This is the third in a three-part series that explains the Nonprofit Alignment Pyramid. If you missed it, see our overview of what the model involves here. You can see Part 2 here.
The Nonprofit Alignment Pyramid is part of the Civicus Alignment and Risk Assessment model that we use with our clients. The model is built upon sound research, which we have conducted ourselves, and nonprofit industry best practices.
We assess the nonprofit in 10 different categories and use more than 100 touch points. This kind of thorough assessment gives you a very in-depth look at exactly what is happening at your nonprofit and how you can be a more effective leader. It shows you where and how you can improve, so your efforts will be organized and strategic.
The 10 categories we research make up the Nonprofit Alignment Pyramid.
But, the pyramid can also be divided into three more general categories, designating who is responsible for what in the success of a nonprofit.
Staff Responsibility
In part one of this series, we discussed the board responsibilities—clarity and governance—of the pyramid. In part two, we covered the responsibilities that are shared by staff leadership and the board of directors: infrastructure and accountability.
The last six areas of the Alignment Pyramid, at the very top, are the primary responsibility of the CEO. They are:
- internal communications,
- organizational advancement,
- strategic orientation,
- employee environment,
- team cohesiveness, and
- program outcomes.
Internal Communications
Internal communications involves effective communications internally with staff, board, volunteers, and other “insiders” at the organization. Sound communications require a communication system, frequent communications, and communications with content that is meaningful for the intended audience.
Organizational Advancement
This area covers fundraising and communications, both of which are required for successful NPOs to survive in the long term. It’s essential that CEOs have an adequate and effective fundraising plan in place and that they provide proper resources for successful fundraising and communications.
Strategic Orientation
NPOs that rely on short-term successes will eventually discover that long-term sustainability is an evasive goal.
A few of the elements of strategic orientation include a written strategic plan, a shared understanding of that plan, and a business continuity plan.
Employee Environment
This responsibility is critical to your organization’s success.
A positive employee environment will almost always result in at least some outcomes being achieved. A negative employee environment will almost certainly guarantee failure.
The employee environment includes things like supervisor support, adequate work space, an employee handbook, and annual goals.
Team Cohesiveness
Cohesive teams are made up of members who are satisfied with their work environment. To make this happen, CEOs need to focus on establishing a group vision, values, goals, leader support, and peer support.
Program Outcomes
Of course, the ultimate measure of any NPO’s success is whether it is achieving the planned-for outcomes. Even with the perfect quality of structure, accountability, communications, and policies, you won’t do any good without actually achieving your organization’s goals.
To have a solid product or service, CEOs need to ensure the right personnel are in place, there is a strong atmosphere of success, and that the organization is accomplishing what it sets out to achieve.
When the complete Alignment Pyramid is considered as a whole, we can see with incredible accuracy which areas of a nonprofit need improvement and what kinds of changes will have the biggest impact on its success. We work with a wide variety of NPOs and use this model to assess their alignment and effectiveness.
If you’re interested in learning how our model can help your organization, contact us at 815-985-6794. You can also learn more about the Nonprofit Alignment Pyramid in our free ebook: Nonprofit Organizational Alignment: An Overview.