That "the only constant is change" is truer than ever in the nonprofit world. It is ironic, however, that while nonprofit organizations are focused on changing society, they often fear changing themselves. Whether it's a recent change in executives, a contemplated merger, or a dramatically changing market that requires new ways of thinking, La Piana Associates can help the individuals in your nonprofit to adjust to and embrace change, using it to strengthen the organization. We can also develop proactive or responsive marketing, public relations, and internal and external communications strategies to support organizational change and help assure its success.

Let us dispel a few common myths about change:

Myth #1 - Things will calm down.
Nonprofit organizations tend to think that if they can just get through the present period of turmoil, all will settle down. Actually, the nonprofit world has never been very calm, and it looks to remain chaotic in the coming years. Drivers of change include:

• Demographic changes, including minority majorities in some states and communities, aging of the baby boomers, etc.
• The trillions of dollars to be handed down from one generation to another
• Welfare reform and devolution
• Competitive forces stemming from the 30,000 - 35,000 new nonprofits created each year
• New demands from funders and the public for accountability and measurable outcomes

La Piana Associates can help your organization to define and appreciate its place in the environment in which it operates, anticipate the external forces that will necessitate change, and identify successful strategies to address needed change.

Myth #2 - Planning can fully prepare us for change.
Nonprofits desperately want to predict the future, often creating five-year plans to prepare for a future that will little resemble the one being planned for. As a result, many of our nonprofit clients are turning to annual planning cycles in an effort to better anticipate changes in a timeframe they can grasp and act upon.

We can support your organization in translating its long-term plan into a set of annual goals and objectives. We can also take you through a full strategic planning process that will better position your organization to understand and respond to the changing environment.

Myth #3 - We can control change.
Judging from the number of books and articles on the topic, nonprofit managers like reading about change. But can you control change? Certainly not on the macro level. If the stock market takes a prolonged dive and foundations and individuals have less money to give, can you have any impact on this?

The prudent nonprofit leader looks at what they can control, but also tries to prepare to manage and govern their organization in a dynamic world in which no-one knows for certain what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone in five years. La Piana Associates can help your organization to define and then advance toward change in a way that will best enhance its mission.

Our clients come to us with a host of changes that are needed, desired, and/or feared. We have helped organizations affect positive change in a variety of ways, creating results such as:

• A more active board of directors
• A staff that works together more effectively
• An organization that can develop and stick to a reasonable budget
• An executive director who more effectively brings in necessary resources
• An end to a board-management conflict that has festered too long
• Lower staff turnover/better morale
• A change in the way staff deliver services (to meet changing funder or client needs)
• An organization that does not repeat the same mistakes
• An end to a constant financial crisis that is draining everyone's energy
• A larger market share - i.e., a greater portion of the target population served