A Sustainability Focus Can Ease Transitions

Recently, when asking the Executive Director of a Standards for Excellence certified organization why she led the organization through the process, her answer was that it was the best way to prepare for her departure. This is a great example of a leader who saw the value of investments in organizational infrastructure as a way to support sustainability beyond her tenure. The organization’s efforts and focus today were not only on improving effectiveness, but also on supporting the long-term viability of the organization with the knowledge that transition was part of the organization’s future.

Given the dynamic, fast paced environment facing our organizations and the demand for constant strategic decision-making, we all need to be actively thinking and talking about organizational sustainability on a regular basis. This includes our boards, our leadership, and our staff. So, what is a sustainability focus?

In their book Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decision for Financial Viability, Bell, Masaoka, and Zimmerman cite the United Nations’ definition of sustainability: “[doing what is required] to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” So clearly a sustainability focus or orientation requires paying attention to meeting today’s challenges while also ensuring a foundation for meeting tomorrow’s challenges.  And, embedded in the UN’s definition is an explicit reference to the fact that a different cast of characters (“future generations”) will be at the helm in the future (hence the tie-in with transitions). 
The authors go on to define organizational sustainability to include:

  • Programmatic Sustainability: “the ability to develop, mature, and cycle out programs to be responsive to constituencies over time”

  • Financial Sustainability: “the ability to generate resources to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future”
To this, we also add:
  • Operational Sustainability: the ability to enact policies and procedures that mitigate risk, ensure efficient operations, and support succession
By focusing clearly on sustainability, leaders reinforce how today’s decisions about how to improve an organization programmatically, financially, and operationally need to serve both the short term mission goals and the long term viability goals. Additionally, by acknowledging that organizational sustainability requires attention to all three realms, leaders are validating the need to invest in all three areas. In turn, the investments, when made with a sustainability focus, will explicitly address issues of future transition and clearly lead to a scenario where everyone is essential, but no one is indispensable.

Strategies for Developing Sustainability

  • Focus Forward: While it is important to ensure short term viability and accountability, don’t lose sight of the long-term.  Ask sustainability questions (can we continue this program if Jane leaves; what is the long-term revenue model after the first and second years; do we have the operational infrastructure to support this; what are the risks/benefits of doing this to the future of the organization)

  • Invest in Infrastructure: Infrastructure is the common foundation for all existing and future programs. It improves effectiveness and efficiency, documents critical information and knowledge needed to carry out the work of an organization, and mitigates risk – all things that support sustainability. Implement the Standards for Excellence Code – the program draws attention to key areas of governance and operational infrastructure that supports effective organizations and provides tools and assistance in implementing changes.

  • Talk about Transition: Leaders, consider asking yourself and your staff, “What would happen if I left? What does this organization need today in order for it to be successful with a new person in my role?” – Humbling? Yes, but essential to sustainability and successful transitions.

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