Companies in the business world employ a host of techniques to improve their performance and their bottom line. Nonprofits can enhance the quality of their services, lower costs and encourage sustainable growth by employing the following three strategies from the corporate world.

Focus on Satisfaction

In the corporate world, business leaders focus on increasing employee engagement to drive increased efficiency, and, improve customer satisfaction. In the nonprofit world, it’s likely that you don’t think of your volunteers as your employees or your donors and other supporters as your customers, but, in one respect these groups, and the way that you should interact with them, are very similar.

Just as its important for big corporations to invest in their people, your nonprofit needs to shine a spotlight on its recruiting, training and retention policies. This will ensure that you are attracting talented, skilled people that also care about your cause to your organisation if you want to increase your impact.

Just as businesses invest in learning about their customers’ needs, and, go to great lengths to ensure that their shopping experience is a pleasant one that exceeds their expectations, nonprofits need to discover what services their recipients need, and, what their donors, volunteers and other advocates want to gain from their experience supporting your organisation.

Look for fun, unique ways to encourage your supporters to become directly involved with your organisation’ activities. Offer new, diverse ways for different populations to help out, and, above all, always show your appreciation for everyone that helps your organisation to thrive and grow.

Create Measurable Goals

There are numerous worthy causes that seek to improve difficult situations and otherwise solve longstanding social issues. Despite their good intentions and hard work, some organisations seem to lack direction and don’t accomplish very much. Just like a company, nonprofits need strong, disciplined leadership to guide the organisation.

When creating your strategic plan, define the problem, or mission, and, then establish actionable goals whose results can be measured to help your NFP to martial all of its resources and energies and make actual, forward progress and improve your overall performance.

Embrace Risk

The world’s most successful companies are never satisfied with their performance. They are continually looking for ways to accomplish work that is of a higher quality, that’s more receptive to their customers and employees needs and to do so faster and more efficiently, and in a cost-effective manner. To accomplish this, they give everyone in their company permission to experiment with new ways of looking at processes and procedures. They embrace open communication at every level, and they give their people permission to use trial and error and make mistakes to find a better, different way of doing things down the road.

While nonprofits are traditionally risk-adverse because of their difficulty in raising funds and other resources, their leaders must learn how to step out of their comfort zone and look for different, better, innovative ways of doing things to solve the difficult challenges our communities and the world at large now face.  Today’s longstanding problems will not be solved by doing the same things we have always done; modern society needs and demands courage, creativity and innovation from both businesses and NFPs to move forward!