One of the best parts of the !deation Conference was the number of leaders who we got the impression lead with their head to impact the heart.  Often in the non profit world leaders are all heart, all compassion but have little business savvy to pull of the mission.

Jake Harriman is not one of these leaders.  Mind numbingly smart, with a vision of a better world, he challenged us all to work smarter in an effort to change the world.

He founded Nuru International after his experiences in the battle field as a Marine exposed him firsthand to the consequences of extreme poverty.  He said that extreme poverty is the leading cause of terrorism and extremism.  The swahili word for light and hope is Nuru.

Right off the bat they focused on organization development for significance and scalability.  They focus a lot on collaboration.   At Nuru they aggressively recruit the best of the best for the poorest of the poor.  The results speak for themselves.  By putting together a top notch team, they are able to deliver top notch outcomes in the areas in which they serve.

One concept that especially stood out was the idea of unleashing potential in those you serve.  The poor are not stupid. They do not need hand holding.  What they need is to have their potential unleashed.  Through Holistic Sustainable Development in the areas of agriculture. small business development and education they give locals the opportunity to fully realize that potential.  Nuru remains in an area for just 5 years. After that all development is sustained by the local partners themselves. Currently 1.4 billion people waiting for their potential to be unleashed.

To facilitate sustainability they set up an exit strategy from day one.  They set up a business model that establishes a revenue source from day one.  By focusing on revenue the project is able to survive long after Nuru has left.   A good business model + Passion = Greater results than the world has ever seen.

If you are planning on starting a new initiative Jake recommended the following:

1.  Research — Do not duplicate others efforts.  Learn from others successes and failures.

2.  People — Invest in people.  Build a high impact team.  Recruit the best.  Do not settle for those who are not at least as driven and passionate as you.  Set high expectations.  Evaluate performance.  Be hard on your team.  Mistakes cost people their lives.  Find good leaders and learn from them.  Professional development. Teach leadership.

3.  Operational Efficiency — Investors not donors.  Investors demand return.  How do you measure impact?  Define your success metrics.  Build it into your model. Baseline measurements are critical.

4.  Marketing — Storytelling.  Added value.  Find your niche.

He then said that you must have a SOLID business plan.  When filing for your 501(c)(3) or starting a new business it is generally required to do something like this, but so often folks do the bare minimum.  Really investing time, energy even money if this is not a strength of yours, can yield far better results in terms of investment, buy in and success long term.  A good business plan communicates value and adds credibility.

Here is a framework for a good business plan.

1. Executive summary.

2. Market analysis.

• Who is doing what in your space?

3. Product and Service

4. Organizational Structure

• Hit by the bus test.  If you were hit by a bus today, would your org survive tomorrow? If not, this area needs help.

5. Limitations and Liabilities

6. Product and Service Vision

• How is your model different?

7. Summary Financials

8. Milestones

9. Team

Some final thoughts from Jake regarding a GREAT organization:

1. Exit Strategy

2. Understand Need

3.  Define Success

4.  Leadership Capacity Building

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