A reoccurring theme in social innovation and non-profit conversations is effectiveness. With the announcement of the United States Social Innovation Fund, and the current economic downturn, non-profit executives, entrepreneurs, and social advocates have been reinforcing the importance of fulfilling social missions effectively.
Like many other industries, the social sector has had to cope with cuts in funding. One of the methods of doing so has been only focusing on services in which an organization effectively serves its consumers. Everyone including the President of the United States is in agreeance that it is not a good strategy for agencies to continue to dedicate funding and time to areas with inadequate performance and ineffective services. Therefore, many experts believe social agencies should direct their consumers to other agencies that can help them in the areas in for which their resources cannot effectively contribute.
Also at this point, firms with social missions are being discouraged from expanding away from their core mission. It is important for non-profits to focus their resources on finding smarter ways to serve the needs of their clients which fall under their mission statement. Efficiency on the operations level of an organziaton can lead to a more effective product for the consumer. It does not reflect well on an organization’s management when available resources are not being allocated to improving a firm’s current services.
Effective service is essential to any organization with a social mission. If an organization is not serving its clientele effectively, it is not fulfilling its mission at all. The goal has to be to isolate the effective areas of the organization and discontinue the inadequate areas.
