Understanding the Nonprofit Lifecycle to Support Sustainable Development

Each month, the Wyoming Nonprofit Network highlights a specific topic impacting the nonprofit sector in its What We Are Learning email series. In July 2026, WNN is learning about the nonprofit lifecycle and how understanding it can support sustainable development.  

Start Thinking About the Nonprofit Lifecycle

The Nonprofit Lifecycle Model provides systemic benchmarks in an organization’s development. Much like humans gain new skills and experience predictable challenges during their lives, nonprofit organizations also experience predictable capabilities and growing pains as they mature. Before using the nonprofit lifecycle as a tool, the following questions should be considered to help determine an organization’s readiness for internal evaluation:

1. Do organizational staff and board have time to commit to an internal evaluation? 

2. Reflecting on past experiences, is the organization comfortable discussing strengths and areas for improvement? 

3. What information or environmental factors should be implemented to support honest evaluation? 

4. Staff and board engagement in the process is more likely if it is understood how using the framework will impact the organization's work. Is the organization prepared for this evaluation to impact its strategy? 

The Value of the Nonprofit Lifecycle from Carrie Bennett with Learning Through Difference

When my clients and I explore their life stage together, I often notice two clear and transformative benefits. First, boards and staff often feel a huge sense of relief that the “thing” they are struggling with is not a personal or organizational failure, but rather a developmentally appropriate and typical growing pain.  The second benefit is the staff and board’s ability to develop aligned and appropriate plans to address the unique challenges of that life stage. Rather than grasping at straws and doubling down on random efforts, nonprofit leaders can focus on a few key areas that are key to that stage of their development. In all cases, having a clear understanding of the organization’s life stage and its associated characteristics can improve relationships and clarity throughout the organization. 

If you’ve parented a toddler, tween, or teen you might feel a similar sense of relief when they’re reminded that your tantrum prone two-year-old isn’t behaving in that way because you’re failing as parents, but rather that the child is doing developmentally appropriate things to move out of infancy and embrace their growing independence. Similarly, once you know that the thing your kid is doing is typical, however annoying, you can read up on strategies for how to best support them through that stage and come out on the other side of it as a more capable human. The same is true for nonprofits. By normalizing and understanding predictable (albeit sometimes painful) organizational growing pains, we can fall back on well-tested support and strategies. Further, we can hold realistic expectations for our organizations where we celebrate our milestones for the achievements they are, rather than impatiently rushing ahead with aspirations that are not well matched to the organization’s development.    

As an Enhanced Business Member with the Wyoming Nonprofit Network, Learning Through Difference believes that the conversations that most need to happen are also the most challenging to navigate. Through their work, teams get to the heart of issues with efficiency and safety because when teams can talk about what matters most, there’s nothing they can’t accomplish.

Wyoming Nonprofit Network - Business Membership

If you are a current Business Member and are interested in Enhanced Business Membership, contact Collier Fernekes, Membership and Operations Coordinator. If you are interested in becoming a Business Member, visit: https://www.wynonprofit.org/Business-Membership/.

Resources

• Wanting to learn more about the stages of the Nonprofit Lifecycle Model? Watch “The Nonprofit Life Cycle: What Stage Are You?” from social impact entrepreneur Amber Melanie Smith.

• From the Nonprofit Lifecycle Institute, organizations can schedule a 60-minute virtual Nonprofit Lifecycles Information Presentation or can access the Lifecycles Self-Assessment (Selfie). Learn more about these resources available for purchase directly from the institute online.  

• Honest evaluation starts with trust and open communication. Read “Building Trust by Design: 5 Key Workplace Behaviors” from the Society for Human Resource Management.

What You Want to Learn Matters

Email Director of Learning and Development Tess Mittelstadt at tmittelstadt@wynonprofit.org with your feedback on the What We Are Learning email and suggestions on future topics.

Wyoming Nonprofit Network
822 West 23rd St., Unit A, Cheyenne, WY 82001
307-772-9050
wynonprofit.org