Identify the nonprofit organization you are planning to profile.
- Research and report on the following items:
- The organization’s Mission
- Description of the staff. What positions does the organization have and what are the qualifications of the people in these positions?
- Major programs of the organization
- Major stakeholders of the organization
The paper should be 1 to 3 pages and must demonstrate that you have completed preliminary research on your organization. Please use 1” margins, Times New Roman 12 point font and double spaced.
Separate writing paper from above
Papers must be double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1” margins with references.
Nonprofit organizational profile. The purpose of this paper is an opportunity to understand the mission, goals, governance, management, and leadership of one nonprofit in order to understand why it exists, what it wants to accomplish, how it has designed its plan for implementing goals, how effective its governance and management structures are in enabling the organization to meet its goals, and how it responds to change.
Select a nonprofit that you will analyze , use any resources available to you to address the questions presented here. The three resources that are required include
- Read documents that are key to the organization’s plans and practices.
- Interview at least one member of the organization’s staff
- Interview 2 other stakeholders (these can be volunteers, funders, other staff members or participants.
A 5-10 page response that follows the order of the questions presented here.
Please note the source of your information: documents, interviews, observations. These can be identified informally, in parenthesis, at the end of your comment on a particular question. Examples: xxxx (1997 Articles of Incorporation); xxxxxxx (Interview with T. Sweeten, 3/6/13).
If some questions do not apply to the organization that is the subject of your analysis, please note in the paper.
- Your name
- Why was the organization formed? What circumstances led to its formation? When did this occur? Who were key players? (Note if the organization is tied to a large “parent” or central organization and how it developed as a component of that larger organization’s work.)
- What is the organization’s mission? Is it well defined and articulated? Does the organization revisit its mission on a regular basis? Is there an example of a time when the organization revised its mission to accommodate changes in the external internal environments?
- Describe the organization’s governance structure. How is it established in the organization’s bylaws? How well does the governance structure measure up to the expectations for a nonprofit board set forth in the Principles of Nonprofit Excellence Article from Module 2especially the expectation that the board “systematically participates in the determination of strategic direction and future programming.” Can you identify areas in which the governance structure needs to be improved to meet board responsibilities to the organization?
- What is the organizational structure of this nonprofit? (Use an organizational chart if this is helpful in providing your response.) Is the organizational structure appropriate and adequate for meeting the goals and program objectives of the organization? Are lines of authority and accountability clear? Are roles of board, staff, volunteers, and “consumers” clear? Are management “spans of control” and staff workloads realistic? How could the organization strengthen its structure and enhance its capacity to carry out its plans? Is the organization growing? Downsizing? Reconfiguring? What external and internal forces influence its direction?
- Does the organization engage in strategic planning and action planning? How often are plans revisited? How much are action plans actually used in the ongoing implementation of programs? What needs do you see for improved planning?
- Describe the organization’s sources of funding. What are this nonprofit’s successes at securing a stable and sustainable funding base? Where is its funding vulnerable? How is the organization planning to deal with any anticipated changes in revenue sources? Are there systems in place to ensure that finances are well managed?
- Describe the organization’s relationships with other nonprofits and other sectors:
- Other nonprofits (association, coordination, collaboration, competition)
- Private sector (cooperation, competition, as a resource to business)
- Public sector (funding, contracts, shared projects, advocacy)
- What are the organization’s strengths and weaknesses in communications:
- Vital communications with stakeholders,
- Information systems, and technology
- Marketing
- How does the organization measure its effectiveness? Are you able to determine how satisfied key stakeholders are with the organization’s performance? What does the organization see as its key strengths? What are stakeholders likely to brag about?
- How would you describe the leadership style within this organization? What qualities in board and staff leadership provide vision and strength to the organization? How are internal conflicts addressed?
- What are the most significant challenges faced by the organization at this time in its history? How are key stakeholders being involved in addressing those challenges? What in the organization’s history, leadership, management, planning prepares it to meet challenges? What is missing that you think would strengthen its ability to meet a social need in a strategic and responsive way?
- Create a question that has not been addressed here but that allows you to reveal insights and observations that you think are important to understanding the organization that you have chosen for this assignment.
Name of the organization to be analyzed
Please attach a list of interviews and documents used to complete this analysis
Is the organization intentional about building and sustaining beneficial relationships? What works well? In what ways is the organization struggling with any one of these relationships?
