Articulate a simple, selfless, big idea that inspires and involves others. In other words, cast a vision that is easy to understand, imagine, and is meaningful to the listener. Tying your vision to your mission statement helps make it unique and inspiring.
Your nonprofit’s clients come to your nonprofit because they have unmet needs. They also have unfulfilled wants. Your programing is designed to meet their needs. Your vision should describe the something more your programing does to fulfill their recognized and unrecognized wants. Your description should also resonate with your community and be something that is meaningful, measurable, and durable.
What is the something more your nonprofit offers its clients?
Do your clients believe that the something more your nonprofit offers is unique and valuable?
Donors want more than just a cause to support. The something more must be something valuable, measurable, durable, and unique from the donors’ perspectives. The same is true for your other supporters.
What is the something more your nonprofit offers its supporters?
Do your supporters believe that the something more your nonprofit offers is unique and valuable?
Your staff members want more than just a job. They want to feel fulfilled, that they are serving a purpose that is important to themselves and others, that they will achieve goals that matter to them, and want a sense of fellowship.
Does your nonprofit offer its staff members more than a job?
Does the rate of turnover in your staff confirm that your nonprofit provides more than a job?
It is up to your board to make the decisions, establish the goals, and set the priorities that make it possible to have a resounding yes to each of the preceding questions. In addition, it is usually inexpensive to create a yes for each of the questions.
Once you have a vision, cast it so that it resonates with each stakeholder group including your community. Since each of your stakeholder groups play a unique role in the success and sustainability of your mission, they each need their own version of the vision. Each version is probably just a subset of the larger organizational vision but specifically tailored for the audience.
You will want to provide your staff with the strategic and long-term goals associated with the vision. Working with your various board committees, the staff will be able to translate the goals into the actions, processes, and results necessary to achieve the goals.
Next Step:
Cast or revisit your nonprofit’s vision
Establish the goals that will demonstrate the vision is being actualized
Let your staff create the activities, processes, and results necessary to actualize the vision
Use each stakeholder group’s level of engagement to determine how inspiring your vision is and how well it is received by the group
The number of nonprofits with a highly effective vision is low. In part because vision casting is something most people rarely or never do, which makes it difficult to do it well. There are three points to remember. One is that the only thing it costs to cast a vision is time. The second is that a vision is one more source of inspiration for everyone. The third is that vision casting is a skill that improves with practice. If you encourage your board to revisit the vision annually, your board’s skills will dramatically improve.
You will also notice that the process of casting a vision increases board member engagement. In part because it is hard for most of us to think about the future without being optimistic. In addition, people are inspired by being part of a group that is going to change the world.
A vision provides other benefits. Inspired clients achieve more, which means better outcomes and more value for your clients and community. Inspired donors are more generous and loyal, which means better financial support and a higher level of sustainability. Inspired staff members are more productive and easier to retain.
Cast a vision and everyone will benefit.
Take It Further:
Encourage your board members to think big because thinking big is inspiring for the thinker and others
Recruit board members who are optimistic about the future because only an optimist can envision a better tomorrow
