The document outlines a framework of seven pillars for social sector excellence, with a focus on becoming a high-performance organization through courageous leadership, well-designed programs, learning culture, data-driven improvement, and impact evaluation. It discusses each pillar in detail and provides examples of how nonprofits can implement practices like defining populations served, designing evidence-based programs, establishing metrics, and using data for continuous learning and decision-making to better achieve their missions. The presentation aims to help nonprofits pursue organizational excellence and deliver meaningful, measurable results for those they serve.

1. THE PERFORMANCE IMPERATIVE:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL SECTOR EXCELLENCE
10 Minute Overview
PRESENTED BY:
Adrian Bordone,
Ambassador
Isaac Castillo, Deputy Director
@Isaac_outcomes

2. REENTRY, WORK & CRIME IN AMERICANEW REALITY IN AN AGE OF AUSTERITY
“It is no longer good enough to make the
case that we are addressing real needs. We
need to prove that we are making a real
difference.”
- Mario Morino from Leap of Reason

3. REENTRY, WORK & CRIME IN AMERICAFIRST DO NO HARM…THEN DO MORE GOOD
“A nonprofit should
measure outcomes
for a single reason:
to improve the
quality of services
for clients.”
- from Leap of Reason

4. 4ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
MANDELA OF ORGANIZATION EXCELLENCE

5. TO WHAT END?
5
The seven pillars are the pathway for becoming
a high-performance organization…one with the
ability to deliver—over a prolonged period of
time—meaningful, measurable, and financially
sustainable results for the people or causes the
organization is in existence to serve.
T0 WHAT END?

6. THE PERFORMANCE IMPERATIVE:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL SECTOR EXCELLENCE
Working Session
PRESENTED BY:
Adrian Bordone,
Ambassador
Isaac Castillo, Deputy Director
@Isaac_outcomes

7. SOMETHING’S GOT TO CHANGE
7
Nonprofit and
Public Sector
Organizations
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED AND SO MUST WE

8. ARE YOU HIGH PERFORMANCE?

9. 9ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
MANDELA OF ORGANIZATION EXCELLENCE

10. PI SUPPORTS RANGE OF METHODOLOGIES
Augments other definitional resources and/or helps in implementing
management methodologies
10
Management
by Objectives
(MBO)
Six Sigma

11. PURSUING HIGH PERFORMANCE
11
Pillar 1: Courageous, adaptive executive and board leadership (the preeminent pillar)
Pillar 2: Disciplined, people-focused management
Pillar 3: Well-designed and well-implemented programs and strategies
Pillar 4: Financial health and sustainability
Pillar 5: A culture that values learning
Pillar 6: Internal monitoring for continuous improvement
Pillar 7: External evaluation for mission effectiveness
Cultivating Seven Core Disciplines
PURSUING HIGH PERFORMANCE

12. 12
PILLAR FIVE: A CULTURE THAT VALUES LEARNING
Management and staff work
hard to do what they do well,
continually seek to do even
better, and do so with an
unrelenting focus on the people
or causes they serve.

13. 13
Understand the organization’s mission and desired results and
review them periodically
Continually seek to do even better for the people or causes they
serve
Have high expectations of themselves
Take on the challenge of collecting and using information
Seek opportunities to benchmark themselves against, and learn
from, peer organizations
Are curious, ask questions, and push each other’s thinking
Feel safe acknowledging when there are problems
Carve out some time to step back, take stock, and reflect
High-Performance Organizations: Culture and people are key
PILLAR FIVE: A CULTURE THAT VALUES LEARNING

14. 14
The success of nonprofit
organizations pivots on
(1) whom they serve.
(2) what they do.
(3) how well they do it.
PILLAR THREE: WELL DESIGNED PROGRAMS

15. 15
Are clear on their target population or audience
Base program design on a sound analysis of the issues, insights from
intended beneficiaries, and evidence-informed assumptions
Design with careful attention to the larger ecosystem in which they
operate
Implement their programs in a consistently high-quality manner
Recruit, retain, motivate, listen to, and learn from their participants
and intended beneficiaries
Invest in building strong relationships between staff and participants
Guard against the temptation to veer off course in search of numbers
that look good in marketing materials or reports to funders
High-Performance Organizations:
The foundation for performance
PILLAR THREE: WELL DESIGNED PROGRAMS

16. 16
PILLAR SIX: INTERNAL MONITORING FOR
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Management and staff
make the collection,
analysis, and use of data
part of the organization’s
DNA.

17. 17
Establish clear metrics, tightly aligned with the results they want to
achieve
Produce frequent reports on how well the organization is
implementing its programs and strategies
Make the collection, analysis, and use of data part of the
organization’s DNA
Don’t collect excessive information
Draw extensively on lessons from organizational assessments and
evaluations of like programs
High-Performance Organizations: Data vital to learning, improvement
PILLAR SIX: INTERNAL MONITORING FOR
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

18. Conversation Starters
Discussion Questions:
Has your organization specifically defined who you will serve and
who you will NOT serve?
o What makes up this definition and how do you determine if someone
qualifies?
Do you have descriptions, summaries, or illustrations of your
services/programs?
o Does this include the amount of service a participant needs to receive
before they are expected to benefit?
Do you have a way to measure if your programs and services are
being delivered as intended or designed?
Do you have a way to measure program or service quality?

19. Continued Possible Q & A
Discussion Questions:
How did you decide on what performance measures, indicators, and
outcomes to monitor?
o Is this data over and above what funders require? What do you
use this information for?
How frequently do you and your staff look at data or reports to manage
to outcomes and inform tactical and strategic decision making?
o Does this occur yearly, monthly, or more frequently?
When outcomes for your target population are less than desired what
happens? What is the process for the organization to gain an
understanding on why desired results are not occurring?
o How are these learnings shared with staff?

20. 20
Q & A
More Information:
http://leapofreason.org/keep-learning/leap-updates/
info@leapofreason.org