Interested in participating in a future OHI for Nonprofits program?
Why organizational health matters
Research from our OHI for Nonprofits program shows significant differences between staff in the most and least healthy nonprofits. For example, staff who...
Most healthy refers to nonprofits that scored in the top quartile. Least healthy refers to those that scored in the bottom quartile. Findings based on OHI responses from nonprofits in 2022.
Insights
Organizational health provides a clear path to developing and retaining talent, helping nonprofits advance their missions and sustain impact for the communities they serve
Taking a more structured approach to building and sustaining an inclusive work environment can help nonprofits better retain staff and deliver on their missions.
The Organizational Health Index (OHI) measures nine key outcomes of organizational health and identifies actionable practices that organizations can implement to improve their effectiveness.
Unlike employee engagement surveys, the OHI not only measures where you are now, but helps you improve by teaching you how to identify and address behaviors that matter most for your organization. The OHI for Nonprofits survey also includes questions about impact, retention, and inclusion.
Over the last 20 years, the OHI has been completed by more than 7 million employees from public, private, and social sector institutions globally. Through McKinsey.org, nonprofits around the world can access this powerful tool at no cost.
What participating organizations receive
Access to an organization-wide survey to diagnose current ways of working.
A custom organizational health report, including comparison to McKinsey’s nonprofit benchmark.
Best practice resources to improve organizational health.
McK.org - OHI - Explore the program
Nine organizational health outcomes and fifty-two management practices
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Direction
- Shared Vision
- Clear Mission
- Strategic Clarity
- Employee Involvement
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Leadership
- Authoritative Leadership
- Consultative Leadership
- Supportive Leadership
- Challenging Leadership
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Work Environment
- Open & Trusting
- Performance Transparency
- Operationally Disciplined
- Creative & Entrepreneurial
- Multiple Viewpoints
- Organizational Connectivity
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Accountability
- Role Clarity
- Performance Contracts
- Consequence Management
- Personal Ownership
- Decision Rights
- Decision Processes
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Coordination & Control
- People Performance Review
- Operational Management
- Financial Management
- Professional Standards
- Risk Management
- Efficient Prioritization
- Evaluation
- Sustainable Funding
- Resources
- Infrastructure
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Capabilities
- Talent Acquisition
- Talent Development
- Process Based Capabilities
- Outsourced Expertise
- Subject-Matter Expertise
- Fundraising
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Motivation
- Meaningful Values
- Inspirational Leaders
- Career Opportunities
- Financial Incentives
- Rewards & Recognition
- Compelling Mission
- Intrinsic Motivation
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External Orientation
- Beneficiary Focus
- Position in Ecosystem
- External Partnerships
- Government & Community Relations
- Stakeholder Management
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Innovation & Learning
- Top-Down Innovation
- Bottom-Up Innovation
- Knowledge Sharing
- Capturing External Ideas
Practices identified include those that apply to all organizations and several that are specific to the social sector and nonprofit organizations.
Interested in participating in a future OHI for Nonprofits program?
FAQs
McK.org - OHI - FAQs
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Which nonprofits are eligible?
Nonprofits must have at least 20 staff members to participate (i.e., full-time and part-time staff and contractors working in a staff augmentation capacity, who are responsible for core operations).
Nonprofits may not be hospitals or healthcare systems, universities, lobbying organizations, or government- or state-owned entities.
Nonprofits must pass a screening against standard international Watchlists and Sanctions lists.
Nonprofits must be able to allocate a Project Manager who is proficient in English to run the OHI and who can dedicate ~10 hours from application form until survey closure (e.g., to set up the survey, share survey communications, send follow-up emails to staff to increase participation). Example Project Managers could include HR colleagues or dedicated PMs within the nonprofit.
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Who manages the survey process?
Your organization designates a Project Manager who runs the survey process end-to-end within the organization. The McKinsey.org OHI for Nonprofits team will provide administrative support by email.
The Project Manager will have access to a portal in which they can configure and launch the survey, monitor response rates, find helpful resources, and download results. It should take Project Managers 15 minutes to setup their organization’s survey, if no customizations.
The Project Manager is responsible for managing all internal communications regarding the survey. The OHI portal does not send automated emails to survey participants.
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Who takes the survey?
All staff—including full-time and part-time staff and contractors working in a staff augmentation capacity, who are responsible for core operations—should participate in the survey. Participating nonprofits should target at least 70% participation from staff.
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How long does it take to complete the survey?
The OHI generally takes 20–30 minutes for individual staff to complete, but some employees may take longer depending on the level of feedback they wish to provide.
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What languages are available?
The OHI is available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu. Project Managers must be proficient in English, as the OHI Portal and all communications from the McKinsey.org team will be in English.
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Who will be able to see my organization’s OHI results?
Your organization’s OHI results will be presented to you in an aggregated or grouped manner. Your organization’s OHI results can be accessed through the OHI Portal by a Project Manager your organization designates.
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Will my organization’s OHI results be shared publicly?
Your organization’s OHI results will not be identified with you publicly without your consent. However, your organization’s survey data may be combined with similar survey data from other participating organizations to develop and publish materials related to the OHI, including benchmarks, research, analysis, and publications.
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How does this relate to the McKinsey Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT)?The OHI for Nonprofits comes as an alternative to the now-retired McKinsey Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT), and takes a more holistic view of capacity and organizational health.
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What else should I know?
This program provides nonprofits with a standard benchmark report and access to best practice webinars. It is not a consulting engagement with McKinsey, does not constitute targeted recommendations or professional advice, and does not form a consulting or client relationship between McKinsey and the organization.
Only a staff member with the authority to sign up the organization to participate in this effort should complete the application form.