What Change Do You Seek?

Non-profit organizations are about change – either making or preventing it. It may be a shift in government policy or action, or expansion of public engagement or support, or a move into a new area of need.

In every undertaking of this kind, organizations must be clear about the change they seek – the where (locus), how (theory), and what (success). As a sociologist with grounding in social change theory and methodologies, as well as hands on experience with organizations ranging from large foundations to grassroots and community groups, I can help.

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Here are the fundamental questions I ask about your change goals.

​1. Locus of change

Where, at what level(s), do you need to work to achieve the change you seek: individuals, organizations, networks, constituencies, society? Are you working at the appropriate level(s) for the change you seek? Are you using appropriate tools, tactics, and approaches for that level(s)? How are the different levels connected?

​2. Theory of change 

How do you envision the change happening? What is your organization's role in making it happen? What factors must you take into account? Who else must be engaged? What is the nature of your organization's relationship with those actors? What is required to sustain and bolster that combined effort?

​3. Measuring change

What will success look like? How will you know you've arrived? Have you articulated success explicitly? Is your articulation of success measurable and amenable to external verification? Would, for example, 8 out of 10 people outside your organization agree that you have succeeded by your definition of success?​ Where are you starting, and what should you see along the way to success?

Washington, DC |+1 (240) 486-9994 | mnyounis @ gmail.com