Too Often, What We Call a Program, Really Isn’t
If you spent the day guiding old ladies across the street and someone gave you a dollar for doing it, would that mean you’re delivering a “program?” What many people call a program is too often just a sporadic set of disconnected activities — it’s not really a program.
So What’s a Real Nonprofit Program?
A program is:
- A highly integrated, ongoing set of activities,
- Aimed to meet a verified unmet need in the community,
- By accomplishing certain outcomes among clients and
- Using sufficient evaluation to verify that it’s meeting that need.
The quality of the program depends on
- How well resourced the program is with people, funding, facilities, etc.
- How well the nonprofit responds to results of evaluations to improve the program
A program closes the loop — it hears back from its clients to verify if the program is indeed meeting the needs of the clients AND the needs of the community.
What do you think?
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For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.
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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits and Strategic Planning.
What is the best place to find information on funding NPCs and getting 501 c 3 status? Thanks for the information –
Not every program has to be a separate 501 C-3. It is more effecient to place a new program under the umbrella of an existing 501 C-3 than to start up yet another nonprofit.