Change-Ready Organizations Alameda CA

Should someone with for-profit experience work in a nonprofit organization?The answer depends both on the skills and values of the individual in question and on the culture and developmental stage of the nonprofit organization.

Local Companies

MAP
(510) 628-8006
300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Ste. 210
Oakland, CA
Consulate of Liberia
(510) 444-3919
1101 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA
Consulate General of Fiji
(510) 654-3970
11930 Skyline Blvd.
Oakland, CA
Saxon-Hamilton
(510) 420-1712
4250 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, CA
JLM & Associates
510-339-3922
5614 Balboa Drive
Oakland, CA
Pacific Community Ventures
(415) 442-4300
51 Federal St., Ste. 402
San Francisco, CA
Consulate of Madagascar
(510) 643-8301
2299 Piedmont Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Partners in Continuity
(510) 719-9977
116 Natoma St., 3rd Flr.
San Francisco, CA
REDF - Formerly The Roberts Enterprise Development Fund
(415) 561-6683
631 Howard St., Ste. 320
San Francisco, CA
Consulate General of Japan
(415) 777-3533
50 Fremont St., Ste. 2300
San Francisco, CA

Provided By:

Should someone with for-profit experience work in a nonprofit organization? The answer depends both on the skills and values of the individual in question and on the culture and developmental stage of the nonprofit organization. Nonprofits at any stage of development may benefit from a leader with business experience, but not all nonprofit organizations are going to welcome that experience. In many nonprofit organizations, a business person enters as an ?alien life form? with distinct linguistic and cultural norms. For the match to work, each side is going to have to meet the other halfway. Language and culture will change for both the organization and the individual, and fundamental organizational practices will ultimately be affected.

Our interviews with 48 nonprofit leaders who successfully bridged the sectors indicated that nonprofit organizations that were most ready to effectively integrate the skills and perspectives of people with business experience shared characteristics that we term ?change-ready:?

  • The startup

    Little culture and process has been established allowing organizational practices and culture to be influenced by a bridger.

  • The turnaround

    The crisis at hand opens the culture and processes to new approaches and individuals who bring a new perspective.

  • A defining moment in an organization?s development - an inflection point

    Being positioned at the brink of something new with great potential serves to open minds and culture. There may be an acceptance that a new set of skills or approaches is required to move forward.

  • Organizations with a for-profit element

    Embedded in the service model are practices commonly associated with the private sector - e.g., microfinance organizations or venture philanthropy models.

  • Organizations with a history of hiring private sector employees

    People with MBAs or private sector backgrounds have been hired and are in many cases responsible for the hiring. There may be a better understanding of the transferable skills of a potential bridger, as well as an appreciation of the qualities that they bring to bear.

    About Bridgestar
    Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org), an initiative of the Bridgespan Group, provides a free nonprofit management job board, content, and tools designed to help nonprofit organizations build strong leadership teams and individuals pursue career paths as nonprofit leaders.

    © 2008, The Bridgespan Group. All rights reserved.


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  • Featured Local Company

    MAP

    (510) 628-8006
    300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Ste. 210
    Oakland, CA

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