How do you keep the Momentum Flowing in Turbulent Economic Times?

Eight Tips for Nonprofit Organizations Moving Forward


You've made a big scary decision - maybe it’s a first time focus on a fee for service initiative;
maybe it’s a merger or shared service. Or perhaps you're even considering taking on a for-profit
venture. Everyone comes away from the retreat tired but inspired. But you know the hard work
begins now. And that "elation high” could turn on its head and be replaced with frustration and
apathy very quickly if the right leadership and processes are not in place.


Successful change in an organization takes time. It's a combination of people and process. The
first board and staff meetings after a strategic retreat – or any meeting where critical decisions are
made -are vitally important to set the scene for the weeks and months ahead. Too often many of
us go back to patterns and behaviors that are familiar. So how do you keep your board and staff
motivated, inspired and on track, particularly if you are a startup organization? Following are a
few easy tips to help you on the road to success:


1. Understand Your Lifecycle Stage


There are five lifecycle stages (idea, start up, growth, mature, decline and turnaround and
terminal). Understanding where your lifecycle stage– which can be determined through a
lifecycle assessment – gives you a starting point for capacity building activities. And as one
client said to me “capacity building supersedes strategic planning. If we don’t succeed here, we
will never be in the place to do a strategic plan”. It will help you set realistic expectations or
SMART goals, which you will read more about in this article, for the behavior you might expect
to find in nonprofit organizations at your stage.


Most importantly it will help you understand stage based development needs, depersonalize
organizational management weakness and focus on moving forward in a productive and realistic
manner. An example is the difference between a start-up and mature board. A start up board by
necessity is a working board. A goal for a typical start up board is to transition towards more
governance and oversight responsibility. A mature board has become more policy and direction
oriented and continues to grow by developing community impact measurement as well as rotating
terms of office for board members.


Equally when it comes to programs, the mature organization has clearly defined, replicable
programs, whereas the start-up organization often has programs with more breadth and depth.
One of the key challenges moving forward for the start-up organization is to differentiate general
services or activities into identifiable, sustainable programs.


2. The 50/50 Split


Or maybe it is a 60/40 split? As a board one of the challenges you face is too little time! With a
new direction - maybe for example the move to fee-for-service options - how do you manage to
add even more into your agenda? This is particularly true for a start-up working board.



Ensure your board meetings are proactive – focused on the future key issues. Agree to spend 50%
or more time at the meeting focused on your new strategic initiative(s). This will help keep you
on track while still allowing discussion on the most important ongoing activities.


Set up processes to make this happen and ensure board members know the most important and
relevant information on current operations and your new initiative. To do this most effectively,
ensure committee issue reports well in advance of board meetings. Committee heads can also
check in with the Board President prior to a board meeting. The objective is to determine any
critical issues which need decisions made by the Board. This way you can focus your time on
these issues only and your new direction while still being up-to-date on what has been happening
during the past month. Board members can find more detailed information in the reports which
can be read prior to the board meeting.


3. Start with the Outcome in Mind


How many board meetings have you attended where most of the time is spent discussing or
reviewing activities which have already happened? Typically much time in a board meeting is
wasted listening to reports from committees. Shifting this dynamic gives you valuable time. If
you can relate to this you are not alone.



When preparing the agenda, think about the outcome you want from the discussion. Take fee for
service as our example. Maybe you have to decide which fee-for-service option is best or,
perhaps you are at the beginning of your research period and want to set up a team to explore
different options and make recommendations to the board at the next board meeting.


Distributing information and an agenda in advance of a meeting with the desired outcome will
enable board members to come to the meeting knowing what is expecting of them. In the case of
our example, it might be to set up a committee or team (see point 7) to explore fee for service
options and report back to the Board within 3 months.


It also changes the mindset of the board chair and executive director when setting the agenda. It
means preparation time together - as a team - to think about the most important outcome for the
organizations at your next meeting. Relationship building is a side benefit of this approach!


4. It’s Not Just What You Do, It's How You Communicate!


Good communication, language and common understanding of expectations are an essential piece
of any successful operation or even individual conversation. Take the word “urgent”. For
someone working in the high tech or medical field, something urgent usually means now or at
least today. In the nonprofit arena where for most board members this is a second job, “urgent”
may take on a different meaning to each individual.


Take the time among board members and staff to agree common language definitions and
workable practices improves communication. Make sure everyone has input. A simple but
effective example is in email communication. If you send an email to board or staff you could
agree certain terms for the email header such as “Urgent”, Need Response”, “Information Only”.
This helps everyone in a world where we are often overloaded with information.


Similarly, think about committee and executive director reports. Simple changes in format such
as the following three headings: what's been done in the past month, what will be done next
month, and most importantly (and perhaps highlighted in red!), what help will you need, or what
decisions do you need the board to make this month, make a big difference. Not everyone reads
everything they are sent! But, they will notice a section in red that says “problems and board
decisions required.


Instituting a new process whereby the head of a committee or team, check in with the executive
director or board chairman in advance of the agenda being set, will then ensure the most
important topics - along with the outcome requested can be included in the agenda.


5. Context, Context, Context


When discussing any topic whether at a board or staff meeting, having a context for the
discussion will lead to a conversation which asks different questions, and takes you in a more
productive - and usually more cost-effective - direction, and one which is aligned with your
strategic initiatives.


Let me give you an example. A client recently made a decision to adopt a service-based model for
their organization moving forward. At their next board meeting, one of the topics for discussion
was a conference the organization was debating whether to attend as an exhibitor. The discussion
quickly became tactical following the usual pattern for a startup board: how much would it cost,
how would they find the funds and who could attend from the organization. The conference was
important and worthy of discussion.


However, taken in the context of the strategic decision to implement fee-for-service, different
questions needed to be asked: What are the services we are promoting and how much do they
cost, what is the goal of attending the conference, will our systems and staff be in place to log and
follow-up with prospects. In other words, are we ready to attend this conference this year, and is
it the best use of our time and money? Perhaps, as in the case of this organization, there is a more
productive way forward this year and the conference goes into the plan for next year.


6. The Team Based Approach


How often do you find you cannot attract board members or even volunteers due to lack of time?
This increasingly common problem for nonprofit organizations can be solved by some out-of-thebox
thinking which can even enable you to bring on board more of the skills you need on a
temporary basis. More people are willing to commit their time and energy to an organization if
they know there is an end time to the project. So consider the use of expert, short term teams.


Let's take marketing - which is increasingly more important to nonprofit organizations. If you
don't project a good image, you won't be able to attract donors, and people served by your
programs will not know your organization exists. Perhaps you need to rebrand your organization
which may mean developing a new logo, a new website etc. If you have a person with marketing
experience on your board they could set up a temporary marketing team with the specific
SMART goals of developing a new image for the organization within six months. You might
have a graphic designer, a web designer and a writer on this team. Another benefit of this
focused approach is that it's easier for smaller groups of people to find mutually convenient time
to get together. And talking of getting together, it's also worth remembering to take advantage of
technologies such as WEBEX and FreeConferencecall.com, as well as free file-sharing on Yahoo
or Google.


7. Accountability and Oversight


I’m sure most of you have heard of SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and
time sensitive), but how many of us really use them and why are they so important?


SMART goals ensure accountability and oversight. Using our example of establishing a team to
explore fee-for-service options, if there is no goal or timeline for this project, it may end up
taking 6 months with significant consequences to the organization. What is the necessary and
realistic timeline for this plan and who is responsible for making it happen? If you don't set a
goal, the good news is you cannot fail - so long as the committee is set up that will be great
whenever it happens. The bad news is it's also possible you will lose vital time ensuring the
sustainability and future success of your organization. Where there is no accountability, there is
also diminished opportunity for course correction action.


Operating in a time sensitive manner in these turbulent economic times is imperative. Snooze and
you could lose out on potential partners, shared program opportunities, sponsorships, shared
resources all of which are growing trends in our sector.


8. SMART Goals and Board Education


SMART goals are applicable throughout the organization including the board. What are your
goals as a board for the next year? These may include recruitment, oversight, communication and
education goals. Let’s consider education as it so rarely discussed.


You'd be surprised the number of board members who do not understand financial reports and the
board's responsibility in finance and not surprisingly, it is rare to find a board member will admit
to this. This presents a rare opportunity to invest and give back to your board members. Think
about a goal of a quarterly education session on a topic of importance such as financial education,
or of community interest. This can be motivating and helpful to board members. In the long term
it is helpful to the organization as the board members are better informed and committed, and also
the community as board members in the future may serve on other boards. And how does the
board keep itself accountable? It's simple: you do a board self-assessment at the end of each
year!


Make a commitment and use the right combination of these tools to help you move forward.
Success in the new world is waiting for those with commitment, exceptional people, and superior
performance. The bottom line? A well-run, passionate organization poised for success in the
future is a successful organization which attracts people and funding.