Life Remodeled is Dr. Chris Lambert’s nonprofit organization founded in 2010 with the desire to help the Detroit community. Life Remodeled began by offering projects similar to the hit TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. First building houses for low-income families and then seeking larger commitments impacting the school districts and larger community. After the success of his own nonprofit, Dr. Chris Lambert sought to spread his success with his book “Next Level Nonprofit: Build a Dream Team + Increase Lasting Impact.”
However, he found other nonprofit organizations weren’t attracted to historically business-guided programs. Nonprofits often boast about operating on another level than businesses for profit and purposefully avoid stereotypical for-profit business solutions, jargon, and programming. But, as Lambert portrays in this book, operating seamlessly, with the best team, at the highest level is still important, for-profit or nonprofit aside. So, using his business acumen, knowledge, and thirst for creating high impact, Lambert developed the Next Level Nonprofit program.
Offering his own team of mentors and guides, Lambert is committed to driving success for all.
Ultimately, team unity + compelling vision + right strategy + disciplined execution = lasting impact. But, as “Next Level Nonprofit” elaborates, there is a great level of detail and deliberation to make this formula a true success.
Despite its target market being nonprofit leaders, I thought many of the concepts and conceptualizations lend well to all businesses, across all industries. In fact, any organization with employees stands to benefit from this book and program.
There are simple changes suggested, such as retiring the word “manager” and using the word “coach.” Or implementing “support” instead of “report” to job roles. I also loved the references to hiring for the “reindeer standard” because while unicorns may not be real, reindeer delivering Santa’s presents evokes a magical feeling, and reindeer exist in real life. So, find the magical reindeer, the caliber of individual that feels fictitious but is real.
Lambert offers not just these tidbits, but also meeting guideposts and examples from within his own organization to help guide leaders to the next level. Every nonprofit wants to make a lasting impact on those it serves. Lambert’s “Next Level Nonprofit” seeks to help readers do just that!