Mini-Series: How To Diagnose What's Broken In Your Nonprofit
Manage episode 483852445 series 3599910
You’re juggling a million things and trying to keep your organization running smoothly — but what if the real issues you’re facing aren’t random? In this episode, I introduce you to the STRONG Framework — the six foundational pillars of a resilient nonprofit — and show you how to identify where your organization might be structurally out of sync.
If you’ve ever asked, “What’s really going wrong here?” this is the clarity you’ve been looking for.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- A high-level breakdown of the STRONG Framework I use with all my nonprofit clients
- How to spot which part of your organization is absorbing pressure it wasn’t built to carry
- Why resilience starts with diagnosis — not doing more
3 Key Takeaways:
- Structural issues cause chronic organizational pain — and they’re fixable.
- Not everything needs to be fixed at once. One shift at a time is powerful.
- Diagnosing problems gives you clarity and control — not overwhelm.
Step-by-Step: The STRONG Framework Explained
S — Strategic Clarity
Are you aligned around a clear North Star? Misalignment here shows up as team overwhelm, scattered priorities, and disengaged stakeholders.
T — Team & Ownership
Are roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority clearly defined? A deficit here leads to bottlenecks, dropped balls, and over-reliance on you.
R — Resources
Is your funding sustainable and aligned with your growth? Constant feast-or-famine fundraising points to a Revenue Deficit.
O — Operations
Do your systems support efficiency and scale? If your team is stuck reinventing the wheel or bogged down in manual tasks, this pillar needs work.
N — Networked Capacity
Are you leveraging advisors, partners, and your broader ecosystem — or carrying the mission alone?
G — Governance
Is your board engaged at the right level? Both micromanagement and disengagement signal a Governance Deficit.
👉 Take note of where your organization may be absorbing strain in these six areas. You’re not supposed to fix them all. Just start with one.
Resources Mentioned:
- 📲 Text STRONG to 66866 – Get my free STRONG Assessment to diagnose your top structural challenge.
- Stay tuned for the next episode – I’ll walk you through the “1 Shift Method” to help you decide where to focus first.
Want to work together?
Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Accelerator, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.
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223 episodes