It’s not everyday I decide to make-up a word, but during the creative selection process that came along with finally naming this young blog of mine, well, this is precisely what I did.
nonprofit + unity
I combined these two words because nonprofitunity (pronounced nän präfi to͞onitē) represents a mash-up of three core beliefs I hold about nonprofit success. Let me explain. Having spent more than 20 years as a professional serving community-based nonprofits, my first core belief about nonprofit success is that there must be a dynamic community that supports it. This community represents a diverse group of individuals with connections to the mission and leads to participation at all levels within the organization. Ongoing community engagement exists at the most successful nonprofits who utilize both staff and volunteers to nurture this community.
Opportunity will present itself again and again in our important work. My second core belief is that successful organizations must create and seize strategic opportunities. Knowing when and how to leverage these opportunities will separate the strong from the weak organizations, and a well-crafted strategic plan will focus on these opportunities in order to strengthen your mission.
Unity is the glue that holds this all together which is why it is my third core belief for a successful organization. When a nonprofit is united in vision and mission, you find high performers thriving. This unity creates a genuine passion that translates into action: advocating, volunteering and donating to name a few. It is the engine behind all those great ideas doubling as opportunities listed as goals in your strategic plan.
Nonprofitunity /nänˈpräfi to͞onitē/ noun – the community, opportunity and unity that creates nonprofit success.
We all want the causes we care about to succeed. It is satisfying to take this intention and translate it into a fun word that captures something for which we all strive.
You can reach my blog via nonprofitunity.com and npcoach.com.
nonprofitunity 