This article and video were originally published by Stand Together Foundation.
Evan Feinberg, executive director of Stand Together Foundation, speaks to more than 100 nonprofit leaders at Stand Together Foundation’s closing Summit at Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Community First! Village in Austin, Texas.
Evan outlines the need for a movement of principles (not practices), and for nonprofits to manage and measure differently in order to achieve the change we need in America.
Key takeaways:
- We need a movement of principles, not practices. Our principles begin with deep belief in the dignity of every person. Durable transformation happens when we tap into our personal gifts and talents to contribute to the lives of others. People can improve themselves and the world around them when they're given the opportunity to do it. Throughout society and in our organizations, we need to set incentives that help each person bring their best.
- We need to manage nonprofits differently. Control-based approaches that fixate on compliance over innovation don't work. The gravity and complexity of the challenges we face require that every employee is empowered to contribute their unique gifts and talents to our various missions, leading us to new ideas and constant improvement.
- We need to measure differently. Most nonprofits measure their programs and "impact" to tell a compelling story or appeal to donors. We need to retool our measurement approaches so they help us understand the needs, wants, desires of our customers and whether our services have truly transformed anyone's life.
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