Getting off the training treadmill: Do you have Standard Operating Procedures in place?
Many organisations in the social sector are on a perpetual treadmill of training and re-training. High attrition rates and a consistent shortage of trained manpower mean vast amounts of time and effort are invested in recruitment and training—over and over again. Despite this, outcomes remain highly person-dependent, and adherence to critical processes varies from individual to individual.
The result? Senior management is caught in an endless cycle of onboarding and hand-holding, leaving little time to focus on strategic priorities. If this sounds familiar, the solution may lie in something many nonprofits overlook: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
What are Standard Operating Procedures?
SOPs are detailed, step-by-step instructions that document how critical, recurring processes should be carried out. Think of them as algorithms written in easy-to-understand language—clear instructions with defined timelines, responsibilities, and expected outcomes.
Well-written SOPs ensure that irrespective of who is performing the task, uniformity and quality are maintained. They act as both an operational guide and an induction handbook for new recruits.
Why SOPs matter for nonprofits
SOPs do more than document processes. They:
- Ensure consistency and quality. When processes are documented, outputs don't depend on individual interpretation or memory. Teams deliver consistent results across locations and over time.
- Reduce dependency on individuals. When key staff leave, institutional knowledge doesn't walk out the door with them. New recruits can get up to speed faster using SOPs as a reference.
- Free up senior management time. Instead of repeatedly answering the same questions or re-training staff, leaders can focus on strategic work.
- Increase accountability. Clear expectations and documented processes make it easier to hold team members accountable for outcomes.
- Enable scalability. SOPs create the foundation for replicating programmes across locations or partner organisations with confidence.
An opportunity to improve efficiency and effectiveness
Developing SOPs isn't just about documentation—it's an opportunity to evaluate whether your current processes are efficient and resource-effective. This is the time to ask:
- Are we using the minimum resources and time to achieve the desired outcome?
- Are there redundant steps that can be eliminated?
- Are responsibilities clearly assigned?
- Can this process be simplified without compromising quality?
The process of developing SOPs involves reviewing each critical function, discussing alternative methods where needed, testing improvements, and only then finalising the documented process.
Why many organisations struggle to develop SOPs
Despite understanding the value of SOPs, many organisations struggle to develop them. The most common challenge? Everyday work always takes priority. Urgent tasks push aside the important but not-urgent work of documenting processes.
Multiple in-house attempts often lose momentum as teams get pulled back into operational firefighting. This is where external support can be valuable—bringing structure, discipline, and an outside perspective to get the work done.
Toybank's experience
Toybank, an organisation promoting the right to play for all children, faced exactly this challenge. After several attempts to develop SOPs in-house, they reached out to Theia Impact to help document processes across every department.
The exercise involved evaluating each critical process for efficiency, discussing alternatives, and finalising streamlined approaches before documentation. Once SOPs were in place, Toybank trained all employees—new and existing—to follow them.
Shweta Chari, Chief Executive of Toybank, shared the impact:
"With SOPs in place, we have a fantastic platform to keep getting better, and it has immediately cleared off the dependencies we had on team members. We use our SOPs for everything, including inducting new team members. It has streamlined our work, breaking the inconsistencies. It makes the expectations from team members very clear. And most of all, the SOPs have become a reference document for us internally to build newer versions of our programmes. We feel organised and completely ready for more work now!"
The long-term gain of a short-term investment
Many nonprofits hesitate to invest time in developing SOPs. It feels like one more project added to an already overwhelming workload. But it's important to recognise that this is a short-term drain on resources for long-term gain.
Once SOPs are in place, they free up significant time and mental energy that can be redirected to strategic, high-impact work—rather than constantly running after the urgent.
Final thought
If your organisation is stuck on the training treadmill—constantly onboarding, re-training, and firefighting—it might be time to step back and ask: Do we have the systems in place to deliver consistently, regardless of who is doing the work?
SOPs are not bureaucratic paperwork. They're a critical capacity-building tool that enables your organisation to scale, maintain quality, and free up leadership to focus on what truly matters.