Giving Compass' Take:

• Ofira Bondorowsky, writing for Charity Navigator, discusses why donors must support nonprofits that are failing forward, and looking to innovate the sector by taking risks. 

• How are you supporting nonprofits as they try different approaches? Is your charitable giving focused on innovation? 

• Read more about why it's time for donors to embrace failure. 

For nonprofits that aim to succeed, irrespective of their mission, failure is a friend. Unfortunately, the idea of funding failure doesn’t sit well with most donors.

If the organization you love and support is taking the same cookie-cutter or stale approach to solving age-old social problems and continue with limited success, then, despite your passionate commitment to the cause, you may actually be funding stagnation rather than investing in progress toward real solutions.

Here’s why you should value “failing forward” in the nonprofits you support…

The fact that so many nonprofits have achieved limited success in their pursuit of viable and long-lasting solutions underscores the need to venture into uncharted territories. This exploration and innovation are almost always easier said than done. The process of designing and piloting new ideas is inherently risky, costly, and may result in failure, all of which can be unappealing to stakeholders. Consequently, the nonprofit community, pressed to cater to stakeholder demands for positive outcomes, is often discouraged from implementing fresh ideas, fearing the loss of financial support if the program fails to meet its goals. However, the fear of failure, as if it were a foe, only serves to fuel stagnation and extinguish creativity and innovation.

As donors, we have the ability to change how we view failure or mistakes. We can choose to reward the organizations we believe are tackling long-standing social issues with new and fresh approaches, even if they don’t work out as planned. A nonprofit that is willing to openly share what has worked and what has not worked understands the relevance of tracking and analyzing results, and values the importance of accountability and transparency.

Read the full article about nonprofits failing forward by Ofira Bondorowsky at Charity Navigator.