Whether you are a new NFP or an established one, it is vital that you understand the capabilities of those involved in the program and delegate responsibilities accordingly. Often, we put together a team of people who are passionate about the cause however, we fail to focus on what each person’s strength is and allocating tasks accordingly. If your organisation is struggling to make headway and everyone is feeling like they are snowed under, then this is probably what has happened.

It is vital to the success of the organisation that you determine strengths and weaknesses and match them with, not only the tasks that you need to be looked after, but the ability of the people involved to continue to evolve and take on more work as the organisation grows.

Rather than ending up with someone feeling like they are swamped and all the new tasks getting handed to that one person, you need to structure the tasks, personnel and training of the staff. This will ensure that everyone has the tools they need to not only cope with their role, but to excel at it, which in turn benefits the organisation.

While there are many options for training organisation members, training alone isn’t usually enough as it simply provides a structure of what needs to be done but doesn’t equip the trainee with the skills. Mentoring, on the other hand, can provide your team members with not only a training program but also coaching to keep them on track and allow the team member’s strength to shine through as well as they become more empowered within their role in the organisation.

Organisations who are not keen to put their hand in their pocket need to understand that it is an expense that will keep on giving. Your team members will not only incorporate their new-found empowerment into how they perform in the organisation, but they will in turn, share their new skills and become mentors themselves within the team.

Ideally, choose one or two team members who you believe will make the most impact on the organisation if they have the right mentoring and enrol them in a mentoring program to provide them with all aspects of effective fundraising and operational skills. We have identified a great mentoring program that is delivered via the Non Profit Marketing Guide and it satisfies all of the above criteria for a mentoring program to benefit all non-profit organisations.

If you have enrolled your team members in the mentoring program and have feedback on the program, we would love to hear from you.