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FORUM 1: The Council On Accreditation is an international nonprofit organization that was established in 1977, also known as COA  is an approved accreditor who works with private, public, and Canadian organizations. "With private organizations they offer full-organization accreditation for nonprofit and for-profit organizations that provide human and social services in U.S. program-specific accreditation, and offer accreditation for public agencies that support realistic and sustainable change in policy and practice" (Council On Accreditation, n.d., Who Does COA Accredit Section). Along with providing accreditation for public organizations and private agencies, they also offer military readiness programs and child and youth development programs. When an organization seeks accreditation, this can provide evidence of the quality of the organization and identify best practices. This is beneficial to organizations because in doing this it can provide more opportunities for success. For one, this can increase funding opportunities for the organization and deliver services that are inclusive of all within the community. In addition, more collaboration can be done with clients and staff can be well trained to provide services to meet the needs of others. This could be a continuous of way of ensuring compliance by following policy and procedures, minimizing risks, being efficient, and create an ethical work environment. Upon reviewing the reasoning as to why a nonprofit organization should become accredited, it is more beneficial on their behalf to do so. Nonetheless, the Council On Accreditation points out that being accredited encourages growth for the organization. Hence, in return that can bring along long-term success. Not only would being accredited help to make the organization more manageable, the staff can benefit from the accreditation as well to perform at their best ability when properly trained. The framework would be more sound and offers a better look for shareholders and donors. Reference: Council On Accreditation. (n.d.). Home | Council on Accreditation. Retrieved from https://coanet.org/

FORUM2: Nonprofit organizations perform some of the most critical functions in society that support and strengthen communities (Alicia Schatteman 1997). They have broad missions and touch nearly every aspect of our lives. Donors, funders, and the general public have escalated their demand for information regarding nonprofit performance, and thus demand for nonprofit accountability has also increased. While the academic study of nonprofit organizations is a relatively recent phenomenon, the explosive growth in the number and variety of nonprofits worldwide, our understanding of this complicated accountability environment.

Nonprofit organizations focus on their work to protect the communities and bring a positive change to society. With such effort, they provide high-quality services to many communities. In doing so, they consult with several organizations, one of which is organizations to seek accreditation to demonstrate their benefits,, and their goals for the Standards for Excellence program are to strengthen nonprofits and improve the public’s trust in nonprofit organizations (Standard of Excellence). For example, Council on Accreditation (COA) aims to help develop their connection with a human and social service organizations, and improve their services to the people they provide services t0 (Worth, 2021). In such situations, the accreditation of the organization is a matter of great concern. The council on accreditation (COA) recognitions continue to grow as more oversight entities use their accreditation as a regulatory tool of oversight. A community in which nonprofit organizations achieve their highest level of desired impact. Empowering nonprofit excellence as an important part of their work. COA’s standards are designed to promote an organization’s capacity to fulfill its mission. The standards address both administrative and service delivery practices to enable the review and accreditation of the entire organization.

References:

Worth, M. J. (2021). Nonprofit Management: Principles and practices (6th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.

Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector ( 2014)

Council on Accreditation. (n.d.). Retrieved from  http://coanet.org/

FORUM 3: In order to achieve a goal, you must have a plan. Strategic planning can add value for nonprofit organizations if used effectively. Strategic planning identifies strategies that will enable an organization to excel at its mission. Simply making a strategic plan is not enough. Action must be taken to meet objectives set forth. Organizations use strategic planning to provide a structured process to define success for an organization, determine the steps to get there, and align resources and staff to achieve the goal within a given time frame. Strategic planning begins with addressing the present state of the organization, defines direction the organization is headed, and develops a plan to get there (Worth, 2021). Majority of the established nonprofits engage in some form of strategic planning as it has found to be an effective tool. Strategic planning helps build wide harmony and common understanding about mission, vision, values, goals, and strategies. For strategic planning to be effective, it must be a continuous part of an organization’s way of operation and the plan should be revisited and adjusted to reflect operational or environmental changes accordingly.  Strategic planning requires commitment from board and staff and must be worked and evaluated as priorities change. An important aspect of strategic planning is to perform a SWOT analysis in which includes identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization. Both internal and external factors should be evaluated.

A key component to successful fundraising is planning. Strategic planning for fundraising can serve as a roadmap for success. Strategic fundraising should ensure the focus is mission oriented and includes board, staff members, and fundraising objectives. Doing research to find out works best for the organization as well as donors is essential. Having fundraising plans keeps board members, staff, and volunteers in sync when planning events and campaigns. Involving all members in the fundraising or marketing planning stage also allows for creativity and innovative ideas.

Worth, M. J. (2021). Nonprofit management: Principles and practices (6th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.

FORUM 4: Strategic planning is essential to building the capacity of an organization. Strategic planning is more than a strategy; it is a process that produces a product—a strategic plan—that puts meat on the strategy and points the way to implementing it (Worth, 2021). It is important that organizations use strategic planning to determine the trajectory of success. Strategic planning begins with where the organization is, defines some new place where it wants to be, and develops a plan to get there, all in the context of its mission and values and the realities of the environment in which it operates (Worth, 2021). 

Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations is based on two premises. The first is that leaders and managers of public and private organizations must be effective strategists if their organizations are to fulfill their missions, meet their mandates, satisfy their constituents, and create public value. Strategic planning helps because it focuses attention on the crucial issues and challenges the organization faces and it helps key decision-makers figure out what they should do about them (Bryson, 2018). 

Today, most nonprofit organizations, except the newest and smallest, engage in some form of strategic planning—both because they find it an effective tool and because many funders, including foundations, regard it as an essential badge of a well-managed organization. SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) is an effective tool to judge proficient strategic planning, as it can evaluate external as well as internal market factors for organizations. It can provide a detailed analysis of required strategies for an organization to succeed in a competitive marketplace. It also provides information about competitors, obstacles, and strategies adopted by competing firms as well as market target space so that organization can formulate those required strategies which can be used to gain success (Rana et. al, 2017).

Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.

Rana, Ramaisa & Rana, Fazeyha & Rana, Huzaifa. (2017). Strategic Planning Role in Non Profit Organizations. Journal for Studies in Management and Planning. Volume 03.