Accountability in Nonprofit Management

Accountability has become a buzz word in nonprofit management in recent years. Where it used to be enough just to “do good work” or establish your organization’s efforts as a “good cause,” increasingly organizations are being held accountable for financial records, services provided and by the clients who receive those services. Organizations must now make provisions for this expectation of accountability and improve the efficiency of their operations. In recent years, high profile news stories about mismanagement within some national nonprofit organizations have put the spotlight on accountability for all of us. 

    A nonprofit organization should be challenged in terms of it’s fiscal responsibility and relevance. In reality, a nonprofit has entered into a “contract” with a community to provide a service - the “service” being defined in the organization’s mission statement. In addition to having a clearly defined mission, an organization needs to have criteria in place to evaluate whether or not they are adequately delivering the services required of that mission. Systems need to be in place to track this criteria - not just in terms of numbers, but also incorporate feedback from clients, staff and volunteers to help evaluate whether things are successful and useful, or not.