Imagine Nancy, a nonprofit leader. Although we have changed her name, every part of this story is real.
Nancy runs a social services nonprofit in the United States. That means that like almost every other social services nonprofit, she receives government contracts that don't fully cover true costs, deals with political uncertainties constantly, and faces a seemingly bottomless need for the services her nonprofit provides. She wants to build justice and fairness into every aspect of her nonprofit, needs to improve her team's use of technology, strives to create a culture of psychological safety and belonging, and hopes to build a career development path for her workers. In other words, Nancy faces countless threats to her nonprofit's mission.
You wouldn't know it given Nancy's poise, but her job is hard and getting harder. She wants to improve accountability within her organization, but she doesn't know how. She wants to be able to stop ruminating about the countless things she needs to deal with every day, but the worries keep piling up. She wants to stop being reactive and start controlling her nonprofit's destiny, but every day brings new challenges and crises.
Terry and Janice, who are senior leaders on Nancy's team who shared her concerns, attended workshops provided by Risk Alternative's founder, Ted Bilich. There, they learned that they were not alone, that Risk Alternatives knew from long experience that nonprofit leaders need support and a plan. The also learned that Ted had worked with hundreds of nonprofits around the United States, and that he brought a background in law and teaching to his work that made him both a trusted advisor and world-class trainer. Terry and Janice learned about Lean Risk Management, a process developed by Ted Bilich to provide nonprofits with a Foundation for Growth.
Nancy was excited. She engaged Risk Alternatives to perform a Foundation for Growth engagement. Together with her senior leadership team and Risk Alternatives, Nancy took three steps that made an immediate and enormous positive difference for her nonprofit:
Nancy and her senior leadership looked at every functional area of her nonprofit, identifying both threats (things they were worried about) and opportunities (things they were excited about). That process provided a series of "Ah-Hah" moments for her and her team. Participants saw that most of them were worried and excited about the same things, but they also gained insights into areas of the nonprofit that weren't their primary focus. The inventory process allowed them to make hidden things visible, and gave them a sense that they finally had a handle on the uncertainties they faced.
Benefits of a Risk Inventory:
Their inventory had identified scores of issues, but Nancy and her team learned that trying to focus on all of them was fruitless. Instead, Ted took them through a simple, powerful process to prioritize their risks. They developed a punch list of their most important risks, logging them in a tool called a Risk Register which put everyone in senior management literally on the same page. They knew what the priorities were, who would champion each issue, what the next step would be, and when they should expect a progress report.
The relief in the senior team was palpable -- led by Nancy herself. Nancy felt that she was no longer trying to juggle all of the competing priorities on her own. Her team was now leaning into the challenges but also looking for upside risks that the organization could capture and develop. The team recognized, through Ted's training, that rather than trying to address risks in a single swing of the bat, they could make better progress by implementing an ongoing cycle of minor but material improvements.
Benefits of Creating a Risk Register:
With Risk Alternatives' support and encouragement, Nancy's senior team began developing a regular meeting cadence where they pulled out their Risk Register and assessed where they stood and where they were going. They checked in with those tasked with addressing various risks, made suggestions for next steps, tracked and celebrated progress, encouraged each other, and added new issues to the cycle as new threats and opportunities arose.
Benefits of Using a Risk Cycle:
Nancy now recognizes that if she had moved forward without the Foundations for Growth engagement, she would have put her nonprofit at risk. She could have lost momentum, struggled to gain clarity, and failed to put her nonprofit on a path to reach its full potential.
Instead, Nancy is developing a proactive culture, fostering a strong partnership with her board, and confidently scaling impact. She is facing better stakeholder relationships, improved funding prospects, and the fulfillment of the nonprofit’s vital mission—making a lasting difference in the communities it serves.
By finding her Foundations for Growth, Nancy has transformed from a nonprofit leader feeling pulled in countless directions to one who confidently guides her team toward data-driven, strategic decisions. By partnering with Risk Alternatives, she has a solid framework for growth and a resilient strategy for the future.
Schedule a 30-minute Discovery Call today to learn how Foundations for Growth can set your organization on the path to sustained success. There's no obligation, and we have a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied. So please, give us a call today!
As we publish resources to help you build your own foundations for growth, you will find them here.