Giving Compass' Take:

• Sarah Kornhauser explains how nonprofit organizations can make strategic pivots to better serve their communities.

• Pivots can help nonprofit organizations understand what is working and what is not and adapt accordingly. What are ways that donors can support strategic pivots?

• Check out this roadmap to impactful social innovation.

There are countless examples of strategic "pivots" to point to in the for-profit world, many of them from the not-too-distant past. Remember when Amazon just sold books, when Netflix mailed DVDs, or when the Gap was a record store that sold Levi's? It's rare, on the other hand, to hear about nonprofits making the same kind of massive changes in strategy.

But pivoting — a shift in strategy that helps an organization achieve its desired impact — is crucial for nonprofits that want to succeed over the long-term. "Pivot" doesn’t have to be a bad word or signal failure. Think of it, instead, as a natural part of organizational evolution.

Pivots can be large or small, but they should emerge from a clear understanding of what is working and what is not. Using data (e.g., performance metrics, evaluations, and direct observation) to decide whether or not it's time to pivot will ensure that you pivot in the right direction. This kind of intentionality, coupled with the ability to admit what isn't working, makes a strategic pivot different than just throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks.

As your organization is thinking about making a pivot of its own, consider the following three questions, which are informed by the adaptive design framework:

  • Who needs to be on board?
  • How clear are you about your goals and outcomes?
  • Who will be affected when you make the pivot?

By fully committing to an intentional, strategic pivot, nonprofits can put themselves in a position to more quickly adapt to the diverse needs of the communities they serve.

Read the full article about strategic pivots by Sarah Kornhauser at PhilanTopic.