There are different types of non-profits in the world and each one of them is unique. The goals and the missions may also be unique, but they’re always characteristics that make a non-profit strong. Supporting any non-profit with your finances and time is always a huge investment. Because you will be giving your all, you need to make sure that the non-profit is trustworthy and effective. There are different ways to distinguish great non-profits from jokers. According to Timothy Iberger, here are some of the characteristics that make a good non-profit
The mission and the purpose of the organization are all clear
This is the first way to know whether a non-profit is good or not. First, you need to check what their mission is. If there is no clarity to their mission, then something must be wrong. Find out what the non-profit wants to accomplish and why the purpose is very important to them. The non-profit should be able to communicate its mission to all stakeholders, staff, partners, and volunteers. The general public should also have a rough idea of what the non-profit deals in. All the operations and the programs should reflect the mission of the non-profit. Therefore, it is very important to try and check the mission and the purpose of the non-profit
Strong policies, practices, and procedures that guide the non-profit
A good non-profit will follow good finance practices, organizational practices, and governance practices. Check and observe whether fiscal operations and management processes are being incorporated into the system. Some of the good practices may include budget monitoring and having a board to oversee the finances. You should also check organizational leadership. Make sure that it is being led by strong leadership. The non-profit should also employ great and suitable practices such as a board term limit, board nominations, and written policies.
It is managed by good people
A good non-profit will also be managed by good people. Just like any business, non-profits also depend on skilled and qualified individuals to manage the organization. It is also looking for volunteers and talented members. People are very key in non-profits. Therefore, non-profits need to invest in human resources as well.
The learning culture
You will notice that a non-profit is a good one when you realize that they have a learning culture. A good non-profit will invest in evolving its programs as well as operations as they learn from assessments and stakeholders. They should also learn from the latest knowledge in the industry or field. A good non-profit organization should be a serious learning organization.
It should mobilize others
A great non-profit should also be good at mobilizing others. They should have the ability to engage and mobilize volunteers, businesses, non-profits, and even government agencies. This is a very important characteristic that help many non-profits to identify the roots of their problems. If change is what you are looking for, look for non-profits that can mobilize.
