1. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
For not-for-profit organisations
Simon Groom
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

2. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Mission or vision?
You need both….
Differences?
Ownership….
Clarity….
FACTS
38.3% of Not-for-profits
last less than 1 year
45.2% last years
8.7% last years
2.6% last years
5.2% last more than 10 years
i.e. Being No.1 provider in England???
i.e. Advising others??
Key Goals – Targets for – Turnover – Staff – Geographic coverage – Demographic coverage
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

3. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Boss or leader?
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

4. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Social or financial?
You need both….
Differences?
Know your audience….
Transparency….
Social Audit Network (SAN)
Social Accounting & Infographics - Social Audit Network
Know when to use statistics – Cabinet Office & ONS
Management Accounts
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

5. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Strategy or planning?
You need both….
Differences?
Strategy: goals - why? Options? Influences? Recipients/beneficiaries?
Plan: what, how, when, where, with whom….
Is it deliverable?
Overall Business Strategy – strangely is in your Business Plan
Marketing Strategy – Market which services / products to whom, when & where
Define resources available and costs for use of
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

6. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
People & Process?
Staff vs business need….
Service delivery….
Marketing & PR….
Volunteers….
Workflows?
Undertake a full resource analysis, building a picture of key staff skills and capabilities
Map out your service delivery path – user journey?
Plan your processes for Mktg & PR and allocate relevant responsibilities to ALL staff! – They should ALL represent the org!
Have structured processes for volunteers – useful ones will usually stay longer.
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

7. Enterprise or service delivery?
You need both….
Café or hostel?
Shop / adventure centre or therapy garden?
The competition?
Deliverable?
Clarity….
Mix of activities to ensure Mission delivery whilst being sustainable
Know what you are up against in your community and beyond
Don’t overstretch yourself and don’t try to multi-task too much!
Be clear with your board, your staff, partners and your clients/beneficiaries
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

8. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Innovate or stagnate..
Encourage ideas….
Aim to change….
Ask the audience!
Calculated risk….
You want ideas from staff, partners, clients/beneficiaries for how to improve
Don’t stagnate – embrace change and try to improve at all times
Don’t be afraid to ask for support or expertise when you don’t know all the answers – and don’t think you know all the answers – you don’t!
Take risks, but calculate their impact first and build strategies and develop mitigation to deal with them first.
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

9. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
To train or not to train?
Train your staff.
Train your volunteers.
Training Needs Analysis?
Expectations….
You may lose good staff, once you have trained them, but better to have lost a good, trained member of staff than always to have accepted mediocre staff!
Your volunteers should be an extension of your staff; make sure they feel wanted and are delivering first-class services.
TNA leads to increased staff morale!
Manage expectations (i.e. salaries, promotions, etc.)
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

10. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Mixing development?
Grants, trusts, legacies….
Corporate support?
Enterprise….
% Split?
Trends…. 73
of successful Not-for-profits receive 75% of their income from trading!
Pros and Cons of each?
“Selling out” to a corporate??
Reliance on grants in the future??
Moving to enterprise to combat loss of giving in many areas; funders expecting innovation, new projects, more challenging processes.
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

11. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Governance?
3 reasons why Not-for-profits fail:
Lack of Resources
Context (i.e. Policy)
Board of Directors
YOU NEED good governance!
Does your Board have the skills?
Board sub-groups
Ownership….
Clarity….
Rotation
You need challenge from outsiders!
You need support from your board! – Networks, Skills, PR
Undertake a Skills Audit & match your Directors to your business needs..
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

12. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Balance…………
YOU NEED balance!
Meet often and briefly
Accept outside help.
Network & listen!
Its about outcomes…
Its all about balance…
You need to operate as a business, whilst striving to achieve your mission.
You need a mix of income streams.
You need to take calculated risks.
You need to innovate.
You need to be clear with your staff and volunteers just what your expectations and needs are
You need to listen to your staff, volunteers and beneficiaries
You need to network with like-minded individuals regularly
You need to identify key outcomes and meet to deliver them – not just to discuss them.
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

13. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Interactive Exercise
In Groups – discuss and suggest answers for ONE of the following questions. 5 minutes, then feedback.
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

14. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
What do you think are the benefits of Rotating Board Members / Trustees?
Define your understanding of the differences between Mission & Vision.
Why is Defining your key processes important?
Suggest ways that Not-for-profit organisations can improve their effectiveness and efficiency.
Suggest ways in which Not-for-profit organisations can access key external skills.
What marketing mediums or approaches are you aware of and which ones do you use?
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit

15. “Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit
Thank-You!
“Bridging The Gap” Between Business & Not-for-profit