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Powering Nonprofit Success Through Participatory Processes:

Did you know that organizations prioritizing participatory processes and deliberately decreasing barriers see a significant increase in program effectiveness? This Fall, I’m excited to delve into how this framework powers real-world success through our three-part webinar series, Insights for Impact!

On September 18th, Dr. Inderjit Vicky Basra, President and CEO of the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center, and Jessica Raymond, former Chief of Staff of the YWCA, joined Sharity Global Expert Anne Miskey to offer real-world examples of ways participatory processes elevated their organizations’ mission and impact. Dr. Basra emphasized the importance of including direct and indirect experts in decision-making conversations. She noted, “…layered communication makes the change.” When those in the community who experience the challenges your organization strives to address work alongside those with academic or professional experience in key areas, your organization can begin to affect systemic change. Jessica added, “When we talk about advocating for people and engaging their voices…here is the mic! You sit at this table, you tell me what you need from us, you make the decision…”

Key takeaways from the conversation included:

  • Write equity into your policies and procedures.
  • Avoid “tokenizing” the community you serve. Ensure that if you ask something of your community members, such as asking them to share their stories, you are developing and strengthening a mutually beneficial relationship with them.
  • Identify ways your organization may connect direct experts, those with lived experience, with donors, elected officials, and other community leaders and influencers.
  • Engaging all voices allows you to review and evaluate the impact of your programming with an open mind and heart.
  • Give credit to all the experts helping you execute your mission. Whenever possible, compensate and recognize direct experts, those with lived experiences, for their work on behalf of your organization, just as you would an indirect expert with academic or professional experience. 

Dr. Basra summed up the importance of engaging all voices when she described the success her organization has had with connecting survivor mentors with the recently rescued. “[Survivor’s] concepts around hope look very different because they’re sitting across from somebody, that at some point, was in the same space that they are in…Their survivor-mentor becomes a beacon of hope!” Anne added, “The little ways you can connect your donors in real ways to people” will bring about transformation.

Watch The Full Video Now

 

BHow can nonprofits adapt to changes while still moving forward with their mission?

Ask Me Anything Summary

This is carol with sharity and i’m back with another ask me anything question. so right now, during covid, you may find that all your best laid plans have been way late and you have to adapt at a rapid pace.

Well, how do you do that? the most important thing for you to be doing is to sit down and take a look at your business plan. now, our research shows that about 50% of nonprofits don’t even have a strategic plan, let alone a business plan.

It’s really critically important that you have a plan in place that says where you want to be in the next 18 months that you’re evaluating on literally a weekly or biweekly basis, you need to have some really tangible goals and start moving toward those goals and know what obstacles are gonna be put in your way so that you may or may not hit them on time.

Having this sort of tactical plan in place will make it a whole lot easier for your organization, not only to navigate through the change, it will also give your funders a lot of confidence that your organization plans to be around for the long term and that you’re a good investment during these really difficult and turbulent times.

If you need any help with that business plan, you can contact us at sharity and you can reach out to me personally at carol.wick@sharityglobal.com and we can show you exactly how to build that plan so that you will feel so much more confident in the direction your nonprofit is headed.