The Path to Scale: Ideas for Navigating Non-Profit Growth

In 2012 we worked with the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation to organize a two-day session to help education grantees learn more about change management strategies, organizational sustainability, evaluation and measurement and communications. In this report, we summarize discussions between nonprofit and business leaders on: 1) Successfully managing the expansion of education nonprofits and deepening organizational development; 2) Solutions to specific nonprofit management challenges; and 3) Strengthening the network of grantees as a learning community. This is one of four annual meeting summaries that share the insights of participating grantees. We also include a case study of the growth and sustainability of the New Teacher Center, which focuses on induction strategies that boost teacher retention, improve teaching practices and increase student learning. The case study is based on input from nonprofit experts, and recommends that leaders focus on using data to measure impact and developing a communications strategy to build their brand.