A Business Operating System to Alleviate Your Growing Pains
If you lead a growing nonprofit, chances are you’ve experienced the headaches that come with it: communication breakdowns, misaligned teams, missed opportunities, too many “priorities,” and even burnout.
Does everyone on your team fully understand their role and what they’re accountable for? Are critical tasks falling through the cracks? Does it feel like you’re always playing catch-up instead of moving forward?
Of course, you’re nodding. These are the challenges every nonprofit leader faces during growth. But let’s be honest—you can’t keep going like this forever.
The truth is, these challenges aren’t random. They’re systemic. And systemic problems require systemic solutions. That’s where a management blueprint—an operating system—comes in.
1. What Is an Operating System?
A business or management operating system is a structured framework that helps organizations set, align, and achieve their goals. It ensures every team member understands their role, what they’re accountable for, and how their work contributes to the larger mission.
Popular systems like EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), Rockefeller Habits, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), and Pinnacle are designed to solve the exact problems you’re facing. They use proven management principles and translate them into practical tools and rhythms that align teams, streamline communication, and drive results.
Adopting an operating system can help you overcome growing pains by addressing the chaos head-on and building a foundation for long-term sustainability. But here’s the catch…
2. Nonprofits Need a Nonprofit Operating System
I’ve spent years studying these systems—I even have an entire bookshelf devoted to them. They’re brilliant, and they work wonders for profit-driven businesses.
But here’s the truth: they weren’t designed for nonprofits.
When I first tried implementing these systems in my nonprofit, my team and I ran into roadblock after roadblock. Sure, the principles behind them made sense, but the tools, language, and rhythms didn’t fit our mission-driven work.
Why? Because business operating systems are designed for organizations focused on maximizing profits—not nonprofits trying to achieve impact with limited resources.
Nonprofits have unique challenges:
You’re accountable to donors and funders, not just shareholders.
Your programs need to deliver measurable impact, not just revenue.
Your “bottom line” is mission success, not financial growth alone.
The more I tried to adapt these systems, the clearer it became: nonprofits need their own operating system, tailored to the realities of running a mission-driven organization.
3. Introducing the 7 Pillars of Growing Nonprofits
That’s why I created the 7 Pillars of Growing Nonprofits.
This nonprofit-specific operating system takes the best practices from business systems and adapts them to address the growing pains nonprofits face. It’s built around seven key pillars that every mission-driven organization needs:
Visionary Plan: Clarifying your mission, values, and strategy to guide all activities.
Aligned and Inspired People: Building a cohesive team that’s passionate about your mission and clear on their roles.
Impactful Programs: Delivering programs that truly achieve the outcomes you’ve promised.
Sustainable Provision: Creating diversified and reliable funding streams.
Transparent “Pennies”: Managing finances with accountability and clarity to build trust with donors.
Consistent Performance: Using data to measure progress and adjust your approach.
Operational Playbooks: Documenting processes so your organization runs smoothly, even as it grows.
These pillars are tailored to nonprofit needs, from engaging donors to delivering programs with measurable impact. They help you focus on your mission while building the systems and structure to grow sustainably.
4. Stop Struggling—Start Growing
You don’t need to spend months trying to force-fit a business system into your nonprofit. The 7 Pillars of Growing Nonprofits is already designed to help you overcome predictable growing pains and achieve long-term sustainability.
With the right framework, you’ll align your team, improve your processes, and get back to focusing on what matters most: your mission.
Are you ready to install a nonprofit operating system that works? Let’s talk about how the 7 Pillars can help you grow.
