My Top 3 Reasons for Standards for Excellence by Maria Carrasquillo, MJH Consulting Last month, I was one of many who have been certified as a Licensed Consultant with the Standards for Excellence Institute (SFX). The three-day training was informative, intriguing, and invigorating. For many, many years, my eyes have been following this program and, finally, I find myself sitting in a room with twenty participants. As I processed my experience, I gave some serious thought to my personal reasons for participating in the program and, most of all, why now. After mulling it over, I came up with three reasons why I became a Licensed Consultant for the Standards for Excellence Institute and here they are:

1. Strengthen Capacity Building. I wanted to be able to help organizations with strengthening their capacity. Nowadays, organizations are getting more complex and always striving to do more for the growing needs of the communities they serve with limited resources. I wanted to be a part of helping them build and strengthen.
2. Professional Growth.  As a trainer, this is what I promote but I’m also a genuine believer of life-long learning and this was a learning opportunity I couldn’t resist.
3. The Clock Struck Twelve.  The stars were aligned, the universe was pointing me in that direction and I didn’t resist it. As a good friend always says, ‘there are no mistakes in the universe’.

  What I didn’t anticipate was the extras that I got from participating in the training, such as an opportunity to meet like-minded professionals that have become a great resource for me (and we’re just getting started); a structure that will help me move non-profits forward; and the tools to help them get them there. Most importantly, I believe that this experience has given me a deeper understanding of the Standards for Excellence and its true purpose. For me, it’s a path for non-profits to create a ripple effect for innovation, performance management at many levels, and making a collective impact on the sector. I’m proud to be a part of that ripple.