Spectrum’s Pulse of the Sector Results
Earlier this year, Spectrum conducted a pulse check to gather insights from our clients and…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s blog posts for nonprofit solutions and our books about nonprofit strategy.
Nonprofit Education Resources
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Publications
The Power of Nonprofit Repositioning: An Alternative to Scenario Planning
By Steve Zimmerman, Spectrum Nonprofit Services Nonprofit organizations are operating in an environment of unprecedented economic ambiguity and volatility. …
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Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability (2010)Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability (2010)
Finances are an important part of any nonprofit’s toolkit. But building a sustainable nonprofit isn’t…
The Sustainability Mindset (2014)The Sustainability Mindset (2014)
Nonprofit sustainability lies at the intersection of exceptional impact and financial viability. In this step-by-step…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Resources for Strategy
Three Years of Learning What Strategy Actually Means
By Maggie Corry I remember taking a Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment in a previous job, having quiet hopes that "strategic" would…
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Aligning AI with Your Nonprofit’s StrategyAligning AI with Your Nonprofit’s Strategy
By Maggie Corry As nonprofits consider the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), the key…
How To Build a More Strategic Culture: A Webinar RecapHow To Build a More Strategic Culture: A Webinar Recap
By Maggie Corry Implementing organizational strategy effectively is crucial, but rarely easy. Crafting a thoughtful…
Beyond Strategic Planning: Using the Process to Strengthen ExecutionBeyond Strategic Planning: Using the Process to Strengthen Execution
By Steve Zimmerman Have you noticed when you’re finished watching your favorite show on Netflix…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Resources for Leadership & People
Why Inclusion Still Matters for Nonprofits – and How to Maintain It
By Samantha Maldonado As the new administration shutters federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and many corporations follow suit,…
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Investing in Your People: 3 Tools to Hire and Retain Top Nonprofit TalentInvesting in Your People: 3 Tools to Hire and Retain Top Nonprofit Talent
By: Samantha Maldonado How well is our staff aligned to their current roles? Is our…
Fostering the Heartbeat of Nonprofit Strategy: People, Purpose, and ProgressFostering the Heartbeat of Nonprofit Strategy: People, Purpose, and Progress
By: Samantha Maldonado Doing a lot with a little is a common understanding and expectation…
Steering Organizational ChangeSteering Organizational Change
By Steven Zimmerman In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s weatherman character, stuck in time,…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Resources for Nonprofit Business Models & Sustainability
Navigating Uncertainty
Photo by Khyta on Unsplash By: Steve Zimmerman Uncertainty: Noun. The state of having doubt; lack of certain knowledge or…
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Becoming a More Adaptive Organization After a CrisisBecoming a More Adaptive Organization After a Crisis
By Steve Strang In 2019 I wrote a blog post advocating for organizations to try…
From Sustainability to Survivability: Lessons from COVID Response One Year LaterFrom Sustainability to Survivability: Lessons from COVID Response One Year Later
By: Steve Zimmerman Days are getting longer, temperatures are warming and this long, dark, cold…
Reimagining Your Nonprofit Organization: Framework & QuestionsReimagining Your Nonprofit Organization: Framework & Questions
Framework & Key Questions to Ask By: Steve ZimmermanNonprofits across all mission areas and budget…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Resources for Revenue & Financial Strategy
Budgeting for Impact
By: Steve Zimmerman As nonprofit leaders prepare for budgeting season they face no shortage of pressures. The lingering effects of…
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Looking Beyond Contributed Support: How to Leverage Traditional Development Skills to Build the Right Revenue StrategyLooking Beyond Contributed Support: How to Leverage Traditional Development Skills to Build the Right Revenue Strategy
By Maggie Corry In the past three years nonprofits have faced an onslaught of external…
Calculating the True Costs of ImpactCalculating the True Costs of Impact
By Steve Zimmerman It is a story as old as time. A donor expresses interest…
Paying for Impact: What Makes a Sustainable Revenue Strategy?Paying for Impact: What Makes a Sustainable Revenue Strategy?
What makes a sustainable revenue strategy? By: Steve Zimmerman, Steve Strang, and Shelly Schnupp…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Resources for Organizational & Programmatic Impact
The Organizational Model: How to Stay Grounded and Adaptive at the Same Time
“In order to fly you need something solid to take off from.” - P.L. Travers Among the many things…
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Valuing Evaluation in Strategic Decision MakingValuing Evaluation in Strategic Decision Making
By: Shelly Schnupp Challenging times often call for difficult decisions. The Covid-19 pandemic has presented…
Intended Impact: Telling Everyone Where You’re Trying to GoIntended Impact: Telling Everyone Where You’re Trying to Go
In the ongoing orientation toward sustainability, it’s important to ask: “If our organization went away…
2016 Annual Report2016 Annual Report
Dear friends and colleagues, Each of us has a vision of the community we want…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s Resources for Implementation & Operations
Beyond Strategic Planning: Using the Process to Strengthen Execution
By Steve Zimmerman Have you noticed when you’re finished watching your favorite show on Netflix the next episode begins automatically…
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How to Implement Adaptive Strategy in NonprofitsHow to Implement Adaptive Strategy in Nonprofits
By: Steve Strang Earlier this year, I came across a number of RFPs proposing a…
Spectrum Nonprofit’s “Advancing Nonprofit Strategy” Series
Introducing Spectrum’s “Advancing Nonprofit Strategy Series”
Spectrum Nonprofit Services’ approach to strategy is based on the premise that strategy is an ongoing process driven by the…
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The Big Lie Of Strategic PlanningThe Big Lie Of Strategic Planning
By: Steve Zimmerman As a strategy consultant, admitting one of your favorite articles is titled…