If you work in the nonprofit sector innovation and transformation don’t have to be oxymoron’s when used in conjunction with the word nonprofit. Although many of us don’t associate innovation and transformation with charitable organizations, the fact of the matter is that we should.

Why?? Simply put – if we aren’t advocating a culture of innovation we are missing an opportunity to achieve organizational success and at the same time we are putting our charity in harm’s way.

In order for any charity of any size to succeed this day and age, and in this economic downturn, it is imperative that we embrace innovation at all levels of the organization. By embracing innovation we begin a process of reinventing our organization and positioning it for future growth and success. If you think of APPLE (I realize it’s not a nonprofit but a successful for-profit organization that embraces innovation) you will see an organization that continually pushes the envelope of innovation.

At APPLE mediocrity is not acceptable. Nor is the status quo – and this is no different for us in the nonprofit sector – Why? – Because the economy stinks, people are losing their jobs, there is less and less money to go around, people are holding back on spending, and the economic downturn looks like it’s here to stay until at least the third or fourth quarter of 2009 if not longer. If we keep doing things like we have been doing them we won’t be successful – that’s the bottom-line…

Let’s learn from APPLE – they look for ways to reach a certain audience – one that has an affinity to the brand and the product and what “Apple” stands for. And it’s not the customer base everyone else is seeking. They seek customers that want something “different” and customers that look at the world differently than the rest of us. They march to the beat of a different drummer. In a sense, that’s the brand exploited in the ads that tell us to “think different”.

And through it all they have become one of the most successful companies and most recognizable brands of the last 100 years. They keep surprising everyone including Microsoft – their nemesis. Their innovation has transformed them into a great company.

This type of innovative and transformational change is easy to spot when we see it but much hard to master at the organizational and company level – particularly at within a nonprofit charity. But this can’t intimidate us – we have to look for ways to differentiate ourselves from the “competition”.

So is there a lesson for nonprofits somewhere in there??
Yes… and it can be summed up in a word: Innovation and saying no to mediocrity…

Mediocrity at any level will obstruct innovation and growth. A culture of mediocrity must be destroyed at the onset because of the negative and demoralizing atmosphere it brings along with it. Once it settles in it will become a cancer that erodes and undermines any positive forward-thinking long before roots can take hold. Additionally, it simply cancels out innovative thinking, which relies on, and flourishes in, a culture of optimism, confidence, hard-work and self-reliance.