GA 325 | Lean in the Non-Profit Sector with Lauren Wisniewski

It's about empowering your staff members. It's about empowering your people and creating a voice and letting the voices be heard and proving the work. The tools are there, and the tools are so important and so valuable, but it's really the culture change that happens, and kind of the people part of it is really the key.

Today. I'm excited to welcome Lauren Wisniewski to the show. Now, Lauren, as you're gonna hear, has been practicing Lean within the nonprofit sector. This is a topic that we've not really explored much on the podcast over the years, so it was really good to have Lauren on. And so what we do is we kind of just walk through her journey with working with nonprofits and talking about the unique opportunities that Lean presents itself within that world. So we go through. You know, she actually shares some really fun stories of how Lean has been able to benefit a couple different nonprofits. One of the stories was just really talking about the power of getting that voice of the customer and how important it is to know what customers actually value. And then another one was a. Another story was just a classic Lean kind of productivity improvement, reducing complexity, and improving this paperwork process. So those are two really fun stories to hear from Lauren, but really, really appreciated the perspective of how Lean applies. And so many different industries, you know, obviously got its. Lean found its roots within manufacturing, but for sure, it's being used in so many different industries and so many different types of ways. And so it was just refreshing to hear Lauren's show notes, which will include links to everything Lauren and I talk about, can be found over@gembapodcast.com just look for episode 325 again, gembapodcast.com and look for episode 325. Okay, enough from me. Let's get to the show. Lauren, welcome to the show. How are you?

I'm doing very well, thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

Oh, you're welcome. You know, we've folks that are listening don't know this, but Lauren and I have been able to practice our perseverance and our. What did you call it? Iterations. Iterations.

Yeah.

Yeah. Because we've had some technical problems on Gemba Academy side, not Lauren's side. So we had a heck of a time the first time we tried to connect. But so thank you for being patient, Lauren, and for being willing to come back and battle through those issues, those obstacles.

Right, no problem. I'm very excited.

Well, hey, Lauren, before we jump in, we like our guests to share a quot. Do you have one that you want to use.

I have this saying that I have been saying for a long time, and I can't remember if I read it somewhere or came up with it. But what I tell everyone when I talk about Lean is that Lean is a leap. And in that it requires the faith to think differently. It might be baby steps, but in the mind and in the heart, they have to take a big leap to really adopt it. So that's what I always like to start with.

Nice.

Lena's Elite.

I like it. I like it. All right, well, hey, Lauren, tell us about your. Tell us about yourself. Tell us about your background, how you first got introduced to all this continuous improvement stuff, and then tell us what you're up to these days.

Sure. So I am a nonprofit professional that my career has been in philanthropy, nonprofit management. I have a master's degree in philanthropic studies. That's really where I come from. And I have had a number of roles in event management and major gift fundraising and prospect analytics. And in all of these roles, my passion was for the work that nonprofits are doing and for strategy. And I was always thinking of, how can I make this nonprofit work impactful? How can we serve more? How can I do this more efficiently and help my organizations out? And I realized at one point that I had those skills and the knowledge my back pocket. So I say my career is in philanthropy, but I really have a 30 plus background in lean because my father worked for General Motors as the director of GMS International, and he was trained at nummi and he made Lean a part of our daily life. So I've known the terms and the tools since. Since birth, since I can remember. And he would practice the trainings with me as a kid, and I remember the different games we would play. And so the words and the terms really became a part of my knowledge. But I never knew the way that they could be applied in settings outside of automotive manufacturing. It just never crossed my mind before, until adulthood when I was thinking about my own career. And so I started my consulting business based off of this idea that Lean can apply to nonprofits as well. And there's space for it to create more impact and generate all this good from empathy and continuous improvement.

I love it. So the name of your consulting company is. Is Rise Consulting Company. So what's the story behind Rise?

Rise is both personal and in thinking about the work of nonprofits. So in hard times and overcoming those mountains that just seem like big hardships and it's hard to do just that idea of Rising and climbing the mountains looks different for everybody as it does for different organizations. I've climbed my own mountains. And that rise feeling, you're rising, you're going upward, you're continuously improving. Even if it's baby steps. That's where it comes from. And in the nonprofit context, those mountains are homelessness, they're hunger, they're racial injustice issues, they're such big mountains to overcome. And nonprofits are doing a lot of work towards those goals. So that rise ideas is really what they're working for. And. And it's hard work.

Very cool, Very cool. I like it. You know, before we jump in, I want to know more about kind of how you got started teaching lean and the whole nonprofit movement and sector there. But you know, I think sometimes there's a big misconception, you know, even myself, you know, over the years of not really understanding what a nonprofit organization is. Can we start there? Like this level set us on what is a nonprofit.

So a nonprofit is specific tax designated organization. A 501C3 that. Right. The name nonprofit is kind of a misnomer. It's not that there's not profits, it's that the profits are reinvested into the mission. And so the tax benefit purpose designation is kind of its own sort of piece of it. But it's really these organizations that have different charitable purposes. So education and community practices, and it can be anything really, as long as you're working to improve the community and you're reinvesting your money, your profits back into that mission. That is what a nonprofit is. One specific piece of it is that nonprofits must have a board and so a governance board. And that really plays a role in incorporating decision making. So it does play a role in Lean too. And I think that's an important specific piece of nonprofits is who they're reporting to. And so the board plays a big role in nonprofits as well.

And how are boards typically assembled?

A variety of ways. So it's. They have kind of fiduciary duties and kind of these responsibility roles where they can't have a kind of a conflict of interest in the organization. But they're assembled by, you know, either just they're the ones who started the organization, they're leaders in the community who have been recruited to be on boards. There's a number of ways that they can come together, but they're really involved in the decisions that the organization makes. They're very tied into it.

Got it, got it. Okay, so let's talk about your journey then. With Lean and the nonprofit sector. So how did you get started?

Sure. So the nonprofit sector, that part of it I actually started. I was recruited over to the development office at the University of Michigan as a student and learned what philanthropy was there. And coincidentally enough, I was for an internship. Part of my time there I was placed into the prospect analytics department. And so I learned about the strategy behind fundraising. And that strategy piece, seeing the statistics and the use of data that the brilliant minds in that office were using, it inspired me that there's purpose behind this idea of fundraising and talking to people. I just brought that with me in the future role. From that experience, I learned that that's what I wanted to do and went on to get my master's degree and worked for higher education institutions and then smaller community nonprofits, a wide variety there. And then I was asked at one point in my career to consult for a nonprofit just getting started and create a strategic plan and train on how to do this fundraising thing. So I loved that part of it. I loved the consulting piece. And as I was transitioning and building this company, that's really where I leaned on my lean knowledge and realized that I had some tools that were useful, unique to help organizations. But at the time when I started it, I started googling Lean for nonprofits. And who's doing this work? Is anybody talking about Lean for nonprofits? Because I hadn't heard of it before, but I figured there was somebody out there doing it. I happened to meet two women who were doing a similar thing and got connected into Lean Innovation in the nonprofit sector and began coaching in that space as well. So just kind of learned a lot about agile and Lean Innovation, Lean Startup, all while formally training in Lean concepts and then piecing all of that together to bring that knowledge to the nonprofits that I was working with.

So in the for profit sector, there's many reasons folks practice lean. Obviously, you know, if you are a for profit company, you're trying to, you know, make money, right? And try to be successful and try to remove waste, try to respect your people. I mean, there's a litany of reasons that a for profit organization is going to, going to be. Well, I would, I'm a little biased, but I think they would be foolish to not adopt lean thinking principles. And maybe so far as to say that they're probably not going to be around in 20, 30 years if they don't. But what about a nonprofit? Like, what's the incentive for them now? Like you said, it's not that they don't want to make a profit. So I suppose that side of it is still there. But are there other incentives for nonprofits to adopt Lean?

Absolutely. It's interesting because a lot of nonprofits aren't too familiar with Lean and the terms behind it. The common idea or conception of Lean is that it's just getting rid of waste. And there isn't even a knowledge of the respect for people and the emphasis on empathy and what the data can do and just emphasizing the values. So there are a lot of pieces that nonprofits have already, like that empathy piece and the values piece, but they're. There isn't really a structure to put it all together and to emphasize the work that the nonprofit is doing and to create deeper impact in the community. And so Lean allows for sustainability of the nonprofit, just as you mentioned, a for profit. Make sure that they stick around forever. And also the nonprofits have this responsibility to measure their impact and mostly for reporting to grant makers, but also reporting to their donors and to the community and all the work that they're doing and how they're giving back, they definitely are under a lot of scrutiny. And so having that data available and showing exactly how they've progressed, what the feedback is for their services and those pieces of it are so critical to the nonprofits. Sustainability, visibility, success, it's just an important part of it. Also, nonprofits have this sort of. They often have this throwing the darts mentality where we don't know if this is going to work in terms of fundraising or we don't know if this is going to work in terms of bringing our community together or providing the service in the right way, but we're just gonna try it. We don't have the time to really think critically about it. We're all doing a lot of things, so we'll just see where it goes. And I've heard that so many times, and even let's just throw the dart, just that exact sentence, and I cringe. No, there's a way to experiment. There's a way to test it and get feedback.

Yeah.

But yeah, it cuts down on that mentality of we're strapped for resources, we don't have time. We, you know, don't really know if this is going to work. And Lean provides that guidance that they're really looking for and that feedback from the community and knowing what works and connecting the services that they're meaning to provide to the community with those who need it. So it's. It really. I think the best way I can sum it all up is that Lean provides the structure for what nonprofits kind of already have in their bones.

Yeah, yeah, I like it. I like it. I wonder, you don't have to mention the organization or anything like that, but I wonder if you could share, like maybe a success story or just a story in general of how you've helped an organization use Lean to. To improve some aspect of their venture.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I have a lot of great stories of how just feedback from donors or feedback from volunteers have completely reshaped how an event is carried out and then the costs that are saved from doing this event in a different way.

Well, tell us why. Can you dig into one?

Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. There was a big gala that was being planned, and they wanted to reduce the cost of the gala, but it was a very traditional gala in this community. And so they decided to change it to be this other. They wanted still a gala, but they just decided to reduce the decorations and move it to a different location. But at some point I kind of jumped in and said, why don't we ask the community members if a gala is even what they're looking for? They're looking for a totally new structure. And so the feedback that they heard, the location wasn't actually the issue. This was a piece that came up, but the location was provided for free, so it didn't need. That wasn't a cost reduction piece. And then it was a pretty cool location. It was inside of a gym at a local university. And so the feedback from the community was the gala isn't really our style, it isn't what we're used to doing. So we would actually just prefer intimate conversations, more of a network, more casual event, just not the sit down dinner, but just kind of mingling and just a little bit more fun atmosphere. So that's what they were looking for. And those were the volunteers and the donors, and that's what they wanted to do. So the cost reduction ended up being completely different. And I had a really positive fundraising outcome, raised twice as much as the previous year. And it's just that constant feedback that made a big difference. So kind of a small piece of the story, but a big difference in terms of the financial part of the organization. There's another organization that I've worked with, and one of their challenges was a paper process. So submitting paperwork that they had to for the healthcare service that they were providing. And the paperwork was a big deal. It had to be done in a certain way, but it took a lot of time to complete it. If there were any mistakes, had to be redone. It had to be driven across the state and completed in a whole different way. So it was a really timely process, and it was taking away from the amount of time spent with the clients. So looking at a process like that, it's, you know, the time was kind of figured out. There was one person designated for this paper process. There were some changes made in how the paperwork was actually completed, and then it freed up all this time to be more available for the clients. So again, that. I mean, that's. It seems like a small task, just kind of figuring out, refiguring out this paperwork process. But the impact was more time spent with clients, more lives being changed, lives being touched, more conversations.

How did you guys go about that? How did you go about that improvement? Was it like mapping out the process or what did you do to improve the paperwork process?

Yeah, it was mapping out the process and figuring out what actually is taking the most time to do, and if there are easier ways to do it, if there are pieces that can be done electronically, communication with who was receiving the paperwork on the other end, and if there's any kind of checking before the paperwork is actually submitted, and then mistakes are found. So kind of bumping up the check process and then establishing a cadence with the team. So one team member was designated as kind of the. The paperwork driver for that particular time, so that the other teammates. That's really good.

That's awesome.

Spends more time with services.

The one I like, the first one that you mentioned, where they went out and talked to the customers, I mean, that's such a powerful thing. I mean, you're right. I mean, it sounds simple and straightforward, but this whole idea of the voice of the customer. Right. How often do we not seek that out? Right. Not just nonprofit. Anybody. Right. I mean, and it's also very similar to the whole lean startup movement when their whole idea of the mvp, minimal viable product. Right? Like, don't spend all this money building this expensive gadget or service or system if you're not even sure anybody wants it, you know? Exactly, Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

And in the nonprofit context, those customers, those people are. There's so many different ones. There's the donors. So the donors are spending their money and they're expecting some sort of outcome from this. And so they're one person to. To get feedback from and just communicate with and not only ask for money and thank them, but keep a communication cadence going. And then there are those who are being served by the nonprofit and, you know, do they actually even want the service or do they? Is it really helping them, or is it creating other problems? And I have lots of those stories, too. And then there's the volunteers. And are they, you know, is the volunteer time working for them? Is it easy to volunteer? Is it creating a challenge? Is it, you know, the most effective use of time? And so there's a number of different. And there's a staff, of course, and the leadership and the board members, and absolutely all of that feedback is not usually common. So it's certainly something that can make a difference.

That's great. That's great. So are there any barriers that you're seeing that are specific for nonprofits as it relates to adopting Lean?

Sure. And the barrier, I think the biggest barrier is familiarity. Like I mentioned, the idea of lean is that it's this concept that was introduced and applied in a different sector, and it might not fit the nonprofit sector. And I think a lot of that comes from the terminology and this idea that it's about getting rid of the waste and it's about working at minimum resources. And nonprofits are on the other side thinking, we are at minimum resources. There's no leaner we can get, and there's just not that kind of that heartstring that you understand where we're coming from sort of attitude. But what I like to talk to nonprofits about is that it's about empowering your staff members. It's about empowering your people and creating a voice and letting the voices be heard and improving the work. And so it's not this. The tools are there, and the tools are so important and so valuable, but it's really the culture change that happens and kind of the people part of it is really the key for nonprofits and understanding what this lean concept is. And then the other barrier, I think, is time. And nonprofits are always working on so many things, so many projects. People wear many different hats, and there's just kind of a barrier for the training and the understanding and taking this time out. So if it can be understood in small bits and incorporated into their work already, then it's a little bit easier to understand. Yeah, I think those are the two biggest barriers.

Yeah, got it. Got it. Well, and I think, you know, just the first one is the whole idea of what is lead and what it's not. I mean, I think many folks have to have to struggle through that, right?

Yeah.

Yeah. It's not. It's not. It's not about getting rid of people. That's where they say, that's not lean. That's mean manufacturing.

Exactly. Yeah.

Yeah. So. So listen, let's say there's someone listening to this right now, and they're not that all that they. Maybe not all that familiar with with Lean, but they're in the nonprofit community. And someone forward this podcast to them if they want to learn more or they want to get started or they want to explore. Like, what tips do you, aside from connecting with you on LinkedIn or in your consulting company, but what t do you have for them?

I think the biggest tip, I would say, is to do as much education as you can on what Lean actually is and the values and the principles behind it. Even just kind of a basic understanding of the terms and spend the time to familiarize yourself with understanding what continuous improvement is kind of a big concept. And then also understand that respect for people is in there, too. And then understand what value is and just get familiar with kind of the basic principles so that you can talk to leadership or talk to team members and see if this is something that you want to start incorporating. And if. If you are becoming familiar with Lean and introducing experiments and trying some things out, just focus on the small wins and making small improvements in your daily work that will start to snowball. I think I've seen this with nonprofits when they start to understand the basic principles of Lean and how it works. I had a conversation with this fantastic woman who was working at a healthcare organization, and she said, this has changed so much of my time with clients that I brought at home. And now I start to do all these things at home with my daughter. And so it's these small little things in her day that kind of built up to really understanding this idea and this thinking of Lean. And yeah, if you can talk to leadership about it, focus on how it works with your mission and how you can generate data and impact from using Lean principles and what it will mean for working with grant makers. And that's a big piece for nonprofits. They're trying to find those small wins, those data pieces, and just really focusing on those.

Well, yeah, and just depends on your audience. I mean, they may be. For some, it might all be a. About. Not all, but a lot about those grants and making sure that they survive and that they thrive and grow. Right. And so you can show that these principles, they can benefit us. Right, as an organization and allow you to do your mission, Strengthen your mission. Right. Enhance your mission.

Yeah, yeah. And one thing I like about Lean and introducing this to nonprofits on that note, is that the idea of establishing core values and Having the thinking always come back to those core values and how, and how those values are kind of mapped along the way and how that's pulled through. Nonprofits often have this, just this kind of pressure to chase the donors, chase the money and receive me. But they're not at the other end of it. It might not be the donor's preferences or the grants that make the most sense for the organization. So they then have to create a whole new project or they have to do things that aren't true to the organization values or true to the organization mission or project. So flipping that lean allows the values to come first and really emphasize that and, and go after the dollars that are available according to those values. So yeah, that's a big piece for nonprofits too.

I love it. Lauren, if folks want to connect with you, what's the best way?

Sure. So I'm available by email @Laureniseconsulting co. I'm on LinkedIn and I'm on Instagram riseconsulting co. And then I have an online course. It's a thinkific course, so it's riseandlearn.thinkific.com Nice.

And what we'll do is we'll link to everything in the, in the show notes. So this is episode. Let's see, 325. So GembaPodcast.com, look for episode 325. So, Lauren, thank you for coming on. This has been fun to keep up the great work and maybe, maybe we'll meet up face to face one day at a conference or whatever it is, and we'll see what the future holds for us in this crazy world of the coronavirus. Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Thank you so much for having me, Ron.

All right, you take care.

Thanks, you too.

Bye. Thanks for listening. Whether you've been on the continuous improvement journey for many years, or perhaps you're just getting started, Gemba Academy is here to support you. And while we're best known for our more than 1500 lean and 6 Sigma teaching and virtual tour videos, we also have a team of experienced Lean and Six Sigma practitioners available for one on one coaching, as well as a variety of Lean and Six Sigma certification options. To learn more and to schedule a demo, head on over to gembaacademy.com.