Almost all nonprofits can accomplish some good, making a difference in their community is, after all, one of the major reasons a charity or association forms in the first place. To be a high impact organisation, it’s not enough to perform good works and to focus on growth.

For a nonprofit to have a high impact, it must concentrate on creating lasting change. High impact nonprofits are organisations that build communities of support and create movements that are capable of actually changing the entire world.

The following is a brief overview of some of the top traits and practices of high impact organisations.

Embrace Change

Organisations that change the world begin with changing the way that they look at the world and their role in it. In a high impact organisation, change is not something that is feared; it is embraced. High impact organisations create innovative, disruptive cultures.

Old patterns, established routines and traditional hierarchies are displaced in favour of new ways to partner with others inside and outside of the organisation to accomplish more. Leadership empowers everyone, at every level, to look for new ways of doing things that are more efficient and more effective at moving the mission forward.

Focus on the Mission

High impact nonprofits continually assess their programs to gauge how relevant they are to accomplishing their overall mission. Ineffective programs that are not in alignment with the core values and mission, are divested. This prevents the nonprofit from depleting their resources on efforts that do not advance the mission forward.

Programs that are found to be misaligned with organisational goals, often duplicate services that are already provided by other nonprofits and third parties. In these instances, a strategic partnership helps each party accomplish more while conserving their resources.

As a means of moving the mission forward, high impact organisations focus on attracting talented people to their team. They continually assess their processes and systems, looking for ways to increase efficiency. They invest in people, as well as hardware, software and facilities to build capacity. This allows them to increase the amount of work that they can accomplish without wasting resources.

Inspire Others While Building Networks of Support

High impact organisations invest in building networks of communication and support. They build communities by inspiring others to help them on their journey to solve specific social issues. They engage with their supporters, and connect with them on an emotional level so that they are fully invested in the mission.

Much like missionaries have been supported by religious institutions for centuries, high impact organisations provide their supporters with the tools that they need to engage with others so that they can raise awareness about the mission and recruit additional support.

High impact nonprofits also partner with other for-profit and nonprofit organisations that share their values and vision to increase the support that they both give and receive so that they can increase the good work that they accomplish.

Rather than viewing other nonprofits as competitors for scarce grants and donations, high impact organisations share funding, and the implementation and control of various programs with their partners to advance their cause. They also share the limelight, and rewards, with their partners and allies to further strengthen bonds of cooperation and collaboration among the members of their alliance.