When Nonprofit Leaders Should Think Like Creatives

Nonprofits are struggling under the weight of growing demand, budget uncertainty and middling levels of public trust (which is often lowest in the communities most in need of support). In our years advising, founding, leading and benefitting from nonprofit organizations, we have often seen them respond to these and other challenges by doubling down on rigorous, well-established ways of working—from reinforcing transparent hiring and documentation to launching new strategic plans and implementing rigorous measurement processes.

This mix of behaviors is emblematic of a way of working we call the institutional paradigm. It is often valuable. And it often leaves value on the table.

Here, we lay out an alternative: the creative paradigm for social impact. We compare these ways of working, unpack the benefits of learning from other disciplines, and identify three opportunities where it makes particular sense for nonprofits to adopt those lessons.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.