Organization Development

In the nonprofit world, where stakes are high and resources tight, integrating constructive and positive feedback into decision-making can transform how teams work and how change happens. This article explores why feedback cultures are rare but essential and offers practical tools like the Advice Process and RAPID to help leaders invite input, clarify authority, and build trust across their organizations.

Start small. Stay consistent. The payoff is a more engaged team and stronger decisions.

Many nonprofits operate with a "do-it-all" mindset, leaving little time to assess their true
capacity. A capacity assessment shines a light on critical areas like leadership, resources, and
structure, helping organizations align their ambitions with reality. Investing in this process
ensures that strategic plans are actionable, not just aspirational.

If you are trying to achieve greater impact or pivot your focus, your are in the midst of organization development. You need an architect! As

John Kotter, Harvard Professor Emeritus, is considered a thought leader on change management. Kotter notes that 70% of organization change attempts fail. We’ve all been there. How do we as leaders become the 30% who create change that sticks? Real change requires a shift in organization culture and cultural change doesn’t happen without a lot repetition and providing rationales for the change so that core beliefs and values change too. That means not letting up.

In the non-profit sector, managing through objectives brings us to the world of logic models and theories of change. Those are the tools we use most often to create the measurable objectives we deem most likely to drive our mission forward. Embedded in any logic model are a number of priorities that must be managed.