High-performance nonprofit organizations closely resemble high-performance companies—except for crucial ways in which they don’t resemble companies at all. Sharon Oster's recognition of this changed the field of nonprofit organizational strategy.

After sitting down with Christopher Dawes, who served as CEO of Packard Children's for nearly two decades, we continue by sharing insights from Susan Packard Orr, the esteemed philanthropist whose leadership has made Packard Children's the most high-performing children's hospital in the nation.

Christopher Dawes, former president and CEO of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Children's Health, offers wisdom on the value of preparation, the benefits of bringing people together, and the need for focus and vision.

The real work of change today happens within teams of people who come together around specific goals. This way of organizing work has become a key factor in equipping nonprofit organizations to achieve extraordinary impact.

An emerging organizational model emphasizes the value of enabling people to work in dynamic, open teams. Recent research highlights the promise of this model—particularly in the social sector.

Leadership in the social sector requires a dual commitment. On the one hand, leaders must work rigorously to maximize impact. On the other hand, they must honor the dignity that lies in any effort to support people in need.

Early encounters with two exceptional social entrepreneurs—Bill Drayton and Roy Prosterman—led to a clear understanding of what it takes to achieve high impact at scale in the social sector.

Today, most nonprofits organizations fall short of meeting their full potential. To prepare for the Impact Era, they must improve their performance in areas that range from board governance to strategy.

The U.S. nonprofit sector provides many opportunities for people to come together for a common purpose. And today Americans have a unique opportunity to focus the sector not just on activity but on impact.