Articles
Strategy
February 04, 2021
Why Your Mission Should Not Drive Your Strategy
Too often, nonprofits call upon the mission statement to play a role it is not equipped to fulfill: strategy driver. On the one hand, if a program does not line up with the mission, it should be rejected. On the other hand, having a program that seems to “fit the mission” is not, on its […]
December 09, 2020
Turnaround Strategy: Reclaiming Your Place
Those of us of a certain age remember the advice from a famous beer commercial to “know when to say when.” As anyone who has ever tried to do so can attest, the problem is that it is difficult to recognize when you have reached the point when it is time to say when. Instead, […]
December 01, 2020
Mature Stage Strategy: Affirming the Core
Have you ever known a couple who renewed their wedding vows after many years of marriage? It is a beautiful thing. Why do they do it? What is the value of repeating a promise in the midst of living out that promise? Is it a sign of a troubled marriage? Does it mean that doubt […]
November 12, 2020
Growth Strategy: Adapting to Life on the Ground
Nonprofit organizations are built on aspirations. An individual or group of people decide to make the world a better place by targeting a specific need, gap, or opportunity in the community in which they live. With little more than a founding purpose and some startup funding, the organization begins what is, in a very real […]
October 28, 2020
Crisis Decision-Making: Could We? Should We?
If you have read any of my writing over the past ten years or so, there is a good chance you have heard me invoke these wise words from Michael Porter: the essence of strategy is deciding what not to do. Nonprofits have plenty of reasons to take on and maintain a program. Among the […]
October 02, 2020
The Fundamentals of Strategy
“Under uncertainty, traditional approaches to strategic planning can be downright dangerous.” This admonition from the Harvard Business Review was written well before Covid-19. What are the traditional approaches referred to in this article? They include any planning activity built on the assumption that we can predict, plan, and control the events and circumstances that stand […]
September 23, 2020
Looking Forward: Where Do We Go Next? (Part 3 of 3)
We all want to good in the world. But with all the issues that need our attention, how do we make sure that our efforts are not wasted? How do we identify those opportunities for involvement that are meaningful to us, and create a discernable impact? In other words, how does an individual find his […]
September 16, 2020
Looking Inward: What Have We Learned? (Part 2 of 3)
In part 1 of this series, we constructed a programmatic history and timeline of our organization in search of patterns or trends embedded within our aggregate program and resource decisions. The good news about the exercise is that there is only good news. The goal of the exercise is clarity: what we did, why did […]
September 08, 2020
Looking Backward: How Did We Get Here? (Part 1 of 3)
It is not difficult for a nonprofit executive director or CEO to describe the current strategic position of their organization. To test this, ask the three following questions: 1. What services do you provide, and for whom? 2. How are you different from others providing similar services? 3. Who pays to support your work? The […]
July 07, 2020
How Strong are Your Strategy Bones?
“The house don’t fall when the bones are good.” (The Bones, by Maren Morris) A crisis reveals our true colors. Misfortune lays bare the strength of our principles. Ambiguity tests our leadership. These aphorisms point to the belief that our behavior in trying times is more indicative of who we really are than is our […]
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