LENS Assessment

"The LENS report is an ideal step for any organization interested in continuous improvement."
Matt Theodores, Executive Director, Maine Boys to Men.

Are you ready to turn a LENS
on your organization's sustainability?

LENS: Leadership Evaluation for Nonprofit Sustainability

Sustainability is a key concern for most nonprofits - to succeed, we have to know we'll be around today, tomorrow, and beyond - but frequently, much time is focused on mission outcomes while the drivers or dangers relating to sustainability are overlooked or misunderstood.

Powering Nonprofits introduces the Leadership Evaluation for Nonprofit Sustainability, a diagnostic assessment tool to help executive directors and board leadership better understand issues of sustainability directly affecting your specific nonprofit's ability to pursue and sustain its vital work.

LENS doesn't purport to tell you how to pursue your mission or achieve better mission outcomes; with the LENS, we focus on the internal measures of sustainability that will help ensure you can continue to be mission-driven.

"With our launch of a new strategic planning cycle, we took advantage of Powering Nonprofit's LENS tool for assessment of our organization's sustainability. We found the diagnostic survey to be well designed - precisely focused on those areas of governance and financial health that are critical to sustainability. Clear, graphic presentation of the results, together with written comments and interview follow-up, make interpretation of the findings readily understandable and 'real' to staff and board members alike. The work will inform our strategic planning efforts in the coming months - and I am confident that any organization would realize excellent value in use of this tool."
~JEB, Board President, Boston nonprofit

The Nonprofit LENS will help you measure:

Organizational core strengths:

Are you unified in your core efforts? Mission clarity & uniqueness, strong systems for public engagement, & clear self measures are key.

Communications, marketing, and fundraising:

Are you saying the right things about your work, in a way that the rest of the world hears you and will care enough to support you?

Finances, internal controls and policies:

Are you in control of the business of your nonprofit? Consider financial management, reporting, risk, and transparency.

Board governance and staff:

Are the right people doing the right things? Recruitment, succession planning, effectiveness , and accountability are important.

How does the LENS assessment work?

To start, six to ten of your organization's people - board and staff (including board chair, treasurer, finance director, and executive director, as appropriate) - are provided a unique link to the LENS's online survey. Of the 100+ questions, some questions are asked of everyone, some are specific to the participant's role. All LENS responses are anonymous and respondent privacy is protected. Generally, this step occurs over two or three weeks.
Surveys now completed, Powering Nonprofits applies weighted scoring in the areas of core strengths, board governance and staff, communications/marketing & fundraising, and, financial and policy oversight. Scores reflect where there are possible threats, and where you're ahead of the pack.
Additionally, we screen for outlier answers, skipped questions, or notable differences among participants in perception and understanding, which can signify communication breakdowns or lack of common cause.
Within two weeks, Powering Nonprofits provides the LENS report to your executive director and/or board leadership, as directed. The report includes detailed analyses of each subject area, insights into staff and board perceptions, and an executive summary. We include suggestions for further investigation, alternative approaches in areas of weakness, and referrals as requested.
Finally, a one-hour phone consultation is scheduled at a mutually agreeable time to review the LENS findings and discuss any areas of concern or questions.

Let us answer your questions...

How would LENS finding help my nonprofit? No matter how well organized and on-point, it's easy to spend more time on delivering the mission instead of attending to business practices. The LENS will help find and focus on the specific things that drive your sustainability--or may be threatening it. By revealing strengths and areas for improvement, the LENS will help prepare for the future.
We're in the midst of change. Is now a good time to take the LENS survey? Depending on the type and timing of changes, participating in the LENS survey is an effective way to maximize board and executive time. The survey and report provide data to support leadership changes, growth/downsizing, strategic planning, and board development.
Will the LENS help with our mission? Yes, because a solid foundation makes any nonprofit better able to deliver on mission, better equipped to engage with constituents, more attractive to donors and supporters, and less likely to be vulnerable to system failures. The LENS does not assess at the program level.
What size organization will benefit from the LENS diagnostic? As long as you can provide 6 to 10 board and staff respondents, the LENS is appropriate for many sizes of organizations. That said, the survey is not currently configured for very small nonprofits nor for the complexities of hospitals, universities, or large multi-unit nonprofits.
What does the LENS cost? We think you'll find 1) it costs less than you think, and 2) it is an excellent value. We've scaled the LENS assessment tool to be affordable for the widest possible range of nonprofits. (P.S., because we know word-of-mouth is the most effective way for us to increase our business, when our satisfied clients makes a referral that leads another organization to purchase the LENS, we'll make a $100 donation back to client.)
What am I waiting for? Support your organization with data on its sustainability status, and provide your leadership with clarity and confidence to prepare for the future, no matter what it brings. Message Powering Nonprofits any time. We understand nonprofits, and we'd like to help.

Email info@poweringnonprofits.com or call 401-753-8016.