New Bridgespan Study Highlights Potential of Multi-Service Organizations to Solve Complex Social Problems: Identifies Barriers and Solutions to Achieving Better Client Outcomes

BOSTON, MA,-July 30, 2011- A recently published paper by the Bridgespan Group “Clients at the Center: Realizing the Potential of Multi-Service Organizations (MSOs),” examines the potential of MSOs (nonprofits that provide services across multiple categories such as substance abuse, housing, and education) to transform the lives of people struggling with multiple, complex social problems. According to the paper, while MSOs are meant to offer holistic, long-term focused services, too often, they are stymied by a set of reinforcing strategic, financial and operational barriers.

A key hurdle cited in the research is the tendency of many MSOs to organize around the services they deliver (service-centric) rather than around the needs of the clients they serve (client-centric). As one nonprofit CEO who was interviewed commented, “Nonprofit leaders who try to run client-centric, multi-service organizations are paddling upstream all the way, against a strong current of funding trends and the tendency of services to become insular, not to mention all the attention that single-service organizations have been getting. MSOs will need to change if they are to improve the odds of helping clients significantly improve their own lives and hence the fabric of their communities.”

According to the paper’s co-author Bridgespan Partner Bob Searle, “Through our client engagements and related research, we have been privileged to encounter a number of MSOs –including Our Piece of the Pie (Hartford), Congreso de Latinos Unidos (Philadelphia), Crittenton Women’s Union (Boston), Latin American Youth Center (Washington, DC), and Four Oaks (Iowa)—that are tacking this problem head on.” Among the steps those groups are taking:
• Moving from holding themselves accountable for short-term, service-specific outcomes to holding themselves accountable for long-term, holistic outcomes
• Setting up clients to receive multiple services (if needed), based on a plan that they create with staff
• Maintaining extended relationships with clients to ensure they achieve and maintain long-term outcomes
• Ensuring that there are personnel and processes in place to deliver multiple coordinated services
• Using data not just for reporting purposes but also to continually improve service delivery”
“However,” cautions Searle, “MSOs cannot make these changes alone; government and private funders also have an important role to play in helping these organizations increase their social impact.” Among the recommended steps that funders could take:
• Focusing as much effort on the outcomes they desire to see as on adherence to a specific service model
• Providing longer-term support
• Investing in the integration roles, processes, and performance measurement systems that too often are considered ‘overhead.
Says Searle, “We wrote this paper to share what a number of pioneer MSOs are doing to achieve better outcomes for their clients, and to encourage more research and discussion about the full potential of MSOs, not only on the part of their leadership and boards, but also among the public officials, philanthropists, and policy makers who control their funding.”

About The Bridgespan Group
Founded in 2000 and incubated at Bain & Company, the Bridgespan Group (www.bridgespan.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps nonprofit and philanthropic leaders to make strategic decisions and to build organizations that inspire and accelerate social change. At the heart of our mission is the belief that a strong and effective nonprofit sector can be a powerful force for change as well as a source of human inspiration.

We believe that results are driven by three levers: solid strategy; access to appropriately structured capital; and talent that begins with leaders and senior managers. We exist to apply the best relevant thinking and tools to strengthen these levers and to help organizations deliver on their missions. Our services include strategy consulting, executive search, and philanthropy advising.

For further information, please contact: Liz London, Director of Media and Conferences, 646-562-8906, liz.london@bridgespan.org.

The Bridgespan Group
535 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Liz London
646 562 8906
Liz.London@Bridgespan.org

This release was published on openPR.