Efficiency?

What would it mean for your organization if your department were twice as efficient as it is now?

We all love to talk about increasing efficiency, but what does that actually look like?

If you were twice as efficient, would you:

• Achieve the same output and lay off half your staff?

• Shift half of your staff to part-time work?

• Double your output with your present staff?

Those are all probably pretty hard to imagine.

But in the real world you might actually aspire to:

• Finally work through that back-log in your service case load.

• Have more time to respond to member inquiries.

• Reduce stress and increase morale among your staff.

• Spend more time on creative and forward-looking processes, and less time putting out fires.

• Reduce the number of mistakes that affect your constituents, donors, and members.

Here's the thing:

Efficiency can be just an abstract business concept, if you let it.

But where it really matters is in improving the lives of the people you care about — including yourself, your staff, and your constituents.

Sure, increased efficiency can result in increases in profitability or mission impact.

It can also just make the work — and its results — a whole lot more enjoyable for everyone.

All the best,
A.