What Career Opportunities For Women And People Of Color?Posted by Houghton Fenger on May 28th, 2021 The term "Social Change Agency" is frequently tossed about without a clear definition. Some people say it's an agency created to bring in more people of color or sex to help lead the charge against corporate and government wrongdoing. Others believe it's a way for nonprofits to increase their fund raising capabilities by targeting organizations doing incredible work in service to people of color, women, and children. Still others view it as a way for nonprofits to draw attention to issues important to the cause. And yet, others think it means something completely different - it could be any and all of those things. For purposes of this discussion, I'll focus on the "trusted advisor" bit. It seems most folks lump all social change agents together under the banner of a trustworthy advisor. That's because many nonprofits rely upon the expertise of some very well known experts who serve as their trusted advisor. Nonprofits rely on them to guide them through tough times, give them advice on how to best reach out to the community, assist with budgeting, handle conflicts, build partnerships, and so forth. These are all key services that every nonprofit organization needs in order to be sustainable and successful. In fact, without those services in place, many non-profits would quickly crumble into oblivion. However, when it comes to nonprofits and their leadership, the thought leadership training isn't just about advising on how to get the job done. There's also a whole bag of other things they need to do in order to build influence and make a difference in the world. After all, there are millions of nonprofits in the world today. While some are simply trying to help the less fortunate and the vulnerable, others are trying to change whole communities or impact the lives of millions more. No matter what the field is in every successful non-profit needs to engage in the following activities. A social change agency doesn't have the luxury of sitting back and hoping for donations to come in. If they want to be as effective as possible in the nonprofit world, they need to develop contacts and relationships in order to raise money, plan projects, and implement policies that will help change lives. However, without these contacts and relationships, it will be difficult for them to find funding, grow their teams, and implement their plans. This is where a trusted advisor can play an important role. She can serve as an advocate and counselor in the nonprofit world, helping nonprofits find sponsors, secure donations, and find the right kinds of programs and strategies to implement. Trustworthy advocates and counselors will go out of their way to ensure that the nonprofit community fully understands the mission of the social change initiative they are working on. The first job of a trusted advisor is to ensure that everyone understands the mission, goals, and methods of the social change initiative. This includes not only leaders but also staff and volunteers. By developing communication lines with staff and volunteers, the trusted advisor will show them that their work has a purpose, that they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and that they can contribute when they are ready to. By fostering strong relationships within nonprofits and building influence, a good social change advocate will build goodwill and ensure that goals are met. They will work with leaders from varying fields and ideologies so that all areas of focus are covered. They should also work with people from different demographics, since perspectives and demographics may differ on certain issues. Building influence can take the form of being involved in local events and projects, volunteerism at local organizations, and networking through networking opportunities like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. The second priority of a good social change agency helping nonprofits succeed is making sure they have a strategic plan in place. The strategic plan will identify strengths and weaknesses and identify specific goals and achievements over the past year. A good strategic plan will also outline specific future goals and how the group plans on winning the future. In addition, it will describe the type of changes that will be made, who will be responsible for implementing the changes, and what changes might be required for the group to achieve its future goals. A good nonprofitcer will make sure that its staff has a clear understanding of what the organization does, where it goes, what it does, and who it serves. Finally, the strategic plan will need to have metrics in place to track progress. Metrics will help to determine whether or not the efforts of the social change agency are yielding the results the group was hoping for. Some of the things a strategic plan will look for are indicators of success such as the percentage of people that are newly classified as members of a particular ethnic group, the percentage of new members that are using some of the services the agency provides, and the number of new members that receive some type of help from the agency . Another indicator of success is the percentage of revenue that goes to service organizations and the number of people who go on to receive some type of assistance through the agency's various services. Another indicator of success might be the percentage of members who go on to attend some sort of professional development workshop. A good nonprofitcer will be very transparent about the details of its mission, its metrics, and its process for achieving success.Like it? Share it! More by this author |