What We Do:
Differentiation (Reason for Being)
Focus > Differentiation (Reason for Being)
Find your Reason for Being and Unlock Your Nonprofit’s Potential.
Are there too many nonprofits? With more than 1.56 million nonprofits in the U.S. alone, many say yes. At Prosper Strategies, we know that effective nonprofits are more needed than ever, but we also believe an organization should only exist if it is uniquely positioned to make a specific sort of needed impact that no other organization can make in quite the same way, if it has a valid reason for being.
A reason for being is one of the most important elements in our Nonprofit Impact System™, but even if you aren’t implementing the entire system, it’s essential to discover yours. We’ll work with you to determine your reason for being by:
- Assessing the areas where your organization is strong based on the impressions of your internal and external stakeholders
- Comparing your strengths to those of other organizations in your ecosystem
- Identifying a strength or combination of strengths that only your organization can claim
- Developing a reason for being statement that will guide your nonprofit’s Focus and Strategy
Why You Need a Reason for Being
Without a reason for being, your nonprofit will become easily confused with other, similar organizations and will struggle to garner support and loyalty. Worse yet, you may start to pursue too many disparate opportunities for programs and services that will ultimately dilute your organization’s impact. With a reason for being, you’ll have a clear guidepost about what your organization should do, and just as importantly, what it shouldn’t do.
What If We Don’t Have a Reason for Being?
Not every organization does. If we determine that your organization has no clear reason for being, you have two options. You can either restructure your programs, services and approach to establish one, or merge/closely collaborate with another organization that is doing similar work to yours.
Differentiation Success Story
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Having just completed an extensive 18 month rebranding initiative, I couldn’t be more thrilled to recommend Prosper to agencies looking for quality, forward-thinking results. We found the entire team to be intuitive and extremely thorough in their efforts to understand our work and vision. Throughout the entire process they gained our trust and presented insightful copy, artwork and comprehensive roll out plans that impressed not only our staff, but our board of directors. We went into our new brand launch 100% confident with the results of their collective hard work and have received glowing reviews from our stakeholders. Prosper was the exact match we needed to confidently rebrand after 43 years.
Senior Vice President of Mission Engagement & Innovation, Ignite
