Nonprofit Transformation: Nature’s Hidden Lesson

Trees have always filled me with wonder and inspired reflection. When I was young, I used to imagine them as the oldest people on Earth. Having figured out how to make their own food, provide their own shelter, and help the rest of us breathe. Who could be wiser? To sit and observe trees is to appreciate their deeper story. A struggle to reach light and water. Adaptation to outside pressures. The impact of their neighbors on available resources. Each uniquely sculpted by years of interaction with the surrounding ecology. Much of the same could be said about nonprofits.

We provide food and shelter to our community. We adapt programs to best use available resources. And especially during times of crisis, we focus our activities on the most urgent client challenges and our own survival. Nonprofits tend towards an individualistic orientation, similar to what we see above the ground with trees. The differences lie in what nature hides and nonprofits ignore. A mechanism that determines whether these individuals thrive or merely survive.

Wading through a fern forest is calming. Their leaves are both massive and intricate, hanging heavy after an early morning rain and blanketing the forest floor in a green glow. The visual effect is so impressive that it is easy to miss what lies just underneath the soil: the largest living organism in the world. The mycelial network is a dense collection of fungi that lives just out of sight between the ferns and the trees. Without the information, nutrients, and protection provided by this network, the other individuals in the system would simply not survive. This symbiotic relationship underscores how nature values the importance of connective tissue between individuals. As a nonprofit sector, have we invested in the collective to optimize impact, create resilience, and promote diversity?

These are not new questions. Here in Pittsburgh, we’ve wrestled with them before. In 2012, the major funders and members of our community development sector recognized the need to assess their impact and respond to new challenges and opportunities. The resulting report, called The Big Rethink, helped to map the system, describe its challenges, and recommend a future direction. Some of these observations include:

• Considerable overlap in the functions fulfilled by intermediary organizations as well as gaps that no intermediary is filling
• Need for centralized intermediary functions for community organizations, including funding of innovative and collaborative projects and programs in the city’s neighborhoods
• Hyper local approach leads to poor success building relationships and partnerships with external systems and resources
• Lack of a well-developed, well-articulated set of overarching goals, linking strategies and activities of various organizations, and no system in place to track outcomes
• Lack of larger-scale and longer-range planning that works across several neighborhoods or can be packaged and exported to other neighborhoods
• Need for market- driven, collaborative and comprehensive approaches to neighborhood development

Although these insights are not surprising, after 8 years we should be concerned about the lack of implementation. Either the report’s findings were incorrect or nonprofits have not invested in the mechanisms and relationships that strengthen our connective tissue. My sense is that it is more of the latter than the former.

The nonprofit industry’s inability to innovate and transform is not a Pittsburgh phenomenon. During the Great Recession in 2008, Dr. Paul Light outlined ‘Four Futures’ including a transformation-oriented approach through collective action. Over a decade later, authors Ruth McCambridge and Cassandra Heliczer shared this assessment of how ultimately, we fell short (2020):

“This fourth scenario has nonprofits responding to a faltering economy as an opportunity to reinvent themselves. A transformation-oriented approach, according to Light, would require deliberate and collective action by the sector’s stakeholders (communities, philanthropists, governments, intermediaries, constituents, nonprofit associations, and boards) to:

• Ensure a voice for the less powerful
• Build advocacy
• Spark a dialogue around philanthropy
• Become more flexible

The sector fell well short of transformation…so far. Light’s transformation scenario is close…but we only scratched the surface (and that is being generous) on the most important cornerstone of them all: Light placed ensuring a voice for the less powerful first on his list of necessary changes — and he was prescient, because it was exactly the less powerful who lost resources during the recession. The less money they had going in, the more they lost on a proportionate basis; and although there have certainly been some significant organizing and advocacy attempts to focus on workers with fewer resources, these have not halted nor slowed the steady widening of our economic fault lines.”

As nonprofits navigate the impacts of COVID-19 we must ask: is ‘getting back to normal’ is good enough? If we recognize that previous attempts at transformation have failed to close the inequality gap for our neighbors from low income populations and people of color, then we must imagine and commit to a more intentional, bolder set of solutions directed at the root causes of inequity. In order to truly transform we must amplify individual whispers into a collective movement based on shared principles, collective impact approaches, and data-informed action.

PRINCIPLES

Like the mycelial network, systems level interventions are inherently complex. For nonprofit leaders to understand how they work within systems, they must investigate key characteristics such as context, connections, patterns, and perspectives (FSG), as well as the root causes of inequity. In order to provide a North Star for such a flexible approach, New Sun Rising has identified the following key principles to guide the work of transforming nonprofit systems:

• Collaboration — we prioritize initiatives that are built on trust, leverage shared resources, and organized power
• Inclusion — we prioritize solutions that integrate representation and primarily benefit the community served at the community, intermediary, and systems levels
• Data Driven- we prioritize information that is accessible, equitable, and made actionable through a process of continuous collective inquiry
• Systems Leadership — we prioritize education and experiential learning that develops unique competencies for the design and implementation of systems level solutions
• Advocacy — we champion investments and policy that address the root causes of inequity

COLLECTIVE IMPACT

Over the past 24 months, New Sun Rising has been investing in the connective tissue between nonprofits throughout the Pittsburgh region. By building collective impact capacity and literacy we have seeded a regional culture for collaboration; one that acknowledges the challenges we face are bigger and more complex than any single organization. Initiatives are aligned with the 5 elements of Collective Impact: Common Agenda, Shared Measurement, Reinforcing Activities, Continuous Engagement, and a Strong Backbone (Collective Impact Forum). New Sun Rising and our partner The Forbes Funds are also participants in the Collective Impact Forum’s National Data Accelerator, bringing important knowledge and relationships to our region’s work.

New Sun Rising has always prided ourselves on being action oriented. Over the past couple of years we have learned that network building requires a different skill set, more resources, and a healthy dose of patience. During this time we expanded our capacity building efforts to provide backbone and/or support services to 5 collaboratives representing 20 nonprofits which span the community development, economic development, and sustainable development sectors. The organizations listed below are leading a transformation of the nonprofit sector built upon trust, the exchange of information, and shared resources:

Triboro Ecodistrict coordinates sustainable community development initiative throughout the Boroughs of Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg. With over 10,000 residents combined, these Allegheny River Towns are building on a strong collaborative history to promote development through the shared lenses of: Equity, Food, Water, Energy, Air Quality, and Mobility. This partnership between fiscal sponsor and backbone New Sun Rising includes the Etna Economic Development Corporation and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, and receives guidance from Triboro ally evolveEA through planning and project management services.

The Partnership Network creates vibrant, inclusive, and resilient communities by mobilizing the community development network through initiatives which align resources, create transparency, and articulate shared outcomes. The collective is backboned by Neighborhood Allies and Walker Philanthropic, and includes New Sun Rising, NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania, PULSE, The Forbes Funds, Grounded Strategies, and The Allegheny Conference.

District PGH is a collaborative of local organizations working to accelerate neighborhood and district-scale sustainable development that promotes climate resilience and equity in the greater Pittsburgh region. We work with communities, professionals, and academics to research and assess, scale adoption of projects and initiatives, advocate for resources and policy, and organize convenings that forward the practice of ecodistricts in our region. Current members include New Sun Rising, Green Building Alliance, Sustainable Pittsburgh, The Forbes Funds, and evolveEA.

RiverWise is a Beaver County initiative focused on using rivers and their surrounding communities as wisely as possible. At the heart of this work is a concerted effort to organize stakeholders to dream, learn, and collaborate about the future of our rivers. RiverWise encourages this process by organizing ecodistricts in Aliquippa, Monaca, and Beaver Falls. Together they are growing infrastructure, creating access, and generating meaningful connections between the rivers and the communities through which they flow. Partners include the Aliquippa Ecodistrict, Monaca Borough, and Beaver Falls Community Development Corporation, supported by New Sun Rising.

Grow Sto-Rox is organized to improve the quality of life of Sto-Rox residents through programs which are trauma informed, strengths based, and create equitable economic impact. Partners include Communities in Schools Pittsburgh, Focus on Renewal, McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation, Sto-Rox School District, and Zellous Hope, supported and advised by New Sun Rising.

As part of our commitment to build capacity at the grassroots and community level, New Sun Rising also held the Ignite Vibrancy: Collective Impact workshop, where over 30 community leaders representing 10 collective impact projects received mentoring to develop their plans and pitches. This workshop resulted in $30,000 in grants and technical assistance to:

Ignite Vibrancy: Collective Impact Cohort Grantees

• Coraopolis Community C.A.F.E (Coraopolis Alliance for Excellence), a central resource hub organized by Coraopolis Youth Creations, Coraopolis Community Foundation, and When She Thrives to increase access to services for community members of all ages help them move from surviving to thriving.
• SURGE Braddock, a pilot program developed by Greater Valley Community Services (GVCS) and Paradigm Global Innovations (PGI) to work with 15–20 community youth members partnering with local businesses to develop analytical business and design skills acknowledged by Braddock’s small business owners as high needs.
• C.H.A.M.P.S Northview Heights + Crafton (Change Agents Mentoring Peers in Sport), a partnership between Open Field, JFCS Pittsburgh, Somali Bantu Community Association of Pittsburgh, ARYSE, Youth Places, and the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, which utilizes the global game of soccer to promote social cohesion, increase life skills education, and improve the health and well-being of young people in Northview Heights and Crafton Heights.

DATA-INFORMED ACTION

Many social sector organizations lack accessible information about their clients, communities, and impact. We at New Sun Rising are among them. Without a centralized mechanism for this exchange of information it is challenging to implement coordinated solutions and make data-informed decisions. This lack of clarity leads to the ineffective use of resources, raises issues of transparency, and generates less than optimal outcomes for the people we serve.

Data collection and use is most powerful when a broad base of stakeholders is engaged throughout the process. By including organizations, individuals, and communities in all phases, nonprofits can develop a shared language and receive inclusive insights. Working with the cross sector partners above, as well as the regional Sustainability Indicators initiative led by Sustainable Pittsburgh, Coro Pittsburgh, and others, New Sun Rising is exploring appropriate data and outcomes measurement plans, determination of goals/targets, collective analysis, and taking data-informed action.

According to research published in Impact & Excellence by Measurement Resources, social sector leaders who prioritize data collection, analysis, and communication have higher performance in operational efficiencies, external relations, internal relations, and revenues . While many leaders acknowledge the value of data, New Sun Rising understands that collection and analysis is a burden that individual organizations and collective impact initiatives often cannot afford. In order to ease access to critical information and improve decision making, New Sun Rising is developing an integrated Data Portal to help leaders visualize their data insights from the following applications:

• SoPact Impact Cloud is an impact measurement platform that collects organizational outcome and output data. The technology also supports shared measurement and visualization for Collective Impact initiatives. In order to help leaders collect and communicate their impact using a common language, Impact Cloud is configured to tag all data through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Nonprofits also complete capacity assessments to help identify areas for growth.

SoPact Impact Cloud Portfolio Manager

• Vibrancy Index Dashboard was developed to visualize the quality of life disparities that exist on the census tract level. The Dashboard provides accessible data for nonprofits, community development organizations, social enterprises, and impact investors who are reducing those disparities. Information is organized by Culture, Sustainability, and Opportunity, tagged by the UN SDGs, and allows for exporting selected data sets. Integration with the SoPact Impact Cloud platform allows for census data to be visualized with Impact Measurement, Capacity, and Collective Impact data.

The New Sun Rising Vibrancy Index Dashboard

SO WHAT, NOW WHAT

New Sun Rising’s approach to transforming the nonprofit sector is not a theoretical exercise based on possibility. These examples of real people doing real work signal a movement that is already underway. Let me be clear: the goal is not to infer that nonprofits should abandon their mission and deviate resources from critical, life sustaining programs. Rather it would be wise for us to learn from nature’s hidden lesson on symbiosis to transform our nonprofit systems.

Those of us with the privilege of resources and social capital must operate at two levels. Our nonprofit transformation must balance the needs of the mighty tree who stands alone in effectively meeting its needs, while also developing the mycelial network who quietly ensures that the collective is engaged, informed, and resilient. Otherwise my friends, it’s business as usual.