The ‘strategic horizon‘ most nonprofits use is between 3-5 years. That seems to be about as far into the future as we feel able to project – either in terms of what we might confidently predict about our operating environment, or the timespan over which we are willing to commit to achieving our goals. Such… Continue reading Balancing ‘long’ and ‘short’ strategic perspectives
Tag: sustainability
Counting What Matters: using non-financial accounting
Einstein’s observation that “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted” rings true for most nonprofit leaders. This is not to dismiss the importance of responsible financial management, but rather to acknowledge that there is more to governing a nonprofit than staying ‘in the black’. Key non-financial metrics… Continue reading Counting What Matters: using non-financial accounting
It’s not ‘catastrophising’ when the catastrophe is real !
So often, risk is narrowly defined as the “effect of uncertainty on objectives” (ISO 3100 2009), and ‘risk management’ as a collection of steps by which to reduce the likelihood and/or impact of a hypothetical future adverse event. Risk avoidance and risk transfer measures, such as insurance, are instituted before the event as preventive or… Continue reading It’s not ‘catastrophising’ when the catastrophe is real !
Sustainable purposes
The not-for-profit sector is sometimes called the ‘for purpose’ sector, as this reflects the way organisations in the sector generally share common goals ‘for society‘. Many companies in the ‘for profit’ sector have engaged social license, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability issues over recent years, and met with a mixed reaction. Sometimes they were accused… Continue reading Sustainable purposes
Sustainability finally going mainstream
The landmark speech on Climate Change and the Economy (12 March) by Guy Debelle, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, and the APRA climate change survey (20 March) of 38 large entities, across all regulated industries, signal mainstream acceptance of the reality that climate change obliges all of us to take preventive measures and prepare… Continue reading Sustainability finally going mainstream