Mission-Money Matrix

As you plan for a new year, it’s natural to start reflecting on some bigger questions. We’re not qualified to dig into personal space here, so we’re sticking with your big questions about organizational strategy!

Do you ever wonder if your organization is being truly strategic?

Have you considered if each of your programs is advancing your mission and keeping your organization financially healthy? In other words, are they doing their job for your organization? These are some of the questions that led us to the Mission-Money Matrix, one of our favorite organizational strategy tools that helps determine how well programs are advancing an organization’s mission and sustainability.

Image adapted from The Sustainability Mindset: Using the Matrix Map to Make Strategic Decisions by Steve Zimmerman and Jeanne Belle, 2015

A few years ago, Sharp Insight had the privilege of working with Nonprofit Montgomery and OrgForward on a training for nonprofit leaders. It was during this process that we were first introduced to the Mission-Money Matrix, a tool you can easily access on the Nonprofit Sustainability website.

Why check it out? Well, the Mission-Money Matrix is a simple graph that organizes key information for your team.  It can help you, your colleagues, and your Board determine if a program or initiative is worth the investment of time and resources that you put into it. In essence, it provides a snapshot of outcome, financial and staffing data. This mix can help you strategically evaluate each program’s sustainability in a holistic way, highlighting its contribution to both mission and finances, while keeping in mind your organization’s overall capacity.

We hope this tool will help you craft the most strategic programmatic mix for your organization to thrive in the year ahead. Of course, if you need support bringing this tool to your organization, we hope you'll reach out!