Driving Nonprofit Impact Through Tech & Strategy

Discussion with Enza Fumarola

After more than four decades leading complex transformations in the IT, services, and M&A sectors across Europe, Enza Fumarola has shifted her focus from profit-driven enterprise leadership to guiding nonprofits through structural change, digital maturity, and strategic growth. Currently serving as a senior advisor and board member at MNoP (ManagerNoProfit, a non-profit organization that supports NGOs across a range of areas), she brings a wealth of business acumen to mission-driven environments. In this article, Fumarola breaks down which corporate strategies translate to nonprofit success, how to manage digital transformation responsibly, and why governance, humility, and co-creation are key to sustainable impact.

Structuring Purpose: Adapting Business Frameworks to Nonprofit Realities

While many business leaders assume nonprofit management is a simplified version of corporate governance, Fumarola emphasizes that leading in the nonprofit world demands a fundamental mindset shift. Still, several frameworks from the private sector have proven invaluable. Chief among them is the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) model, which she sees as crucial for impact tracking and strategic alignment.

“The most impactful framework includes sure OKR, that is objective and key results, improving alignment and impact tracking”, she notes. But beyond performance metrics, structured change management, especially Kotter’s model, has enabled smoother transitions for staff and volunteers alike.

However, she also cautions that not all corporate tools translate directly. Profit-oriented ROI calculations must be reframed to reflect social value, mission alignment, and long-term sustainability. “Some profit-driven models must be adapted, particularly those focused on financial return of investment, to better align with nonprofit focus and social value”, she explains. 

Digital Transformation with Purpose: From Readiness to Return

Nonprofits, particularly small-to-mid-sized ones, often postpone technology adoption due to perceived budget limitations, complexity, or lack of technical expertise. Yet as Fumarola points out, there are undeniable signs that signal when digital transformation is no longer a luxury but a necessity. “Key indicators include inability to track or report impact effectively, redundant manual processes causing inefficiencies, and difficulty sharing or integrating data with partners”, she explains. These inefficiencies are not just operational, they undermine trust and the organization’s credibility. “When these signs emerge, technology adoption shifts from being optional to essential for sustainability and credibility of the organization”.

However, adopting technology blindly can backfire. Fumarola emphasizes that any investment must align with the organization’s actual capacity. “There is no sense to create a monster if you are not able to manage the system”, Fumarola warns. The purpose of digital transformation is not to replicate what works in the private sector, but to enhance mission delivery in a way that is sustainable and effective for the nonprofit context.

To guide that alignment, Fumarola relies on a structured approach that begins with a digital maturity assessment. “My approach includes initial digital maturity assessment through interviews and process mapping”, she explains. This diagnostic phase helps uncover not just technological gaps, but also cultural readiness. It enables nonprofits to define SMART objectives, involve stakeholders early in the design process, and establish relevant KPIs, such as time saved, error reduction, and improved data quality, that measure return on effort.

“Sustainable tech adoption depends as much on culture as on budget”, she notes. “The term co-creation is the new terminology you need to learn”. For Fumarola, effective digital transformation requires shared ownership, practical scope, and mission alignment. It is not about jumping on trends, it’s about empowering people, elevating impact, and ensuring long-term value from every system put in place.

M&A Thinking for the Social Sector

Mergers and acquisitions may sound foreign, even aggressive, in the context of nonprofit work. But Fumarola argues that the strategic thinking behind M&A is essential for modern nonprofits, especially when it comes to consolidation, shared services, and sustainable growth.

“To think about mergers and acquisition, we need to support strategic partnership to increase impact and reduce overhead”, Fumarola explains. By pooling back-office operations like finance or HR, organizations can redirect resources toward direct services. But as in the private sector, success depends on careful cultural alignment, governance clarity, and long-term viability.

“Shared services model like finance, between a structured approach to evaluating culture fit, governance and sustainability, is critical in nonprofit as in private sector”, Fomarola says. Moving from survival mode to a strategy of scale and resilience requires bold thinking and cross-sectoral collaboration.

Redefining Success: Mission Before Efficiency

In the corporate world, success is often equated with maximizing efficiency and profit margins. But for nonprofits, Fumarola argues, true success lies in cultivating adaptive capacity, long-term mission alignment, and stakeholder trust. Efficiency alone can’t measure an organization’s social value or its readiness to serve evolving community needs.

“Success means the organization becomes more effective, adaptable, and mission-driven, not just more efficient”, Fumarola describes. She urges leaders to evaluate progress through a broader lens, where metrics like stakeholder satisfaction, automation, and sustainable processes signal organizational maturity.

“Improved stakeholder satisfaction, both internal and external, means increased fundraising, for example”, she adds. By tying operational improvements to deeper outcomes like donor trust and service continuity, nonprofits can establish a virtuous cycle of growth, credibility, and social impact. This reframing elevates impact as the core KPI, not just throughput or cost-saving.

Governance and Structure: Building the Foundation for Resilience

In her advisory work, Fumarola often finds that nonprofit inefficiencies stem not from lack of passion or purpose but from outdated governance and weak internal scaffolding. These structural gaps range from informal planning processes to missing strategic roles and unclear board responsibilities. “Common barriers include weak or informal governance, lack of key roles such as project managers, data analysts, IT leaders, and resistance to change”, she notes. That resistance, she adds, is frequently rooted in culture rather than technology.

To address these challenges, Fumarola focuses on turning governance into an engine for strategic clarity. “Most transferable tools include diverse, engaged boards with clear responsibilities, strategic planning, risk management frameworks, and regular board self-evaluation”, she explains. Such tools, borrowed from the private sector but adapted for nonprofit realities, help shift leadership from reactive to proactive and foster transparency, foresight, and accountability.

Her interventions typically begin with executive coaching and capacity-building. “Interventions involve coaching board and executive teams, building internal capacity through targeted training, and leading participatory change processes that engage all stakeholders”, Fumarola annotates. This inclusive approach is key. Rather than imposing quick fixes, Fumarola champions stakeholder-led transformation that reflects the values and mission of the organization.

When governance is viewed not as a compliance obligation but as a growth enabler, it becomes the backbone of resilience. It provides alignment, unlocks innovation, and offers a reliable compass for navigating complexity. As Fumarola suggests, structural reform is not just an operational fix. It’s a strategic investment in long-term impact.

The Mindset Shift for Executives Entering the Sector

Finally, Fumarola offers a compelling reframing for executives pivoting from corporate to nonprofit work: the very instincts that breed success in profit-driven environments must often be reined in. Metrics, speed, and authority must give way to empathy, inclusion, and patience.

“Executives often need to unlearn the assumption that efficiency is the sole measure of success”, Fumarola says. A bias for rapid action and centralized decision-making can inadvertently undermine trust and participation in mission-driven teams.

To thrive, leaders must embrace a slower, deeper approach, one grounded in humility, active listening, and coalition-building. “It requires shifting from fixing to co-creating solutions”, she explains.

Executive Takeaways

• Governance drives strategic clarity: Robust governance transforms nonprofits from reactive caretakers to proactive change agents. When boards are diverse, accountable, and strategically engaged, they provide the discipline and foresight needed to navigate complex missions with resilience.
• Digital tools must empower, not overwhelm: Technology should be a strategic enabler, amplifying impact, improving transparency, and strengthening stakeholder trust. It must be grounded in operational reality and designed for usability, not just innovation.
• Collaboration enables scalable transformation: Purposeful partnerships and shared services can radically increase nonprofit efficiency and reach. Yet, true collaboration requires aligned values, co-created outcomes, and the ability to share power across organizations.