Non-Profits share similar aspects as their business relatives working for profit. Both working to ensure their success and both experiencing similar barriers toward that success.

The increased strain posed to change management for non-profits though, is due to its inability to be as flexible as their corporate cousins when change happens. Non-profits do not have major resources set aside for major change. This tight resource is all the more reason why taking the time to implement Change Management Training will help your non-profit shift quickly as (for example), social impact, public perception, community expectations and funding pressures constantly weigh in on various levels.

Given the above information, how best can you prepare for sudden change posing a risk to your business?

Change Management Training brings your team the tools to support your business’ ability to respond to shifts at each level and frequency. The tools taught to your team are not only used while the crisis is in play but are also used in their daily working culture. When you regularly practice prevention, the impact of risk is minimized greatly.

Bringing your entire team’s awareness of Change Management Principles is key to becoming engrained in the daily work culture.

• Your non-profit business must understand and accept the need for change
  • Resist the temptation to jump to quick fix conclusions.
  • Start by understanding the “why” change is needed rather than the ‘how’
• Allow all levels of the organization to have a say
  • Open Communication must include beneficiaries. This is the hardest of conversations to have but with enough time spent on the first step above, your responses will be succinct and to the point.
  • It is important to note that rushed to communication will result in a weakened commitment.
• Developing change plans
  • The details of where you want to be are discussed and agreed to here.
  • This is your key operational stage. Your objectives of what you want to achieve, and your performance metrics are key.
  • It is important here to specify your vision of what the change is exactly and to understand that change.
• Implementing your change plans
  • This is where your previous Communication and Change Plans agreed on will be implemented.
  • Communication ensures your team is aware of the plan. This plan indicates which roles your team members play, how to manage the change, and following up on the team’s reaction.
• Use your measurement metrics now and celebrate success
  • Be vigilant and identify what is going well and immediately celebrate the small successes first.
  • Thank your people. It is their hard work that must be acknowledged appropriately.

The consequences of failure to implement Change Management are equally impactful.

• Work Culture – Without innovation, your people will ‘stay the course’ and never challenge the status quo.
• Resources – Managers unwilling to devote the time or budget to support response to change.
• Buy-in is lost – When your key stakeholders are not involved or indirectly involved, their commitment is kept to a minimum at best. They will not show up at meetings.
• Every change or response to change will be noticeable – Clients, customers, recipients of your service will see the change that should have been invisible to them.
• Loss of employees – Demoralized and Valued, these employees will leave the organization with the feeling of ‘nothing I can do will make a change’.

Any project you have will be negatively impacted as well. Missed deadlines, overrun budgets, scope creep and unexpected work required to get the project back on track all suffer from a failure to implement Change Management properly. With the people component of change structured properly, the financial impact on the health of the organization, will be closely monitored and maintained.

Any new plan will face scrutiny from your team, this is expected. What is important is the delivery and identification of hurdles in advance. For instance, you will see critics who oppose any change, the victims who will panic over change, the bystander who is indifferent and won’t get involved and lastly, the champion who is resilient and adapts to the new way of doing things with determination.