Brilliant at the Basics
It was a eureka moment; a turning point in our collective awareness about what a nonprofit organization needed to focus on to continue its success. During a planning retreat that we facilitated last year, a board member energetically shared her new awareness that by becoming ‘brilliant at the basics,’ their organization could thrive for years to come. And her idea resonated deeply with the rest of the board.
The organization had been a trailblazer for the first five years of its existence, firing on all cylinders. Their mission matched community need; volunteer help was plentiful; program participation exceeded projections; and fundraising was buoyant. But at the five-year mark, it seemed that something changed. The adrenaline that had fueled this early success was now creating burnout among volunteers, board, and staff, and it became apparent that they could not sustain the same level of commitment. And they were unsure about how to proceed. [Sound familiar?]
This is why the call to be ‘brilliant at the basics’ resonated so much. Having reached a turning point in their dialogue, the board began to construct what they considered to be the basics that they needed to be brilliant at - the essential elements of the organization - which included clear goal setting; agreed-on roles for board, volunteers, and staff; a good strategy for fundraising; clear policies and procedures, and good self-care. It was a very successful retreat.
This content is from a blog that we posted in 2020 and this example still resonates with us. It always does come back to the basics. Let’s focus on one of the very basic elements identified above = goal setting. Setting goals is a straightforward task, but the challenge lies in executing those goals through actionable steps, a timeline, and clarification of the roles that staff and the board have in achieving them. Helping nonprofit organizations set clear goals and action steps is a central component of our approach to strategic planning work. And, our approach is rooted in building the strengths that staff and board members have, to help teams to flourish. We like using the S.O.A.R. model to identify organizational strengths and as a starting place for goal setting.
Interested in learning more about the S.O.A.R. framework? Check out: https://www.soar-strategy.com/what-is-soar