JMT Consulting Group’s CEO Jacqueline M. Tiso sent this thought-provoking article today following a conference session she attended.  She is a frequent speaker and writer on technology, accounting, best practices and nonprofits.  If you would like to have her speak to your group please contact lmurphy@jmtconsulting.com

As I only work with non-profits, whenever I attend any type of business or professional development event for business, even though it may be directed at the attendees of for-profit businesses, I always find myself turning around what I am hearing to also think about how it might apply relative to the non-profit organization.

I recently attended a seminar on marketing and the need to understand your clients and one of the topics was the concept of determining who you want to do business with.  This struck me forcefully as the average non-profit doesn’t have the right of saying who you do or do not want to work with.

The nature of a non-profit is that you are delivering a needed and vital service that isn’t about any individual being the “type” you want to work with.  But…let’s think outside the box and ask the question anyway because it is relevant.

Are there those in your constituency that you would determine you should not do business with?   This question will certainly raise a lot of eyebrows, but it is really not about the who, but rather about the what.

What are the most impactful programs your organization is delivering?

I find one of our client’s greatest challenges is being able to answer this question with real ongoing, trend data. We work with our clients to determine what are the specific, defined metrics and outcome measurements.  And then look at how to utilize the back-office tools they use to measure and report on them so they have the information needed for their strategic decision making.

Understanding the best use of your vital, and possibly limited, funds is imperative and every program’s results should be quantified.

If you’re using one of the many fund accounting solutions out there and only generating financial statements with it, find out about its statistical reporting functionality (or if it even has this functionality).  Understanding the best use of your vital, and possibly limited, funds is imperative and both financial and statistical metrics on every program must be quantified for the ongoing success of your organization and who you serve.

Contact us cam@jmtconsulting.com to learn how.