Standards for Excellence Seal Holders’ Experiences

In 2008, Maryland Nonprofits staff conducted a series of comprehensive interviews with a selected group of leaders of organizations that have earned the Seal of Excellence.  Interviewers sought to learn more about the reasons organizations chose to participate in the Standards for Excellence program, benefits received, and ways the Standards for Excellence program has helped to strengthen the organizations.  Here is a brief look at some of the findings:

Organizations view the Standards for Excellence in a variety of ways

• “. . . a very thorough and in-depth management audit.”
• [a program to help] “. . . nonprofits be aware of policies and procedures and what good ones are for every aspect of their business operations”
• “. . .very specific and thorough comprehensive guideline for what we should look like as an organization if we are to live up to our full potential.”
• “Doing things excellent all the way around.”, “Set the bar higher for the agency and within your peer organizations.”
• “. . . symbol of integrity and . . . something to strive for. . . to make sure that our house is in order. . .” 
• “ . . perfect framework to fit policies in and see what we were lacking. . .”
• “…looking at all of the areas as [part of] the health of the organization . . .ethics too often just comes to mean financial – but this is so much more than that. . .”
• “…a statement the rigor and accountability the organization has accomplished in terms of its governance and program structures.” 
• [a program to] “. . .separate us from the throng of nonprofits out there…”
• “…something that says you’ve really done your homework in all of these areas, stay[ing] above the crowd.”

 

Seal Holders Tell Their Colleagues about the Standards for Excellence Program®

• “I think that if the organization is in need, the process is absolutely invaluable. . . if you are doing everything that you should, its validating.”
• “To be sure that they are dotting I's and crossing T's - doing right by donors - using practices sure will still be there in 5 years - sustainable and secure and stability.  Seals give proof of stability and security - we see it in donors.”\
• “Internally, it really does tighten up organization and how its run – externally it gives a way to track . . .personally it has opened doors for funders.”
• “Get Certified . . .to put it together and submit it –[to] say to [the] funder that we are approved – is an entirely different thing than saying we agree – proof is in the certification.”
• “As individuals, we all need a check up regularly to maintain optimum health.  For nonprofits Standards for Excellence performs the same function - a check up on everything from top to toes - plus you get professional guidance on any issues surfaced by the check up.”

Some Benefits of Earning the Seal of Excellence as reported by Seal holders:

• "Has opened doors with individual donors and foundation grants"
• "Some foundations ask on their grant applications if the organization has earned the Seal. "
• "For some corporate givers, the fact that the organization has earned the seal conveys instant credibility”
•  “…by going through Standards for Excellence, you make [an] investment that different parts [of the organization] strengthen and reinforce each other…”
• “…created [a] better relationship between [certified] organization and [funder] . . . and gave . . .a sense of comfort that organization wouldn’t squander hard to come by  . . .funding”
• "the standards program helped the organization get “ready for next phase – for board, ourselves and our constituency that we had come into our own as a young organization – we realized the places where we needed stronger staff, more skills, program issues  . . .it stretched us into growing up as an organization”
• "For a new executive director, the Standards “was an incredibly fabulous way to learn all about the organization. . . Good structured opportunity – a real roadmap."
• "The standards program “opens discussions that might have been hard to have. . .”
• "For an organization that faced some tough times, [earning the seal has] “helped them get their reputation back … It was really their turning point for their organization and people now look at agency as a reputable one.”
• “Floodgates opened up—got new foundation money in the doors"
• “helped get funding from major funders” 
• "Standards program helped give an organization “instant credibility” particularly during a time when others in their service area where undergoing significant scrutiny
• "Being in [a competitive nonprofit area], nonprofits have to work twice a hard for credibility.  We had no foundation funding. [Then we earned the seal and received foundation support] . . .  it all started to fall in line – a methodology of making ourselves more credible”
• “Biggest return has been within the organization… staff feels good…board feels good.”
• "With some grant applications, organizations that have earned the Seal of Excellence are exempted from turning in certain documents