Don Howard and Abigail Rubin

Why do some organizations succeed year after year, while others are unable to sustain outstanding results for more than a year or two at a time? While the explanation might seem to be as easy as the old adage, "success begets success," in practice the virtuous cycles that drive high performing organizations are anything but effortless.

Continuing to help homeless youth exit life on the street was paramount to Larkin Street Youth Services' Executive Director Anne Stanton when she teamed up with Bridgespan in April 2003. The momentum to launch new programs was strong, and opportunities to expand their services were many. But with a turbulent economy threatening to constrain funding, Stanton knew that they would have to be extremely thoughtful about plotting their course to sustain Larkin Street's record of success.

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