Instructions in the attached file

Read each Section and provide feedback. Must be a total of 150 words. 75 word counts for each PART.

Part 1

1. Discuss the drivers of collaborations. In what cases might collaborations be used. Provide examples of collaborations.

There are internal and external drivers of collaboration. According to Worth, “external drivers arise from changes in the environment” and “internal drivers arise from conditions within an organization” (Worth pg 225). An example of an external driver would be if there became an increased competition for clients or resources. An internal driver would be if there were changes needed in the financial or managerial processes the organization had in place.

1. Identify and discuss obstacles of collaborations and mergers.

There are five different obstacles mentioned in Worth. Those are Culture, egos, brand identity, community/political objections, and costs.

Culture – Worth describes a scenario where two counseling centers merged. One center went to the patients’ homes and the other had patients come to the center to be treated. Once merged, there was a lot of resentment and turnover as the culture of work was not aligned before the organizations were merged. (Worth pg 227)

Egos – In any organization, there will be attitudes that get in the way. A lot of times the founders and/or CEOs of an organization will be intertwined in the organization and it can get in the way of a collaboration or merger.

Brand Identity – If an organization is well known in the community, it can be challenging for it to pair with another organization in fear of losing the identity they had created for so long.

Community/Political Objections – This a lot of times will involve the donors and their opinions. This could raise questions of loyalty and accountability of future controls of accounts.

Costs – The costs included with a merger can be large. The organizations take a risk entering into a relationship with another organization. There is a lot of money flowing in and out to attorneys and other important roles in the organization. There is also the possibility the merger will not be successful and the organizations could lose large amounts of money which could have been used for other purposes in their mission.

1. Discuss in detail the importance of a SWOT analysis and how is plays into the strategic planning process.

According to Queensland Government, “A SWOT analysis is a useful tool for brainstorming and strategic planning” (Queensland). Performing a SWOT analysis allows the organizations to thoroughly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the collaborating or merging organizations before the change takes place. This can help the organizations build on the strengths they find as well as minimize the weaknesses. For example, one organization could be weak in their accounting policies and the other organization could have a strong accounting policy and structure. These organizations could complement each other.

1. Identify and explain the most common risks that NPO’s face

According to Worth, “The most common risks that concern nonprofit organizations generally fall into one of four categories: People, Property, Income, Goodwill” (Worth page 208). Most of the risks involve financial issues and some are related to management concerns.

1. Identify and explain the basic steps for strategic planning

The basic steps of strategic planning according to the Harvard policy model and Worth, are to prepare for planning, assess the situation, identify strategic issues, develop goals/strategies, write the plan, develop operational/implementation plans, execute the plan, and evaluate the results. (Worth pg 188)

1. Discuss the idea of capacity building. Identify and explain the different types of capacity

According to the National Council of Nonprofits, “Capacity building is whatever is needed to bring a nonprofit to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity so it may more effectively and efficiently advance its mission into the future” (Council of NP).

Program delivery capacity – grows out of the organization’s knowledge of a specific field

Program expansion capacity – as it grows out, additional support will be needed such as professional expertise.

Adaptive capacity – the ability to learn and adapt to the expanding mission of the organization.

Queensland Government. Uses of SWOT Analysis. https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/planning/market-customer-research/swot-analysis/uses#:~:text=A%20SWOT%20analysis%20will%20help,t%20lose%20your%20competitive%20advantage.

National Council of Nonprofits. What is Capacity Building? https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/what-capacity-building

Worth, M. J. (2021). Nonprofit management: Principles and practice (6th ed.). Sage.

As we discussed mergers in chapter 8, I found an article about two Texas organizations merging together this week. 

https://communityimpact.com/houston/pearland-friendswood/nonprofit/2022/10/10/the-texas-wildlife-rehabilitation-coalition-merges-with-houston-humane-society/

Part 2

1. Discuss the drivers of collaborations. In what cases might collaborations be used. Provide examples of collaborations. The main driver of collaboration between nonprofits is that there are too many nonprofits and there is not enough funding or volunteers to keep all of them running (Worth, 221). To fix this problem a lot of people advocate for nonprofits that have a similar mission to collaborate and eventually merge into one big nonprofit. If both organizations have the same expectations for the merger and communicate what their goals are, then the merger will work out pretty well and benefit all parties. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case some nonprofits don't merge as smoothly and end up parting ways. One example of a successful collaboration is the collaboration between the River Revitalization Foundation and Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers. These organizations both needed a bigger space to operate so they decided to work together and create a space for eight environmental organizations. Although they are still independent nonprofits, this collaboration has helped them both financially (Worth, 223).

2. Identify and discuss obstacles of collaborations and mergers. As we can see, there are benefits to nonprofits collaborating but there are also many obstacles that can occur. Some of the obstacles have to do with the change that a collaboration would bring. These changes included changes in culture, costs, brand identity, and political views. A lot of people don't like change and become very accustomed to the way that they operate. When two organizations collaborate there has to be compromise in regard to how things operate while also staying true to the mission. The unwillingness to compromise and not staying true to the mission is often the reason why collaborations and mergers end. Organizations just end up realizing they would be of more help to the community if they worked individually (Worth, 225).

3. Discuss in detail the importance of a SWOT analysis and how is plays into the strategic planning process. The SWOT is important because it helps organizations assess their strengths, weaknesses, external environment, and threats. Evaluating these things will help the organization in its strategic planning and find out what things issues need to address (Worth, 192). Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses will help the nonprofit identify its competencies. Evaluating the environment helps the nonprofit determine what outside factors are threatening the organization and how to adjust to those outside factors. Without the SWOT a lot of nonprofits would not succeed for very long (Worth, 192).

4. Identify and explain the most common risks that NPO’s face In general there are a lot of things that a nonprofit organization faces that are risks. In regard to these two chapters, I think that the most important risk that NPOs face is collaborating with other nonprofits and losing sight of what their mission, vision, and values are. These things are the foundation of an organization and without them, the organization cant exist. Without these things, the volunteers won't have any motivation or goal to work towards therefore creating a lack of the desire to serve.

5. Identify and explain the basic steps for strategic planning For most organizations the most basic steps for strategic planning are determining the process and the players, coming up with a mission, vision, and values, assessing the situation, identifying issues or questions that need to be addressed, developing goals, come up with a plan, execute the plan, and evaluate the results. These steps are based on the Harvard policy model and have been beneficial to many nonprofits (Worth, 187). I think that the most important thing to start with when creating a strategy is coming up with the mission, vision, and values. Some people think that it's best to do this at the end but I think that it is helpful to know what the organization stands for when coming up with a strategic plan.

6. Discuss the idea of capacity building. Identify and explain the different types of capacity Capacity building is whatever is needed to bring a nonprofit to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity, so it may more effectively and efficiently advance its mission (Worth, 201). Capacity can range from the chairs needed for an office to the people that work there. Identifying capacity can help an organization identify areas that need to be improved.

Current Event:

Title: Collaboration Among Providers to Treat COVID-19 Patients at Home Opens Beds for Those with More Serious Illness

This article is relevant to this discussion because it talks about how different healthcare providers worked together to provide for those who were affected by the covid-19 pandemic.

https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-27-2022/No2-May-2022/Articles-Previous-Topics/Collaboration-Among-Providers-to-Treat-COVID-19-Patients-at-Home-Opens-Beds-for-Those-with-More-Seri.htmlLinks to an external site.

References:

Collaboration Among Providers to Treat COVID-19 Patients at Home Opens Beds for Those with More Serious Illness | OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-27-2022/No2-May-2022/Articles-Previous-Topics/Collaboration-Among-Providers-to-Treat-COVID-19-Patients-at-Home-Opens-Beds-for-Those-with-More-Seri.html

Worth, M. J. (n.d.). Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice (6th ed., Vols. 1–567). CQ Press.