Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability 1st Edition
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Jeanne Bell
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Steve Zimmerman
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Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
"This is much more than a financial how-to book. It's a nonprofit's guide to empowerment. It demystifies mission impact and financial viability using The Matrix Map to provide strategic options for any organization. A must-read for every nonprofit CEO, CFO, and board member."
—Julia A. McClendon, chief executive officer, YWCA Elgin, Illinois
"This book should stay within easy reaching distance and end up completely dog-eared because it walks the reader through a practical but sometimes revelatory process of choosing the right mix of programs for mission impact and financial sustainability. Its use is a practice in which every nonprofit should engage its board once a year."
—Ruth McCambridge, editor in chief, The Nonprofit Quarterly
"Up until a few years ago, funding and managing a nonprofit was a bit like undertaking an ocean voyage. Now, it's akin to windsurfing—you must be nimble, prepared to maximize even the slightest breeze, and open to modifying your course at a moment's notice. Innovative executive directors or bold board members who want their organization to be able to ride the big waves of the new American economy must read this book."
—Robert L. E. Egger, president, DC Central Kitchen/Campus Kitchens Project/V3 Campaign
"Most nonprofits struggle to find a long-term sustainable business model that will enable them to deliver impact on their mission. Thanks to Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman help is now in sight. This book offers practical, concrete steps you can take to develop your own unique path to sustainability without compromising your mission."
—Heather McLeod Grant, consultant, Monitor Institute, and author, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits
"At last! An urgently needed framework to prepare leaders to meet head-on the persistent twin challenges of impact and sustainability. This is a practical tool based on good business principles that can bring boards and staff members together to lead their organizations to sustainable futures."
—Nora Silver, adjunct professor and director, Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
"Together, Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman equal wisdom, experience, and know-how on sustainability and lots of other things. Buy, read, and learn from this terrific book!"
—Clara Miller, president and CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund
"Wisdom, experience, and know-how. Buy, read, and learn from this terrific book!"
—Clara Miller, president and CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund
From the Back Cover
"This is much more than a financial how-to book. It's a nonprofit's guide to empowerment. It demystifies mission impact and financial viability using The Matrix Map to provide strategic options for any organization. A must-read for every nonprofit CEO, CFO, and board member."
―Julia A. McClendon, chief executive officer, YWCA Elgin, Illinois
"This book should stay within easy reaching distance and end up completely dog-eared because it walks the reader through a practical but sometimes revelatory process of choosing the right mix of programs for mission impact and financial sustainability. Its use is a practice in which every nonprofit should engage its board once a year."
―Ruth McCambridge, editor in chief, The Nonprofit Quarterly
"Up until a few years ago, funding and managing a nonprofit was a bit like undertaking an ocean voyage. Now, it's akin to windsurfing―you must be nimble, prepared to maximize even the slightest breeze, and open to modifying your course at a moment's notice. Innovative executive directors or bold board members who want their organization to be able to ride the big waves of the new American economy must read this book."
―Robert L. E. Egger, president, DC Central Kitchen/Campus Kitchens Project/V3 Campaign
"Most nonprofits struggle to find a long-term sustainable business model that will enable them to deliver impact on their mission. Thanks to Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman help is now in sight. This book offers practical, concrete steps you can take to develop your own unique path to sustainability without compromising your mission."
―Heather McLeod Grant, consultant, Monitor Institute, and author, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits
"At last! An urgently needed framework to prepare leaders to meet head-on the persistent twin challenges of impact and sustainability. This is a practical tool based on good business principles that can bring boards and staff members together to lead their organizations to sustainable futures."
―Nora Silver, adjunct professor and director, Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
"Together, Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman equal wisdom, experience, and know-how on sustainability and lots of other things. Buy, read, and learn from this terrific book!"
―Clara Miller, president and CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund
"Wisdom, experience, and know-how. Buy, read, and learn from this terrific book!"
―Clara Miller, president and CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund
About the Author
Steve Zimmerman, (Milwaukee, WI) M.B.A., C.P.A., is principal at Spectrum Nonprofit Services, a multi-service consulting firm specializing in business planning, strategy and financial analysis for nonprofits and foundations. An MBA and CPA, Zimmerman's previous work includes Projects Director at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Associate Director for Earth Island Institute, and CFO and Development Director for other community-based nonprofit organizations. In addition to his consulting and training, he writes for Blue Avocado as well as The Nonprofit Quarterly and BoardSource.
Jeanne Bell (San Francisco, CA) is CEO of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, a leading consulting, research and training firm for nonprofits. Based on her own CFO and COO experiences along with extensive consulting work, Jeanne coauthored Finance Leadership for Nonprofits (Fieldstone, 2005), and her published research work includes numerous nonprofit-oriented studies. The former Advisory Board Chair for the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management at USF, she serves on the Alliance for Nonprofit Management board.
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Product details
- Publisher : Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (November 9, 2010)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 208 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0470598298
- ISBN-13 : 978-0470598290
- Item Weight : 12.3 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.9 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#57,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #24 in Nonprofit Organizations & Charities (Books)
- #181 in Strategic Business Planning
- #221 in Systems & Planning
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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--One of my favorite profs, especially gifted in one-liners (and magic tricks), often chuckled, "We're nonprofit, but we didn't plan it that way."
--"Nonprofit is a tax designation, not a management philosophy."
--I've listened to thousands of staff members whine: "Yeah, but are we a ministry or a business?" (Their answer is in their question and the way they intone that nasty B-word.)
My response: that's the wrong question. The Bible doesn't create the negative dichotomy between business and ministry. The better question is: "Whatever tax code we use to serve others, will we be sustainable and God-honoring over the long-term?"
--Jesus taught us in Luke 14:28-30, "Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: `He started something he couldn't finish.'" (The Message)
So with that introduction, I was delighted to find this resource-rich book, Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability. The three co-authors deliver the perfect PowerPoint slide on page 25--and then build their case across all 173 pages. It's part Nonprofit 101 and part Harvard Business School.
Getting to nonprofit sustainability involves three steps:
--The Matrix Map Analysis
--Decision Making
--The Sustainable Nonprofit Business Model
"The Dual Bottom Line" matrix map addresses mission impact and financial sustainability--with four easy-to-remember icons:
Stars: High Mission Impact, High Profitability
Hearts: High Mission Impact, Low Profitability
Money Tree: Low Mission Impact, High Profitability
Stop Sign: Low Mission Impact, Low Profitability
Pop Quiz! Assemble your team and draw the Dual Bottom Line Matrix Map on your flipchart or whiteboard--and then plot every program, service and product you provide into one of the four quadrants.
Your Results:
Stars: If you have an abundance of stars, way to go!
Hearts: Here you're leading with your heart--and that may be appropriate--but if you're too heavy here, you'll need more oomph in the Money Tree quadrant.
Money Tree: If you have some "cash cows" (to mix metaphors), terrific. Maybe you can make adjustments and increase mission impact.
Stop Sign: This is a no-brainer. Fix these programs or stop doing them.
As I often prod leaders, delegate your reading. Several people on your staff and your board must read this book--and review it at your next staff or board meeting. It will be on my year-end Top-10 list. Here are a couple of questions you might ask:
--Many organizations put inappropriate time and budget into lagging programs and services, rather than using the authors' "invest and grow" strategy for "Stars." Are we investing and growing in our Stars--or trying to resuscitate one or more dead horses?
--When is the last time we held up a "Stop Sign" to a program, product or service. If it were up to you, what would we stop doing immediately--and cut our mounting losses? To help, I often pass along this insight:
"Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."
Top reviews from other countries
It help our Board understand a better way to assess our programs.










