Advancing Mission Thrivability

Self-preservation is a natural instinct for all of us, especially when faced with uncertainty and difficult decisions. We instinctively strive to protect ourselves, our families, and those we care about, and that instinct is what generally drives our decision making in times of crisis. Throughout COVID-19, uncertainty and difficult challenges have emerged for almost all of us in some way. The same goes for organizations, especially nonprofits.

Nonprofit organizations are forced to make many difficult decisions as they continue to adjust to the ever-changing landscape of the charitable sector during these unprecedented times. At the heart of every nonprofit is its mission, which defines who they are and why they exist. It expresses the value they intend to bring to the communities they serve and drives their decision-making toward fulfilling their vision of a better future. Their mission is their North Star, but sometimes, during the thick fog of uncertainty brought by crises such as COVID-19, it can be difficult to see it shining brightly.

Faced with many challenges—including operations, staffing, service delivery, financial management, budgeting, and more—nonprofits have had to react quickly to survive and adapt to their ever-evolving environment. Those challenges are not yet over, but thankfully, many organizations have been able to steady themselves. But what now?

Now, we take a deep breath. As nonprofits continue to navigate this storm, it is more important than ever that their mission be their guide. Organizations have a unique opportunity to emerge better equipped if they look critically at their operations to ensure alignment. When such alignment is present, that mission will thrive.

The Patterson Foundation (TPF) focuses on strengthening nonprofits by connecting them with resources and platforms to learn, share, and build capacity in ways that evolve their philanthropic missions. Optimizing thrivability and mission impact is the focus of a new opportunity provided by TPF for our four-county region.

Enter Advancing Mission Thrivability, a series of Zoom sessions that will serve as an vehicle for CEOs, board members, and staffers to connect and explore ways to strengthen their organizations to optimize impact.

When a nonprofit's mission thrives, so too does the community it serves. 

See the frequently asked questions below to learn more about Advancing Mission Thrivability.

• As nonprofits continue to navigate the COVID-19 storm, it is more important than ever that their mission be their guide. Organizations have a unique opportunity to emerge from these challenges better equipped to fulfill their mission than before by looking critically at every aspect of their operations to ensure that every action they undertake is aligned with their mission. When such alignment is present, that mission will thrive. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in Advancing Mission Thrivability, The Patterson Foundation’s latest gift to nonprofits in our four-county region.

• There is no limit to the number of people from your organization who can participate in Advancing Mission Thrivability, though we strongly encourage participation by the ED / CEO, a board member, and a key staffer.

• No Margin, No Mission is a national consulting practice that has partnered with The Patterson Foundation for more than seven years to help strengthen nonprofits on Florida’s Suncoast. No Margin, No Mission’s Managing Partners and Principals, Michael Oxman and Larry Clark, are thought-leaders and experts in nonprofit thrivability who have worked with organizations across the country to help boost their entrepreneurial capacity, revenue, and mission impact.

• Advancing Mission Thrivability will bring nonprofit leaders, board members, and staffers together virtually to learn, think about, explore, and discuss ways they can optimize mission impact and strengthen their organizations. To capture the essence of these sessions — which uniquely combine the interactivity and engagement of a lab with the learning and knowledge of a webinar — the term LABINAR was born!

FAQ #5: What is a WEBVERSATION?

• In today’s world, engaging with peers and colleagues virtually has become a frequent occurrence, often times with information flowing in one direction and little opportunity for two-way interaction. To ensure that nonprofit leaders, board members, and staffers have the opportunity to learn, share, engage, and discuss as part of Advancing Mission Thrivability, we will uniquely offer a WEBVERSATION to combine the virtual learning platform of a webinar with the 1:1 shared dialogue of a conversation.

• Following the Advancing Mission Thrivability Labinars and Webversation, up to 15 organizations with demonstrated interest, need, and preparedness to delve deeper into the work will have the opportunity to receive 1:1 consulting support from No Margin, No Mission. Consultants Larry Clark and Michael Oxman will work virtually with each organization for seven weeks to provide a framework for analysis, understanding, and decision-making related to optimizing each organization's opportunities for mission alignment and impact. Several topics will be covered, with a variety of activities and outcomes taking place along the way.