Hitting nonprofit bookshelves near you this May is Randal Moss and David Neff’s The Future of Nonprofits. The nonprofit landscape will change drastically in the next five years. Moss and Neff show how the change will be shaped by innovation, internal entrepreneurship, fundraising, and social media.

We’ve all worked for nonprofits caught up in their daily grind. They are stuck on the way they’ve always done things; ignore ideas, tools, and inspiration that do not fit their traditional model.  While they may be doing great work, that work hasn’t changed it years. They are losing donors, attention to their cause, and falling behind.

If change at your organization is reactive to external stimulants, you are too late.

Tips for building a culture of innovation:

• Innovation for the sake of innovation is pointless. It must be tied to your mission and your organization’s impact. When done right, innovation will help your organization to do things faster, cheaper, and drive business.

• While you can improve your environment – get creative, inspire innovation – it only goes so far. Your organization needs people capable of executing the innovative ideas. Only once as idea is executed does is become an innovation. Otherwise, it’s just an idea.

• Being innovative as an individual within your organization is not enough. If you are the one carrying the innovation flame, what will happen when you leave? That flame will burn out. As a champion of innovation, you need to start at the top. Executive buy-in is critical. It is the only way your organization will build a culture of innovation.

If you are ready to carry the torch of change, pick up a copy of The Future of Nonprofits.