2.3 Fostering Organizational Health and Culture

Sustaining positive organizational health and culture can be challenging as an organization grows and expands. A robust business model hinges on a clear mission, reinforced by effective governance and oversight to ensure alignment across all branches. Additionally, creating a long-term sustainability plan that addresses staffing, funding, and evaluation is crucial for maintaining a thriving tutoring operation. Section 2.3 addresses developing a strong mission and vision, creating effective governance structures, and ensuring financial accountability and sustainability.

	Before You Begin
	Develop a well-designed tutoring model based on research and community needs.

Mission, Vision, and Goals
Key Recommendations	Corresponding Resources
Define and document the mission statement in alignment with the program’s context.	Website: Bridgespan Group Mission and Vision Statements
Develop short-term and long-term organizational goals (e.g., student outcomes achieved, number of students served, student satisfaction in programming) to guide decision-making and program growth.	Website: Bridgespan Group Fundamentals of Nonprofit Strategy
Communicate mission, vision, and goals to all stakeholders regularly, including staff, board members, schools, and families.	Toolkit: Planning for Stakeholder Engagement: Achieving Strategic Clarity program
Establish a process for reviewing and updating goals to sustain alignment with the organizational mission and direction.	Toolkit: Bridging to Strategic Planning: Achieving Strategic Clarity program

Governance and Oversight
Key Recommendations	Corresponding Resources
Maintain an effective and well-rounded board of directors that meets regularly.	Website: Non-Profit Board Resource Center Reading: Becoming a More Effective Non-Profit Board Reading: Balancing Mission and Accountability
Conduct routine assessments of program implementation to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Develop a program impact evaluation process to measure effectiveness and ensure ongoing success.

Financial Accountability
Key Recommendations	Corresponding Resources
Develop a long-term sustainability plan for staffing, funding, and evaluation.	Reading: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Financial Sustainability
Implement a budget management system to track expenses, forecast financial needs, and align spending with program priorities.	Reading: Align Finances to Support Implementation Toolkit: Conducting Cost Analysis of Tutoring Interventions: A Guide for Program Providers and Researchers
Identify and secure diverse funding sources (e.g., Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), Title I, and philanthropy) to maintain financial stability.	Reading: Where to Find Nonprofit Financial Information Reading: Funding for High-Impact Tutoring Reading: Beyond Recovery: Funding High-Impact Tutoring for the Long -Term
Conduct annual independent audits or financial reviews to ensure transparency. An Outcomes-Based Contract (OBC) will write this into the initial contract with clarity.	Reading: Outcomes-Based Contracting for Tutoring: Insights and Recommendations Website: Outcomes Based Contracting District Toolkit

	Planning for the Long Term
	Foster ongoing school , teacher , and caregiver engagement methods to support effective organizational culture. Establish systems for ongoing implementation and continuous improvement.

Tutoring Quality Standards and Self-Assessment Indicators
Take the free, 15-minute, and research-based Tutoring Organization Self-Assessment. This subsection addresses these tutoring quality standards and Self-Assessment indicators.
Cohesion Organizational Culture	The program has a defined mission, vision, and set of organizational goals; and these guiding documents are aligned with the broader context and well understood by stakeholders.
6d.1 \| A mission statement that is aligned with the context in which you operate 6d.2 \| A set of program/organizational goals 6d.3 \| A system for regularly informing stakeholders about the program’s/organization’s mission, vision, goals and progress 6d.4 \| A functioning and diverse board of directors that meets regularly (for tutoring organizations only) 6d.5 \| A clean annual audit or review of financial practices conducted by an independent accounting firm (for tutoring organizations only)

Toolkit for Tutoring Programs