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What is the difference between a desire and a goal? Without a plan, more vitality, strength, and sustainability are just desires. Without a plan, how will you convince the staff, donors, referral sources, and others that you are serious, intentional, and know how to do it? Unless you write down your plan how will others follow it? Without milestones how will you know if the plan is working? [...]  Numerical growth is only one example of growth. Is it the right one for your favorite nonprofit? It is the most popular measure because it is the most important measure to retail operations and retail is the most visible business activity around us. However, other growth measures can be more important. [...] Leaders must think strategically. However, we seldom train them to do what we demand. Many who serve on a nonprofit board are serving on a board for the first time. Their employment requires operational thinking. As a result, they think about details first, the big picture second, and strategy is a problem solving tool rather than a planning tool. [...] Success is a 50/50 proposition. Half of success is making the right decision. Half of success is being able to execute the decision. [...] Should we fire the leader who blames others or has some other set of excuses for failure? Sometimes the answer is yes. The answer is no most of the time. [...] If every board meeting focused on what is important to the primary stakeholder, success would follow. When the primary stakeholder is served, the agency finds peace, unity, and a sense of fulfillment. A collateral or coincidental benefit is an increase in clients, volunteers, collaborations, and donations. [...] Fundraisers are a waste of time, effort, and annoy people. If that were true, why would you hold one? The common answer is because we need the money. Are you raising enough money to justify the time, effort, and ill will? [...] One can connect the passion of the donor to the mission. The strategic plan is the connection. The strategic plan must be concrete, creditable, and have an emotional element. [...] A strategic plan will produce sustainability. The symptoms or key elements of sustainability are strong community support, donor passion, motivated employees and volunteers, an effective board, active and committed referral sources, and clients referring others. [...] The most significant hurdle to creating a strategic plan is having the time and skills. It takes time to plan and there always seems to be something urgent that delays the planning process. [...] |
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