But keep in mind that when evaluating goods or services,
there are more aspects to quality than just price alone. This is a major
consideration in nonprofit human service organizations, where most of the
‘customers’ make no direct cash investment at all in the service/good. Most of our customers invest significant
time, energy and emotion in order to access services. Don’t overlook this….respect it.
Survey after survey of low-income consumers who use public
services indicate that they gauge quality via multiple attributes. Outstanding
nonprofits do several things right.
First, they consistently improve the actual service/good
they provide. They do this by having valid metrics to measure valid outcomes.
Then management uses these outcomes to focus staff on the strategic question of
how to improve on the numbers.
They provide superior customer service, which means
streamlined paperwork/information requests, minimal bureaucracy, and quick
decisions on all matters. Human service organizations that are difficult to
deal with are not quality. These organizations cost their customers time and
frustrate efforts of our most vulnerable populations to change the conditions
of their lives.
One cannot discuss quality without eventually addressing
Lean Operations. Nonprofits that make internal process improvements create
value in the form of decreased costs or increased outcomes. These will be the
organizations that Funders Want To Fund and the Public Will Want To Use.
Advancements in technology for equipment, materials and software offer
opportunities for human service organizations to impress consumers, funders and
taxpayers.
So there are many aspects of quality. Nonprofits who are
proactive in the above areas will be able to keep their customer base happy
even if they are not the lowest priced supplier in the pack. What are you
willing to pay for? What are your end-users willing to give up in order to use your services. And most important, what are your funders willing to buy off of you?
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