Author: Eric B. Jacobson

Writer, storyteller, and pop culture enthusiast
communications, messaging, planning, strategy

Don’t forget why you’re communicating

During my time in philanthropy, it was common to see communication plans from grantees where the goal was “to raise awareness among the general public” – or some variation on that idea. But there’s two fundamental problems with this aim: (1) there’s no such thing as “the general public” (everyone is different and it’s important to specify and segment your audiences); and (2) the goal is never to raise awareness.

When grantees tell me that they want to raise awareness, my response is always to ask, Why? To what end? What is the point of raising awareness? In other words, what do you hope people will do differently as a result of their awareness?

There is a common perception that if people only knew about the problem, there wouldn’t be a problem. But awareness isn’t enough, because while knowledge can be motivating, in the end we want people to behave differently, and behavior is action. So raising awareness may be important, but it is a means to an end, and that end is some desired action.

Communications is about transmitting messages to targeted audiences, but in service of a programmatic outcome. What change do you want to see, and what action do you want people to take in order to make it happen?

This is why all communications should have a call to action. What specific thing do you want people to do? When grantees tell me they want public support for a cause, I ask them how the grantee wants them to express that support? Do you want them to vote? Do you want them to tell their representatives? Do you want them to write to the local paper? Do you want a donation? Once you succeed in getting people to care, what can they do to help?

Good communications efforts are in service of programmatic goals and that means creating change through targeted actions. Don’t lose sight of the real objectives, or you risk wasting effort. Be thoughtful, be strategic, and stay focused on impact.

Are your communications efforts designed to achieve program goals? Do you make sure to always include a call to action in your communications? How can you plan your communications to achieve your organization’s mission?

 

fundraising, management, planning

How to set your priorities straight

In the nonprofit world, there is always plenty to do – more than we can actually accomplish at any one time. And sometimes we have a whole list of things that seem both important and urgent.

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey uses a method for setting personal priorities, noting that we often focus on the immediate and unimportant (e.g. email) at the expense of longer-term and more important goals.

In working at and with different nonprofit organizations and foundations, I’ve learned a useful framework to help set a program or organization’s priorities. I call it the Lift-Reward-Risk Method.

Whether you’re making choices about strategic investments, evaluating potential program partners, or assessing a list of potential donors or funders, the Lift-Reward-Risk Method can help you examine where to invest your time, effort, and resources.

Here’s how it works. For each item on your list, evaluate the following:

  • Lift. How much effort will it take to do? (Heavy, Medium, Light)
  • Reward. What’s the potential gain if you succeed? (High, Medium, Low)
  • Risk. What is the probability of failure (or, inversely, success)? (High, Medium, Low)

So let’s say you have a list of potential funders and you need to prioritize so you can focus your efforts on writing grant proposals. If there’s a funder that is a heavy lift, a low reward, and a high risk, then knock it down on your list – it’s probably not worth the effort. However, If a funder is a heavy lift and high risk but a high reward, it might be worth prioritizing. If you have a bunch of light funders with low rewards and low risks, it might be worth it to invest time in some and then invest the rest of your time in that other big whale of a funder. Either way, at least you can have a clear decision-making process for setting priorities. This is useful for your own work but just as important, if not more important, when working with a team. It helps to make sure everyone is on the same page about the work and where the team should focus its energy.

And remember: lowering the priority of something doesn’t mean not doing it – it just means not doing it now or not investing as much time and effort into it now. Because we all have limited time and resources and we should be using them in the most efficient and effective way possible.

So consider the lift, reward, and risk of your options. It will make it easier to move forward with confidence.

Is your team or organization clear about priorities? Is there a clear process for making decisions about priorities, and how to handle unexpected opportunities? What methods do you use to set priorities for yourself, your team, and your organization?

 

 

board, communications, leadership, management, strategy

Does your board understand its job?

When people join a nonprofit board, they often do it because they either care about the cause or because they’re looking for the experience – or both. But they don’t always know what the roles and responsibilities of the Board are, and they often aren’t given the proper orientation.

As a result, I’ve seen many boards operate inefficiently and ineffectively. Sometimes they micromanage programs. Sometimes they fail to hold leadership accountable. Sometimes they don’t always act as effective evangelists for the organization. And all too often they don’t have a cohesive understanding of the organization – or a common vision to guide it.

While the board is the ultimate leadership of any entity, it is the responsibility of the senior management (usually the Executive Director or President) to help orient the Board and define its role in guiding the organization.

So what are the roles of the board? What should it be doing to maximize its effectiveness for the organization – and what should it not be doing? Here’s a brief rundown:

  • Manage resources. This is an obvious one, but the legal obligation of any Board of Directors is to oversee and ultimately be responsible for the organization’s financial well-being. This doesn’t mean line-item approvals or even approving department budgets, but the board should review organization-wide budgets and keep tabs on its assets and liabilities. If the ship sinks, the board is the captain that goes down with it.
  • Manage leadership. Everyone’s got a boss, including the Executive Director or President of the organization. The board is the supervisor of the organization’s top brass, and as with any supervisor, it is the board’s job to support the Executive Director and review his or her performance. Just as other employees go through a performance review, so should the Executive Director, with clearly defined expectations and competencies. The Executive Director should also have professional development that strengthens his or her ability to lead the organization effectively towards its goals.
  • Provide strategic guidance and focus. As the highest leadership of the organization, the board should help define the organization’s mission and vision, and the strategies the organization will take to be successful in achieving them. The board should shape and oversee the organization’s programs in terms of their alignment with the mission and progress, but without micromanaging it: the board should not review program details – just shape the direction for programs and review higher-level measures of progress. The board is also responsible for ensuring the organization – its leadership and its programs – stays focused on the mission, and does not wander off chasing distractions (aka “mission-drift”).
  • Monitor and evaluate. As part of the strategic planning process, measurable goals and outcomes should be defined, as well as indicators of progress and measures of success. Without monitoring every detailed indicator for each program, the board should keep tabs on the organization’s progress towards achieving its mission, including strategic goals and program goals. Just as the board should periodically review the performance of the Executive Director, the board should also periodically review the performance of the organization towards its goals.
  • Be evangelists. Many boards have requirements for financial contributions to the organization, but beyond giving money there is the important job of promoting the organization. Board members should be talking to their networks and the public about the organization and garnering support for its work. Board members who join in support of the cause will be better at this than those just looking for experience on a board, but in either case the staff should train the board to speak effectively on behalf of the organization.
  • Be a moral compass. In addition to keeping the organization focused on its mission, it should also ensure its integrity by adhering to legal standards and setting the highest standards of ethics. This is partly done through its own behavior, partly through the policies it enacts and enforces, partly through its management of the Executive Director, and partly through its review of programs and resources. A public charity is ineffective if it is corrupt, immoral, or has a tarnished reputation. After all, if it can’t be trusted, why would anyone support or invest in its work?

A board can be a key asset in support of an organization’s success, but this can only happen if the board assumes its proper roles and responsibilities. And just as any good employee knows how to manage up to his or her supervisor, so should an organization know how to manage up and support its board.

Do you think your board has the right role for your organization? Has it been difficult to manage the board or to maximize their effectiveness? What problems are you facing with your board and what has been helpful for getting the most of out your board?