Many non-profit organization leaders find it difficult to engage in strategic planning, particularly in this period of uncertainty and disruption. You may feel that you can’t take your foot off the gas pedal to engage in a thought exercise when you are concerned about delivering services...
Yet it is critically important to be strategic during times of crisis and change. Strategic planning can be dynamic, continuous, and flexible. It creates agency for the organization, new opportunities for impact, new partnerships, #strategy key pivots. A visual tool for non-profit strategic planning is the Mission Model Canvas
(Osterwalder and Blank) There has been some skepticism about applying business strategies and models to mission-driven non-profits because of the focus on margin. In this process, there is a good balance between mission and margin. Attention is focused on mission fulfillment by considering the value proposition your organization creates with its beneficiaries. The Value Proposition Canvas focuses on product/market fit, how a product or service is positioned around what the customer values and needs. Strategic planning also needs to be coupled with more agile design techniques that point your organization to the future.
Moving from fear to fearless
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about fear and fearlessness in my life. Are they really opposites? Is being fearless, about the absence of fear?
On the contrary. In a November TED Interview, Gloria Steinem talked about developing her fearlessness by engaging with things she feared, like public speaking. “I become a writer so I would not have to speak”. So she asked a friend, to speak with her and together they spoke publicly, compelled by their commitment to the women’s movement.
Maybe some keys to moving from fear to fearlessness are doing it with the support of others and having a compelling enough purpose that you have no choice but to move forward despite your fears. There have been moments in my life where I stood on the precipice of something great and important but hesitated. At that moment, asking for support and joining others made the leap more possible.
What helps you move from fear to fearlessness?
Responding to the Energy of Clients
How do you respond to the energy characteristics of a client?
I find that part of being a good consultant is understanding my client’s energy characteristics and how they deal with stressors, novelty, and conflict. I wonder though is it my job to be a cheerleader? Should I always play the same role in the partnership, carrying positive emotional energy?
Most great partnerships are fluid around emotional energy. Some have a yin and yang quality, opposite energy that is fluid and dynamic. Think Penn and Teller or Lucy and Ethel. What do you do to acknowledge the emotional characteristics of your client? Do you have ways to harness this energy to move forward?
Communicating Your Oranization's Unique Voice
Do you work hard to create polished corporate fundraising materials for your organization? What if you did this one thing instead…
What if you found your organization’s unique voice instead and through it conveyed its specialness?
Think of the memorable organizational voice created in the long-running series “The Office.” There is no question that you are entering a unique world and at the same time get a window into the universal office experience.
Imagine if we captured the unique voice and character of our organization. This might convey to our constituents not only what we do, but the unique way we approach our work. Sharing our organizational voice helps convey our passion, our values.
The show “Schitt’s Creek” features the formerly elite wealthy Rose family, now broke and living in this small town. The characters are all quirky with distinct ways of talking, their urban black and white stylings set against the backdrop of a downtrodden motel where they are now living.
How can your organization be a character in your narrative? This might differentiate you from the many other organizations that do similar work.
What are some memorable organizations you know and what are the ways they express their unique voice?
#fundraising, #nonprofit, #Commnications
What I Have Learned Firsthand About Leadership Transition
The Presidential transition turmoil has got me thinking….
What should you consider during a nonprofit leadership transition? I have been on both sides of this question, having transitioned into the executive role and then leaving the organization. It is such a fragile, fraught time and it can also provide an infusion of energy that pushes the mission forward, Here is what I learned about this transition:
*Seek to understand before being understood. Listen carefully to the hopes and expectations of the staff;
*Reflect this learning back to the organization as the start of a future vision;
*Involve your beneficiaries and key stakeholders as advisors and thought partners;
* Find the right stance between stability and growth;
*Over-communicate with honesty and transparency;
* A whole organization vision setting process may be more successful than a top-down approach;
* Respect the legacy of prior leadership and work within the organizational culture;
And finally, participate in a leadership peer group or work with a coach for personal support, doubts, insecurities, and encouragement.
What do you think leaders should consider when they take the reins of an organization?
Funder-Partners
Do you want to create a more dynamic relationship with your funders?
Consider involving your funders in your design process. Using active design strategies, you can create an innovaton environment that involves both internal and external stakeholders. We have focused on building funder relationships around a shared purpose. What if you involved your funders as partners, in the design, development, and dissemination of your work? Here are some thoughts:
· Engage Funder-Partners in your design team and agile processes;
· Provide opportunities for funders to bring their expertise into the design team;
· Get feedback from your funder-partners on prototypes and pilots, early and often;
· Involve members from across your organization in developing the funder-partner relationship.
These approaches create a long-term commitment to your institution with the added collaborative and design pieces.
What are the ways you have involved foundation and corporate funders in your work?
The Value of a Mentor
I credit one key ingredient that was critical to my success throughout my fundraising career.
Having at least one long-term mentor has been a critical aspect of my fundraising and non-profit career growth. My mentor was an executive who was very senior in her career
While not a fundraiser herself, she was a strong non-profit leader, determined, mission-driven, and entrepreneurial. As a mentor, she challenged me while building my confidence, helped me to find my voice, supported me during difficult decisions, and collaborated with me in all aspects of the fundraising work. As a mentor, she was not only a champion but a constructive critique whose feedback helped me to rapidly refine my work. Having a great mentor motivated me to become a mentor to other early-career professionals.
What has your mentor provided and what did they mean to you? Let me know in the comments below.
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