Unpacking Growth in Nonprofit Life

Growth is one of those words that everyone nods along to as a goal. It sounds obvious—who wouldn’t want their organization, team, or self to grow? But in my work with nonprofits, I find that when a board or leadership team says, “we should grow,” the real work begins. Growth is not a single destination. It’s a layered, multifaceted process that looks different depending on where you stand and what you value.

Let’s unpack some of the ways growth shows up in nonprofit life.

Growth as Organizational Lifecycle

At a structural level, “growth” is baked into the very idea of an organization’s lifecycle. After a start-up or formation stage, organizations naturally enter a period of growth—expanding resources to meet demand, to seize opportunities, or to professionalize operations. In practice, this often means layering in new forms of intellectual capital: adding people with the right skills, investing in technology and systems, or expanding networks of relationships. Growth here isn’t just about getting bigger—it’s about maturing the infrastructure so the organization can carry more of its mission.

Growth as Personal, Emotional Development

But organizations don’t grow without people. For nonprofit leaders, the sector demands creativity, resilience, and relentless problem-solving. Those qualities don’t spring fully formed; they are cultivated. Growth at this level means committing to personal emotional development—learning how to manage stress, deepen self-awareness, and sustain the energy to lead through uncertainty. Leaders who prioritize this kind of inner growth become a renewable resource for their organizations.

Growth as Professional Skill and Expertise

Every mission advances because of the skills people bring to the table. Some of these skills are explicit and technical—grant writing, data analysis, program design. Others are tacit—judgment, facilitation, the ability to read a room. Growth in this domain means deliberately strengthening both, at the individual and collective level. When leaders and teams sharpen their skills and share their expertise, they multiply the organization’s intellectual capital and increase its ability to make progress on mission.

Growth as Metrics

This is the form of growth that gets captured in dashboards and annual reports. Did you raise 10% more revenue than last year? Increase attendance by 5%? Cut operating costs by 3%? Did a new software tool save staff dozens of hours? These measurements matter because they provide tangible proof of forward movement. But metrics alone can’t carry the full story of growth—they’re one lens, not the whole picture.

Growth as Impact

Beyond outputs lies the question of outcomes. Growth at the impact level asks: are we moving toward the preferred future our programs and services are designed to create? This form of growth is about the trajectory of change. Are we shaping a reality where communities are healthier, more connected, more resilient? If not, then growth in metrics risks becoming busy work rather than meaningful progress.

Growth as Scale

Finally, there is the strategic question of scale. Growth doesn’t always mean “more.” It can mean different kinds of “more.” Some organizations scale up, targeting systems or policy change. Others scale out, expanding the number of people or places served. Still others scale deep, working to shift culture, values, and mindsets in ways that sustain impact beyond any single program. True strategic growth requires clarity about which kind of scale matches the mission.

The Work of Defining Growth

Growth is not a single line on a chart or a slogan for a strategic plan. It’s a nuanced, multidimensional process that touches structure, people, skills, results, outcomes, and strategy. The most important work isn’t in declaring that growth is the goal, but in clarifying what kind of growth your organization actually needs.

So the next time someone at your board table says, “we should grow,” ask:

• Do we mean maturing our infrastructure?
• Do we mean investing in our people?
• Do we mean sharpening our skills?
• Do we mean increasing outputs and outcomes?
• Do we mean scaling up, out, or deep?

Growth is never just one thing. It’s a choice—and the clearer you are about what you mean, the more likely you are to pursue growth that truly advances your mission.