All successful organizations have characteristics in common. The same is true of successful faith-based organizations. There are seven characteristics which can be found in consistently successful faith-based organizations. They include:
- Having a foundation of faith and a focus on mission
- Having volunteers who fill key roles, knowledgeably and competently
- Having staff members who use their gifts and let others use theirs
- Paying close attention to markets
- Valuing excellent stewardship in finance, strategic planning, and resource management
- Valuing flexibility within the value structure of the faith
- Focusing on achievable growth
Measuring your organization against these characteristics may be hard without an assessment tool. A sample organizational self-assessment can be obtained by contacting
felicia@cdworks.org.
