Be Prepared

 
“Be Prepared. . .the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.” - Sir Robert Baden-Powell

Scouting is in my blood; my grandfather was an early leader in Boy Scouts and I spent many years as a Girl Scout. My husband and son are currently involved in Boy Scouts, too, so I understand the motto “Be Prepared.” You can handle most things that come along if you have a plan, training, and the right resources.

This applies to lots of things in life, but is especially true of strategic planning. The preparation aspect of the process is crucial to a succesful outcome. Unfortunately, it’s one of the the most overlooked and undervalued.

In the last post, we talked about how Vision and Mission form the core of strong strategic planning. Whether you are starting up a new organization or refreshing an already existing one, these two statements/ideas will drive all your actions. You will need to prepare much more than those statements, however, to determine exactly what your actions will be.

A great deal of up-front ground work has to take place before you can hold a strategic planning session. This generally involves several components:

• buy-in,
• resources,
• research and
• logistics.

Make sure you have buy-in and everyone’s support before you even begin the process. This includes the inside stakeholders as well as those your group serves. Everyone needs to be willing to take some risks and try new things, and to ensure the plan is carried out. You don’t want to invest in a great deal of planning that will ultimately be rejected.

You will also want to have the time, people and budget resources in place to accomplish your goals. Wonderful ideas and grand schemes to make your organization better still have to be rooted in the real world. You can’t take on new projects or expand on existing ones if you can’t support what you’re already doing -- whether it’s due to time, money, people or something else.

The research portion includes gathering data from surveys, existing collateral, past plans, budgets and financial statements, etc. This “fact-finding” activity allows for a baseline understanding of where your organization stands; how it is perceived by internal and external audiences, how it has achieved past goals (or failed in its efforts), and how it communicates its message, among other things. Unless you gather data and analyze the basics before pulling together your plan, you may be working in a vacuum that dooms you to failure in the long run.

It’s best to have the leisure of spreading out the entire process over several months, but that’s not always possible. At the very least, allow sufficient time to get enough survey responses for statistically significant findings. You’ll also need to have the time to thoroughly analyze the survey results and other collateral you’ve gathered.

When setting up the retreat itself, schedule it when you can have most of the main stakeholders all sitting together in a day-long session that is away from your offices. Be sure the facility you choose has the tools you’ll need for the day, such as comfortable seating, flip charts, outlets for laptop computers, and Internet access. Budget for lunch and snack breaks, too. Assigning a point person early on to manage all the logistics is probably a good idea. You may also want to designate a “plan champion” up front who will keep the group on track and oversee the reporting process as you put your plans into action after the retreat.

Sometimes in life you can be “too prepared” for things and forget to enjoy the spontaneous moments. Strategic planning is NOT one of those times; the spontaneous parts will come during the brainstorming at the retreat. “Be Prepared” before then and I promise you’ll be more successful.

Stay tuned. We’ll talk again soon. . .

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Focus On:

[In the spirit of being “501 Focused,” this blog highlights a nonprofit or association with each posting.]

Our focus this time is on the Boy Scouts of America.

“The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.

For nearly a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes -- and, through nearly a century of experience, knows -- that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.”

They know all about being prepared. To learn more, go here: http://www.scouting.org/

20/20 Vision

“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” - Joel Barker

This past year or so has been tough for a lot of people - and for a lot of organizations. Many are struggling to find a job, to find health insurance coverage, to find donors and members. . . Inspiration to seek a better way can be hard when you’re just trying to get through each day, but dreaming of what the future can hold is sometimes the driving force for change.

In the last post we covered Mission Statements - the foundation of your existence and operations. Once you’ve defined who you are, it’s time to move to who you want to be. That’s where a Vision Statement comes in. Your dreams are found in the Vision Statement; how does the future “you” look? The Mission and Vision Statements should tie together so that you don’t veer too far off from one trying to attain the other. Consider this as the destination you want to reach, and let it frame the course and actions you take in planning. (See The Right Path for more on this.)

I have several friends and relatives who have been laid off this past year, and new jobs have not surfaced quickly for them. In the meantime, it has been a chance to step back and reconsider where they’ve been and if that’s the direction they want to keep moving. For some, it has meant going back to school to learn new skills so they can try different professions; for others, it has meant going into business for themselves. For all of them, though, a Vision of what they want has to be foremost in their minds before they determine which course of action to take. Just blasting out resumes to job postings doesn’t cut it in this climate. “Action without vision is simply passing the time.”

Organizations face similar things all the time - not just during a Recession. Donations and memberships wax and wane, and new programs or needs come along that may change your direction and focus. A Vision Statement is crucial to moving forward in a positive direction. You can’t prepare for the future if you don’t know where you want to go. Even children learn that if they “want to be a doctor when they grow up” they have to stay in school and study certain things. If an organization wants to serve an expanding population it needs to plan for increased programs; if it wants to reach a larger membership base, it has to offer better benefits and market to more diverse groups.

Your goals and objectives should help you reach that future Vision, while also fitting with your present-day Mission. These two elements form the core of strong Strategic Planning. They set the stage for your organization’s success. A great stage is just the beginning, though. You’ll still need the “action” that happens on that stage to be effective. As stated above, “Action with Vision is making a positive difference.”

We’ll cover how to combine the Action and Vision in the next post.

Stay tuned. We’ll talk again soon. . .
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Focus On:

[In the spirit of being “501 Focused,” this blog highlights a nonprofit or association with each posting.]

Our nonprofit focus this time is on the Wesleyan Homes Foundation.

Wesleyan Homes is an inclusive ministry for older adults through the United Methodist Church. They “value older adults as spiritual resources and as independent individuals with dignity and worth, functioning within an interdependent community.”

Gifts to their Benevolent Fund provide assistance so Wesleyan Homes can “continue its mission to provide care for older adults without regard to their ability to pay. In fact, no resident has ever been asked to leave a Wesleyan Homes facility because they could not pay the full cost of their care.”

The need is great and their Vision is clear. To learn more, go here: http://www.wesleyanhomes.org/difference.php

What’s the Label Say?

"I don't care what you label me as long as you call me president." - Howard Dean

Business owner, nonprofit consultant, writer. . .these are some labels that could be used to define me. They don’t tell the whole story, though. Even if I add “mother, wife, volunteer. . .” or throw in “artist, singer, gardener. . .” it still doesn’t convey who I truly am.

Labels are limiting, but that’s what we’re asked to create when we articulate a mission statement for an organization. The foundation of your existence and operations, a mission statement identifies who you are, who you serve, and what you provide, in one to three precisely-worded sentences. It should be something easy to remember and convey, and all of your goals and tasks should relate back to it.

I always start a strategic planning process by examining the group’s mission statement. Sometimes it stands the test of time, sometimes it just needs to be tweaked a little bit, and sometimes we have to chuck it and start over from scratch. If you’re going to use strategic planning to “chart out a path to your future vision,” as I stated in my last post, taking a really good look at your mission statement needs to be your first step.

You may already have a well-defined mission statement and a good sense of who you are and what you do, especially if your organization has been around for awhile. Even so, take the time to make sure the statement is concise enough to share with others, and that your goals can all be tied to it.

Here’s one example from a group I’ve worked with recently: Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center's mission is “to provide a safe place to report child abuse, reduce the emotional trauma, and extend professional services that protect the integrity of an investigation.” That’s pretty clear and understandable to anyone. Not only is it concise and to-the-point, it allows for all their goals to be fed off the statement.

Breaking it down into parts, we see that what they offer is:

• “a safe place to report child abuse,
• reduce the emotional trauma, and
• extend professional services that protect the integrity of an investigation.”

They can check to see that their goals are accomplishing their mission by asking questions of each one:

Do they provide a “safe place to report child abuse?” - Yes, their new building is designed and decorated to be a friendly house structure, rather than something cold and sterile (like a police station), and their staff and volunteers are trained in servicing children and non-offending family members.

Are they focused on “reducing the emotional trauma?” - Yes, interviews are videotaped to reduce the number of times a child has to describe his or her abuse to everyone involved in the intervention, investigation, and prosecution process.

What “professional services” are offered to “protect the integrity of an investigation?” - The Center only interviews an alleged victim with a referral from either law enforcement or child protective services. One or both of these agencies are present for the interview and watch the interview via closed circuit TV from an adjoining room. In addition to the interviews, they offer crisis intervention, victim advocacy, case tracking, referrals for assistance and other specialized services.

In this group’s case, they found the labels that help define their services.

As an organization considers taking on new projects or plans to change services, the mission statement should drive what is done. If the project or program doesn’t truly - and effectively - fulfill your mission, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it. Alternatively, even if a program isn’t self-sustaining and drains financial resources, if it is at the core of who you are, you need to find ways to keep it going. Or change who you say you are.

And that brings us to an organization’s Vision, which we’ll discuss in the next post.

Stay tuned. We’ll talk again soon. . .
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Focus On:

In the spirit of being “501 Focused,” this blog highlights a nonprofit or association with each posting.]

Our nonprofit focus this time is on the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center (WCCAC), a nonprofit organization that provides needed assistance to abused children, non-offending family members, and the professionals dedicated to the intervention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment options related to child abuse cases. This organization offers all services free of charge thanks to grant assistance, individual and business financial donations, community support, and gifts-in-kind, and recently launched a new interactive Website to better serve its constituents and relate its mission to the community.

Their mission is clear - both to them and their clients - and the labels they use to define themselves actually fit who they are. Find out more from their Website: http://www.wilcocac.org/.

On the Right Path

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.” - Yogi Berra

I’m a map lover. I can get “lost” looking at maps for hours at a time. And if you ask me to be the navigator on a road trip, my heart starts to flutter. GPS has not made it into my household yet, and may not anytime soon, as that would take away my need to look at maps in a more organic way.

It’s not always just about the best, most efficient method of getting someplace. It’s sometimes about the side roads that can get you where you want to go and what you might discover along the way. I always find something new when I look at a map, but I also try to scope out the best route for the trip based on my car, the traffic, weather conditions, if I’m travelling alone or with others, and how much time I really have to get there.

I think of strategic planning in a similar way. It helps provide a road map of where you need to go and the best ways to get there. Like map-reading -- at least for me -- there are a lot of distractions that can take you off course, so you have to keep focused on your ultimate destination and the resources you have available to you.

Just like we know how to read maps, we are all familiar with organizational planning -- determining annual department goals, preparing for campaigns, or planning for vacations and events. How many of us really know that much about strategic planning, though? You may think it’s mainly something that big private companies deal with before they go public, or merely an expanded annual planning session held for your Board of Trustees. But true strategic planning can be worthwhile for groups of any size -- especially nonprofits and associations.

WHAT IS STRATEGIC PLANNING?

Strategic planning is just that -- planning that uses strategies to define your course of action. Unlike annual planning, which gets you to your regular goals each year, strategic planning charts out a path to your future vision. It may lead you just a little farther down the road you’re already on, or it may take you in a totally different direction in order for your group to become who you want to be in three to five years.

It’s also more than just long-range planning; it is a continuing process that directs you to what is truly important for your group, and allows you to respond to changes in your organization’s environment. In short, it’s a directed effort to “shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it -- with a focus on the future.” (from Bryson’s Strategic Planning in Public and Nonprofit Organizations)

REASONS FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING

So why does an organization need strategic planning? Here are just a few good reasons:

* Helps your group build on strengths and overcome weaknesses;
* Positions you for the future;
* Determines what resources you need to accomplish your goals;
* Forces you to commit to effective activities;
* Ensures a more focused approach.

WHAT DOES STRATEGIC PLANNING INVOLVE?

I’ll cover each of these more in future postings, but here’s a snapshot:

* Mission Statement
* Vision Statement
* Fact-finding
* Buy-in
* Retreat
* Follow-up
* Annual Reviews

I’ll also cover HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE PROCESS in more detail later on, including:

* Resources
* Timing
* Consultants
* Who to Include
* What Steps to Take

Everyone wants to feel they know where they are going and how to get there. A strategic plan can be your group’s roadmap. I hope you’ll continue to join me as we navigate this journey of discovery in strategic planning.

We’ll talk again soon. . .
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Focus On:

[In the spirit of being “501 Focused,” this blog highlights a nonprofit or association with each posting.]

Our nonprofit focus this time is on the Texas Nurses Association - District 5, a regional chapter of a state-wide membership-based association of registered nurses (TNA). They promote excellence in nursing at the district level through leadership, advocacy and innovation, and raise funding for programs and scholarships through an annual awards banquet that recognizes area nurses who have made a significant difference to patients, peers, and the community. This organization held a strategic planning session a few years ago, and it led to a revitalization of the board, the development of a new interactive Website, the creation of an expanded scholarship program, and a revamping of their annual banquet. As a result, the organization has been re-energized and can better serve its constituents.

Strategic planning helped this group find the path back to their vision, and they are stronger because of it. Find out more from their Website: http://www.tna5.org/.

Courage!

“I haven't any courage at all. I even scare myself.” - The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz

This post is all about Courage. In my last post, I said we’d talk more about Getting Focused, and I believe courage is a big part of that -- especially when it comes to strategic planning.

Wikipedia’s definition of courage is “the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.” Those of us who work in the nonprofit arena see a lot of examples of courage -- from the individuals with the courage to leave abusive situations and seek help from a shelter to those who travel long distances to render aid when disasters strike. Strategic planning also takes a bit of courage, maybe not on that scale, but courage nonetheless.

For a group to take on strategic planning, it must be willing to look outside the norms of operation, to confront failures (and possibly risk new ones), to let go of successes if they take the organization off course from its mission, and to focus on an uncertain future. It takes courage to even step away from the every-day so you can dedicate enough time and resources to have meaningful planning sessions. For many of us, we need the courage merely to face change.

This is a major step above “annual planning” and takes much more focus and commitment. One thing I’ve discovered with courage is that it’s contagious. A courageous leader can pull you forward, as can the energy of your colleagues. Taking small steps yourself can inspire you to keep moving in that direction, too, and you can always learn from other groups. (See the “Focus On” section at the bottom of this post and links to the left for featured organizations that display courage each day.)

If you want to move forward with strategic planning, have courage -- the courage to embark on that journey with an open mind, the courage to set aside time to fully invest in the process, the courage to ask for help, and the courage to let go of the past and embrace the uncertainty of the future. Once you’ve got the courage, you can focus on the more concrete aspects of strategic planning, such as who should be involved in the process, how to conduct effective surveys, and what to include as part of a retreat. I’ll cover these issues more in upcoming posts.

I hope you’ll continue to join me on this excursion and find the musings of this blog valuable. We’ll talk again soon. . .
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Focus On:

[In the spirit of being “501 Focused,” this blog highlights a nonprofit or association with each posting.]

Our nonprofit focus this time is on Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a social outreach ministry for the homeless and indigent working poor. Their mission is “to provide food, clothing, and dignity to our brothers and sisters in need.” They accomplish this mission through the use of 12 catering trucks that go out onto the city streets of Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Providence, and Nashville every night of the week, thanks to the hard work of almost 10,000 volunteers and a single supply truck. They recently expanded their mission through Habitat on Wheels (HOW), which places homeless people into gently used recreational vehicles that have been fully furnished.

This group knows courage, and they’re using it to make a difference in the world. Find out more from their Website: http://www.mobileloavesandfishes.org/.

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Please let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like covered, and feel free to add your comments to the postings. If you need more in-depth help with strategic planning, contact me directly or check out my Website for more information on what 501(c)onsulting can offer you in that area.

Getting Focused

Welcome to 501 Focused. As the name implies, this blog is focused on addressing the needs of nonprofits [501(c)(3)] and associations [501(c)(6)]. Over the next several months, we’ll cover strategic planning and many of the aspects of what makes that -- and the organizations who engage in it -- successful.

In the spirit of being “501 Focused,” this blog plans to highlight a nonprofit or association with each posting. See the “Focus On” section at the bottom of the post for our featured organizations.

To kick things off, I’d like to share some personal insight I recently had involving both work and family -- two aspects of our lives that often intersect, whether we want them to or not.

I just returned from a board meeting for an association of surgeons, where I facilitated a session to help them plan some projects for the next few years. Two days later I got a call telling me my mother had fallen and was at a local hospital. While it might seem strange to connect the two, I approached both events in a similar fashion.

Getting Focused

Planning takes focus, but so does the unexpected. Whether you’re an association or the child of an aging parent, focusing on the important issues gets you more quickly to your goals. Being distracted by the daily grind or minor inconveniences only drags you off course.

With the group of surgeons, having a day devoted to working through how best to proceed with new and continuing projects allowed them to brainstorm and concentrate on just those facets of their operation (pun intended). No extra stuff -- like who will they get to be on the board next year, or how will the conference brochure be designed -- got in the way of the bigger plans. Those things were addressed in a separate session on a different day. You can only get to the bigger plans if you focus on them, without being sidetracked in the process.

Likewise, dealing with an aging parent can get you lost in all the paperwork and minutiae. If you don’t have a clear focus on the overall goals for your family, you can be pulled in so many directions you don’t know what to do first. Picture the circus performer trying to keep all the plates spinning on sticks and you’ve got the idea.

So how do you Get Focused? Ah, that will be the subject of upcoming posts, where we’ll delve into areas like surveys, retreats and mission statements -- many of the pieces that help make organizations (and families, for that matter) more successful in the long run.

I hope you’ll continue to join me on this excursion and find the musings of this blog valuable. Please let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like covered, and feel free to add your comments to the postings. If you need more in-depth help with strategic planning, contact me directly or check out my Website for more information on what 501(c)onsulting can offer you in that area.

Here’s to keeping the discussion going all year long!

We’ll talk again soon. . .

(Picture courtesy of Flickr)