Organisational Practices for Enhancing Resilience in Non-Profits
Author: Dr. Anna Neya Kazanskaia
Publisher: NEYA Global Publishing
Article | NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies
Year: 2025
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5669-1676
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-rslpsstrldtm-06
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About the Article
Organisational resilience in the non-profit sector represents a strategic capability that enables sustained mission fulfilment amid chronic uncertainty and external shocks. This article identifies and analyses key practices through which NGOs can institutionalise resilience across structural, cultural, strategic, and governance dimensions. It highlights adaptive organisational cultures that promote learning and flexibility, decentralised structures that enhance responsiveness, and scenario-based planning for proactive risk management. Governance mechanisms—such as board oversight, leadership succession, and diversified financing—are examined as stabilising elements that ensure continuity and accountability. Equally, supportive work environments addressing workload, psychosocial safety, and trust are presented as prerequisites for sustaining human capital. The article argues that true organisational resilience emerges not from isolated measures but from the systemic integration of adaptive culture, accountable governance, and staff well-being, transforming resilience from a crisis response into a long-term strategic competency for sustainable impact.
Key Topics
- Organisational resilience and sustainability
- Adaptive structures and decentralised decision-making
- Scenario planning and contingency management
- Non-profit governance and financial diversification
- Psychosocial support and workplace well-being
- Integrating culture, structure, and strategy
Suggested Citation
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Organisational Practices for Enhancing Resilience in Non-Profits. NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-rslpsstrldtm-06
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