Decision-making and accountability framework for nonprofits
Nobody is clear on who has authority to decide what — everything escalates upward, progress stalls, and staff feel neither empowered nor accountable.
What you'll achieve
A clear, agreed decision-making framework that distributes authority appropriately, speeds up execution, and builds a culture of ownership and accountability.
How a Nonprofit Builder consultant helps
- Map your current decision-making patterns, facilitate a leadership session to agree on principles and boundaries, and design a practical framework with clear delegation levels.
Key deliverables
- Decision-making audit, delegation of authority matrix, accountability framework, staff communication guide, recommended review process.
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Often paired with
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From the resource library
Free tools and guides to get started
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Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking
A guide to participatory grantmaking, where funders share funding decisions with the communities they serve. It explains why and how funders around the world do this, drawing on input from participatory grantmakers. It covers models, challenges, lessons learned and good practice for inclusive grantmaking. Funders use it to design a participatory process or to explain the approach to boards and staff.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 1.2C008
Bridgespan Organizational Effectiveness Framework survey
An online team survey on Org360 that runs a Bridgespan-based organisational assessment for nonprofits. It has 85 questions and takes about 34 minutes. Areas include strategic clarity, governance, financial sustainability, and diversity, equity and inclusion, with rating questions and open reflection questions. Leaders, board members and staff respond, and Org360 produces an automatic report with strengths, gaps and a development plan. It is free to use after sign-up.
Start hereEmergingTool or templateFree with sign-upNonprofit Builder tool
All 16 resources on organisational assessment and development All 13 resources on grantmaking and capacity-building funding All 12 resources on networks and partnerships