The organization overview in a nonprofit job description shares key descriptors of the organization. It should include information that will help interested external candidates better assess their fit with the organization and better understand the organization’s goals and beneficiaries. A detailed overview can include information about a nonprofit’s:
- History
- Mission
- Beneficiaries
- Goals
- Programs
- Outcomes / Achievements
- Budget
- Funders
Below is a sample organization overview provided by The Bridgespan Group that exhibits many descriptors helpful to qualified candidates considering a position with a nonprofit organization.
Sample Organization Overview
The Organization
Higher Achievement is a four-year high school preparatory after-school program for disadvantaged urban children of various academic levels during middle school, 5th-8th grade. Higher Achievement's mission is to develop academic skills, behaviors, and attitudes in academically motivated and underserved middle school children to improve their grades, standardized test scores, attendance, and opportunities to attend top high school programs. Higher Achievement offers three year-round, community-based programs: After-School Academy; Summer Academy; and Top High School Placement. Higher Achievement students mark some of the highest gains in the country with 70 percent of all "C" (or below) students having increased a full letter grade or more in reading, 68 percent of all "C" (or below) students having increased a full letter grade or more in math, 54 percent of students having improved their standardized reading score with an average increase of 9.5 percent, and 66 percent of students having improved their standardized math score with an average increase of 11 percent during the 2003-2004 program year.
Founded in 1975 and reorganized in 1999, Higher Achievement serves approximately 500 students or "scholars" in the Washington, D.C. metro area at five sites. Its budget is $1.7 million and there is a current staff of 20. With the assistance of 300 volunteer mentors, Higher Achievement scholars spend 650 hours per year in after-school and summer instruction. In 2006, Higher Achievement plans to begin a process of regional scaling with a long-term goal of a national scaling initiative. Higher Achievement is currently engaged in a highly-regarded randomized study run by Public/Private Ventures to measure the tangible outcomes of its efforts.
In 2005, Higher Achievement received the Neighborhood Builder Award from Bank of America, The Washington Post's Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management and the 2005 Accenture/ NPower Award for Innovation in Technology. The White House has twice recognized Higher Achievement for its contributions.
Please visit www.higherachievement.org for more information.
