The NFP sector is highly competitive and will become more so as governments increasingly outsource service provision and dislocations associated with an increasingly rapid-changing economy create pockets of disadvantaged people.  To survive and thrive, senior executives in NFPs need to be skilled in areas that were once seen as the domain of business – strategy development, competitor analysis, branding, trategic partnering, board governance etc.  

Professional development such as the Stanford EPNL program is one of the most efficient ways of skills transfer and enhancement.  The alternative approach, to learn through mistake or by circumstantial luck – hearing by chance of how someone else is operating their NFP more effectively – is no longer good enough. 

Of equal or perhaps greater value to the direct skills and tools and  techniques learned during programs such as the EPNL, is  the networks that are forged.  Over a two-week intensive period, the participants create bonds that will last a lifetime. For me this has already produced immediate benefits through advice and templates that I have received and implemented. 

The network effect of these intensive executive development programs – whereby the value created is related to the square of the participants that are connected – will result in a huge multiplier for the NFP sector in general.  I have met with NFP colleagues to share learnings and I plan to use my knowledge with other organisations I am involved with such as the Youth Collaboration Group and Live Music in Hospitals.

Unfortunately there is an expectation amongst many donors to have 100%  of their contributions tied directly to projects.  Investment in building the capacity of the organization is often not perceived as a priority.  This is counter-productive resulting in  under-resourced, over stressed organizations which often don’t survive or have many “near-death” experiences. 

It needs to be recognized that NFPs, just like businesses, are no more than the sum of the skills, passions and networks of their executives, boards and supporters. Executive development provides a cost- effective and invigorating way of enhancing all of these to the benefit of individual NFP’s and the sector in general.