The Sustainability Mindset
Using the Matrix Map to Make Strategic Decisions

Nonprofit sustainability lies at the intersection of exceptional impact and financial viability. The Sustainability Mindset offers nonprofit professionals and board members a step-by-step guide to move your organization towards this intersection. As outlined in the bestselling book Nonprofit Sustainability, "The Matrix Map" is an accessible framework that combines financial and programmatic goals into an integrated strategy. In this next-step resource, the authors detail a rigorous process to develop a meaningful Matrix Map and engage leadership in setting an organization's strategy.

Nonprofits that thrive in today's environment are adaptable with a clear understanding of their impact and business model. This book offers nonprofit boards and staff a framework to do so. Drawing on their in-depth experience, the authors provide an easy-to-follow process complete with tools and templates to help organizations visualize their business model and engage in strategic inquiry. The book provides a variety of illustrative examples to show how the Matrix Map works for all types of organizations. Nonprofit executives and board member are sure to benefit from The Matrix Map analysis.

• Offers step-by-step guidance for creating a Matrix-Map, a visual representation of an organization's business model
• Helps organizations assess how each of their programs contributes toward their desired impact and their financial bottom-line.
• Filled with compelling examples of how The Matrix Map helps nonprofits with strategic decision-making
• Written by the coauthors of the groundbreaking book Nonprofit Sustainability

This comprehensive resource will give any nonprofit the framework they need to make decisions for sustainability and the templates and tools to implement it and help leaders address the challenges inherent in balancing mission impact with financial viability.

Figures, Tables, Exhibits, and Templates vii

Acknowledgments xi

1 Introduction 1

2 The Matrix Map 13

3 Getting Started 31

4 Articulating Impact 47

5 Assessing Mission Impact 65

6 Determining Profitability 91

7 Creating Your Map 113

8 Reading the Matrix Map: Developing the Key Messages 131

9 Program-Level Strategic Inquiry 157

10 Case Studies 177

11 Bringing it All Together: The Tools and Processes of the Sustainability Mindset 199

Notes 209

The Authors 213

Index 215

Steven D. Zimmerman, CPA, MBA is the Principal of Spectrum Nonprofit Services where he provides training and consulting in the areas of finance and strategy for community-based organizations, foundations and government agencies throughout the country. Prior to starting Spectrum, Steve was a Projects Director with CompassPoint Nonprofit Services.  Steve’s extensive nonprofit experience includes serving as a Chief Financial Officer, Development Director and Associate Director at community-based nonprofits where he performed turnarounds resulting in increased financial sustainability and programmatic reach. He is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a BA from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA from Yale University.

Jeanne Bell, MNA is the CEO of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services---one of the country’s leading providers of leadership and organizational development services to nonprofit organizations. In addition to frequent speaking and consulting on nonprofit strategy and finance, Jeanne has conducted a series of research projects on nonprofit executive leadership, including Daring to Lead 2011: A National Study of Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Securing the Safety Net: A Profile of Community Clinic and Health Center Leadership in California. Jeanne currently serves on several boards, including the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, The Nonprofit Quarterly, and Intersection for the Arts.