Making Global Inroads: Developing a Growth Strategy for an International Nonprofit

Situation

An international nonprofit had seen its organization expand to hundreds of programs and reach thousands of alumni around the world—but they weren’t done growing. The organization sought to expand its reach geographically and diversify revenue sources, all while fortifying its position as the gold standard among its peers. To meet these goals and ensure stable organizational growth, the client brought on Censeo to assist in the development of a five-year growth strategy.

Approach

Censeo worked collaboratively with the organization’s leadership and the Board throughout the strategic planning process, including holding more than 70 stakeholder interviews, multiple interactive planning sessions with the Board, and frequent meetings with leadership. At the end of this process, leadership was able to clearly articulate its programmatic and operational goals, enabling Censeo to use an evaluation framework to vet and prioritize new growth opportunities based on relevance to mission, market demand, funding, and risks to success.

The team also conducted an internal capability assessment, financial performance analysis, and an external peer and competitor analysis to understand the organization’s current state and inform future growth decisions. In addition, Censeo worked with the organization’s staff to assess their core programs for mission alignment, leveraging the staff’s skills and historical knowledge.