Jennifer Hawkins |
ONE Neighborhood Builders CEO and President
Over the last decade, I’ve seen our organization grow into one of the most dynamic and impactful affordable-housing developers and community-development organizations in the region. To get us here, I challenged myself and my team to think more like private-sector leaders. I believe that’s something more nonprofit executives need to embrace.
Passion is important, but nonprofit leaders should not be afraid to also focus on business development. It’s vital to develop growth plans and diversify revenue streams.
At ONE Neighborhood Builders, we identified a number of new business opportunities that have allowed us to expand our footprint into multiple communities and broaden our services.
We develop, manage and sell affordable housing; we lead a Health Equity Zone; we support business development through a community-controlled loan fund; and we leverage our practical experience to contribute to policy change and regulatory reform. We expanded into each area with intention, with purpose and with strategy – no different than how corporate leaders enter new markets.
Nonprofit leaders must also reject the fear of making meaningful investments in data collection, branding, marketing and public relations. Impactful organizations can only thrive when they take control of their narrative. We’ve found that effective and proactive storytelling on multiple platforms has provided us with opportunities to accelerate our mission-based work.
ONE Neighborhood has a strong foundation to build upon because we’ve championed proven, objective and deliberate business practices.