Study of Organizational Growth Within Groups That Help Young People

Growth of Youth-Serving Organizations examines the trends affecting charities that work with young people as those groups increase their assets and expand their staff. The report, based on a yearlong study commissioned by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, says that as a consequence of growth, organizations in the study often had to bring in chief operating officers and staff members with specialized skills. They also had to redefine the role of trustees and develop a new balance between an organization’s headquarters and its affiliates. Nonprofit groups that diversified their sources of revenue and developed methods to determine the effectiveness of their programs experienced the least turmoil as they grew. The report also includes 20 case studies of organizations that grew rapidly, including Harlem Children’s Zone, Jumpstart, and Community In Schools of Atlanta.

Publisher: Bridgespan Group, 535 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02116; (617) 572-2833; http://www.bridgespangroup.org; 53 pages; available free for download on the organization’s Web site.