Many paths lead nonprofit and school leaders to undertake big strategic and creative work. Sometimes it’s a capital campaign, other times it’s in response to enrollment trends, or just that it’s “time” to do a new strategic plan. But the most exciting opportunities are the ones where organization leaders see a refreshed brand, visionary strategic
The crisis of COVID-19 has faded, but many schools’ boards of directors are stuck in a cycle of micromanagement. The pandemic’s challenges necessitated a temporary shift of the board’s role from oversight to hands-on management — a response crucial given the circumstances. But now, some of those same board members’ time and energy remains misdirected
With global and financial turmoil, a national election, and the rise of artificial intelligence and other technologies, we anticipate 2024 will pose new challenges for your nonprofit. Here are six to expect, along with our recommendations for how to address them in the year ahead. 1. Your core values will be tested. In 2024, as
At Mission Minded, we partner with independent schools of all kinds and sizes across the country to boldly elevate their reach and impact. And we’re seeing some trends. With our focus on strategic plans that set bold intentions for a school community + messaging, brand, admissions, and capital campaigns that inspire families, we see themes
There is a shift afoot in the education paradigm. It’s not news that the world we are preparing our students for is not the world from which we came. After a global pandemic, the greatest social unrest our country has experienced in decades, and the birth of ChatGPT, our schools must prepare our students for
People don’t like to talk about competition in the nonprofit world. For many, competition suggests a dog-eat-dog fight where one valuable nonprofit edges another out of the marketplace. It’s more comfortable to view good causes as working together to accomplish shared goals. But this mindset can make nonprofit leaders overlook their competition and miss out
In the nonprofit and education sectors, there is an increasing awareness and effort to produce communications that are inclusive and anti-racist. But what happens when, in an effort to be more inclusive, we alienate the very people we are trying to connect with? We’ve written on inclusivity best practices and here we want to share
The year of COVID-19 has been a year of mergers. Some organizations have become stronger during this challenging year and sought to expand their impact by joining forces with a similar organization. Other organizations, facing dwindling revenues, have paired with mission-aligned nonprofits to increase efficiency. Mission Minded has served multiple mergers in its 20+ years.
In order for your independent school to remain sustainable, you must demonstrate relevance. Educational programs designed even a decade ago no longer hold the same significance as the world continues to evolve. Periodic strategic planning presents independent school boards and school leadership a golden opportunity to vigorously study our ever-changing world so you can make