Strengthening Your Business Model for Financial Sustainability

This five-part series – facilitated by Steve Zimmerman, a co-author of Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability – guides participants through the process of visualizing their business model utilizing the matrix map, a visual depiction of an organization’s business model – or how every program contributes to the organization’s sustainability, impact, and profitability. Together, they will learn how to assess mission impact, determine profitability, and plot the map. More than a picture, the matrix map offers strategic imperatives to drive decision making to strengthen sustainability. Participants will receive templates throughout the process to implement on their own and will have access to extra engagement during the process to answer their questions.

What is “sustainable” is constantly changing as the environment in which nonprofits operate changes. Sustainability is an orientation, not a destination. As such, truly sustainable organizations have leadership with a shared understanding of what is driving their impact and financial viability and are able to make ongoing strategic decisions while holding both of these elements together.

There is a deep interconnectedness between a nonprofit’s ability to be financially viable and to have impact. For an organization to achieve greater sustainability, it needs to not only invest in the right revenue strategies but must also understand the true costs of its activities and the impact they have. By understanding and aligning these components, the impact and financial strategies become reinforced – growing and evolving as the organization achieves its mission.

Sessions:
October 10 – Matrix Map Process- Intended Impact – Define Programs
October 24 – Mission Impact Assessment
November 7 – Determining Profitability
November 21 – Plotting Your Matrix Map
December 5 – Strategic Imperatives of the Matrix Map

Customized consulting available at additional discounted rate. For more information, contact Barry Silverberg, bsilverb@austincc.edu

Please note Nonprofit Austin reserves the right to postpone this learning opportunity if there is inadequate registration.