Scaling Agile Across Non-Profit Organizations
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-agstrpladptch-09
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About the Article
Scaling agile practices across non-profit organizations requires more than replicating team-level processes—it demands systemic coordination, cultural alignment, and adaptive frameworks that fit mission-driven, resource-constrained environments. This article explores strategies for expanding agile beyond small teams through mechanisms such as Scrum of Scrums, shared backlogs, coordination meetings, and open-source collaboration tools. It reviews enterprise-level frameworks—Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), and Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD)—analyzing how they can be adapted to non-profit governance and operational realities. Drawing from healthcare, education, and disaster relief case studies, the article demonstrates how incremental scaling, standardized playbooks, and affordable digital tools can strengthen communication, accountability, and responsiveness. It argues that scaling agile is not a technical shift but an organizational transformation that embeds agility into structure and culture. For scholars, it contributes to debates on enterprise agility in social impact sectors; for practitioners, it offers practical models for achieving coordinated, flexible, and resilient organizational systems.
Key Topics
- Scaling agile in non-profit organizations
- Scrum of Scrums and cross-team coordination
- SAFe, LeSS, and DAD frameworks
- Resource optimization and open-source tools
- Organizational alignment and communication
- Enterprise-level agility and governance
Suggested Citation
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Scaling Agile Across Non-Profit Organizations. NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-agstrpladptch-09
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