Steve Zimmerman, president and chief executive officer of Spectrum Nonprofit Services in Milwaukee, recently co-authored a book entitled, “Nonprofit Sustainability, making strategic decisions for financial viability.” The book is designed to provide nonprofit executives and board members tools for analyzing and adjusting their business models for greater organizational sustainability, Zimmerman said.
According to Zimmerman, Spectrum Nonprofit Services typically provides strategy and management expertise to nonprofit organizations in order to enable them to work more effectively.
"Strategic decisions involve both an understanding of impact and an understanding of finances,” Zimmerman said. “Our goal is to help nonprofit organizations maximize their impact in the community while still increasing their financial sustainability as a key to their long-term success.”
The number of nonprofit organizations seeking ways to become more sustainable has increased since the economic downturn, but Spectrum Nonprofit Services developed the tools and concepts in the book prior to the recession, Zimmerman said.
“The response to strategic planning like this has always been episodic in nature,” he said. “Organizations need to constantly be learning and evaluating decisions and trying new things to become sustainable.”
The book outlines the "Matrix Map," a tool used to determine the current impact and financial performance of core programs and fundraising activities, Zimmerman said. The book also includes illustrative examples on how executives can use the Matrix Map to make confident and disciplined business decisions year round, he said.
“Nonprofit organizations need to constantly be learning and evaluating; making decisions and trying new things to increase the flexibility of their organization through their strategic planning process,” Zimmerman said. “It’s imperative for them to plan their decision making and develop a deep interconnectedness between their mission impact and the finances of an organization.”
The book is available on Amazon.com
