'd... Read More

Character: Is It Necessary In Leadership? (Part Two)

In the first part of this two part article, I... Read More

How Your Business Can Pick A Software Developer

Eventually, your business is going to need to have some... Read More

One Simple Idea to Grow Your Business

Perhaps the most common theme I've heard in working with... Read More

Interviewing Candidates: 3 Ways to Avoid Snap Judgments

Have you ever hired the wrong person? If so, perhaps... Read More

5 Creative Evolutionary Leadership Niche Strategies!

I have a short story to share with you about... Read More

Finding the Right Way to Motivate Your Employees

Fear, Incentives and GrowthZig Ziglar says that there are three... Read More

What to Do When Trust is Low

Trust is essential. You can't run a business without it.... Read More

The Power of ?Ask?

For Call Center managers, it is not a pipe dream... Read More

Personnel Access Poses a Continued Risk

The Security Consultant's Perspective...Implementing Personnel Security Initiatives should be the... Read More

Building the Trust in Your Employees - 12 Easy Tips

In Stephen Covey's great book, "The Seven Habits of Highly... Read More

Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness

Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. Having a poor understanding... Read More

ISO 9001 the Process Approach to Quality Assurance

What is the Process Approach to Quality?The ISO 9001 2000... Read More

Shrinkage Control

What has been your store's shrinkage experience for the last... Read More

What is Data Visualization?

Data Visualization is InteractiveHave you ever booked your flight plans... Read More

Making Assumptions - A Critical Communication Mistake In Business And In Your Personal Life!

We draw conclusions about people through observation, their behavior, past... Read More

Why Outsourcing Could Be The Best Thing You Do For Your Business

While it's probably not true to say that the traditional... Read More

The Rise of Corporate Chair Massages

Employers have rapidly begun to understand the importance of stress... Read More

Office Politics

Office politics! It's just another way of saying: "The employees... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Feasibility

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More