What Is Real Empowerment?
Within a nonprofit community, empowerment can be used to either help or hurt. Click here to learn the differences, and learn how to avoid the worst with Dot Drives.
Empowerment is a key element in any nonprofit strategy. Learning how to harness its power for donors, team players, and leadership teams will be critical for organizational success.
Sometimes helping can hurt, even in the nonprofit industry. In this article, we will explore some of the ways that empowerment can be used for good (and bad) in your organization. How can you empower your donors, coworkers, and mission in a way that helps everyone?
What Does Empowerment Mean?
In the dictionary, empowerment can be defined as “the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life, one’s choices, one’s actions, and even one’s beliefs.”
Another definition reads, “Claiming one’s rights.”
The third and final definition states, “The degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities.”
To simplify these three definitions into one, empowerment is the act of giving power. It’s a yielding of control. It’s a powerful picture of what true nonprofit goals should yield. At the core of empowerment is trust. If we allow trusting relationships to mature, empowerment will continue to grow in the lives of those we care for, love, and nurture. This is where true empowerment finally enters the scene.
Empowerment is a process. It’s pouring out to others, allowing them to take the lead in their own lives, beliefs, and personal direction. Empowerment is an investment – it cannot be accomplished overnight.
Many nonprofit pros don’t correctly understand the term ‘empowerment’ in its natural form. People love to take the term ‘empowerment’ and throw it into a mission statement or a donor recap form, but truthfully, it’s not that easy to create. In fact, implementing it incorrectly could yield large, unintended consequences.
The ‘Good’ And The ‘Bad’ Of Empowerment
So we strive forward with empowerment. We train. We pour out love to our ministry staff, stewardship teams, and leadership board. And from this, we expect absolute perfection.
So what happens if there’s a misstep in the empowerment process?
If your donors, coworkers, or board members perform actions that lead to unforeseen consequences, or if they make a decision that doesn’t line up with your value system, it’s time to punch the breaks. What went wrong?
Helping hurts when:
Processes are a one-sided decision
Autonomy is not created correctly
There is no accountability (think guardrails)
In order to keep empowerment from dramatically affecting your organization, team cohesion, and donor mindset, do what you can to build authentic empowerment into your nonprofit structure.
Practical Steps For Authentic Empowerment
Creating authentic empowerment is not an easy lift. The first step? Recognize that integrating your mission with empowerment requires an open forum of communication, incorporating all members of a nonprofit organization. Everyone is a founder and a leader in the empowerment process. Are you willing to let everyone step up to the plate?
Start moving forward in the right direction by using the following tips below.
Weave Accountability Into The Process
Keep everybody on the same page with ‘loving accountability,’ the process of holding others accountable with loving concern and kindness.
Create Open Communication Forums
Allow all members of your organization to share empowerment with others, letting donors, stakeholders, and boards members see how much your nonprofit values authentic empowerment.
Accountability Is Not A Punishment
Eliminate the stigma of accountability as a type of punishment by reframing it as a form of guidance or redirection.
Approach Others In Humility
Create an environment that allows others to be directed by putting humility at the forefront of your conversation.
Work On Your Leadership Style
Develop your leadership muscles to incorporate empowerment into the workplace, putting yourself in the ‘boxing ring’ of vulnerability.
Just Do It!
Empowerment must become baked into your everyday processes. The best way to get started is to simply dig in your heels and move forward (as a team, of course).
Start The Empowerment Process With Dot Drives
At Dot Drives, empowerment is at the core of what we do. By simplifying the donor management process via easy-to-use dashboards, our organization was founded with the tools you need for practical, everyday outreach. In other words, empowerment is in our DNA!
Built by fundraises for fundraisers, Dot Drives software is perfect for nonprofit teams of all sizes. Cultivate donor relationships with real empowerment, raise money for pending campaigns, and ultimately maximize your opportunities by integrating state-of-the-art technology into your workflow. Improve your revenue growth by up to 28%, and start cultivating your mission for good within hours.
Curious to learn more about the Dot Drives program? Start your journey on the right foot by scheduling a demo with our team. Have some questions first? Don’t hesitate to submit a contact form to get connected with the right expert at the right time. We’re looking forward to chatting with you soon!
