We are excited to unveil our new graphic that depicts our five major areas of focus. These are the heart and soul of a people lens organization.

Thank you to our knowledge philanthropists! We loved working with Kaoru Matsushita, as she developed this graphic. We loved hearing from you about these five areas. Some of you posted on our blog, and some sent emails. You told us what you thought would be best in each of those categories, and most of what you have suggested is now included in our book, The Abundant Not-for-Profit.

The five how-to chapters include:

Build a People Culture – A people culture focuses first on the talented people who deliver the mission; before money, clients or other stakeholders. Everyone is accountable for achieving the outcomes they agreed to in order to deliver the mission of the organization, whether they are salaried employees or knowledge philanthropists.

Plan for the Future – The heart of creating a people lens organization is planning intentionally for people. Planning allows organizations to identify what skills & expertise are required at the front end of any program or project, and recruit the most talented knowledge philanthropists.

Educate the Board – The major distinctions of a people lens board from the board of a great organization are two: the executive director educates the board about their role as governors, and board members contribute their specific talent to the organization in another, operational role.

Ensure Excellent Human Resource Practices – In a people lens organization, salaried employees and knowledge philanthropists work in unique and sometimes unusual roles. The organization practices clear and consistent processes to bring each of the people from these different roles together within the organization.

Establish Leader Competencies – Above and beyond the attributes that make great not-for-profit leaders, there are three specific leadership attributes that excel in a people lens organization. That is the ability to connect, convene and delegate highly skilled individuals. We call it leading leaders.

Does the graphic grab you? Do these five areas of focus still resonate?

We are always happy to hear from you!

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