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Recently, I’ve talked with a number of organizations each facing the same dilemma: how can we set long range goals and strategically plan for our future when there are so many outstanding, and seemingly out-of-our-control, factors that may impact our future options and even what our business model will look like? Whether it is ever-shifting public policy priorities, changing government funding mechanisms, changes to the needs of our target service population or interests of our donors, the environment in which nonprofits function can seem unpredictable.

In the Ted Talk Smart failure for a fast-changing world, Eddie Obeng suggests that the information paradigm as we know it has changed. Developing economic forecasts, implementation plans and long term goals based on what we predict will happen in the future doesn’t work anymore. Why? Because as we have increased the speed, scale and density of information that we have access to, the pace of change has accelerated exponentially. Obeng suggests that the result is that the pace of change has overtaken the pace of our learning. While we used to be able to study, learn and develop a “correct” answer that lasted for years, now what seemed correct yesterday may be outdated and stale tomorrow.

Obeng’s concept has played out  in the business world when we look at what products and commodities are most successful – they are often things we didn’t even dreamed about 3 years ago. In old-word thinking, success came from doing things the same way – developing brand loyalty and staying with the tried and true: think Campbell’s soups. In the new world, though, companies are most successful when they try new things, risk failure and then try again: think the technology industry.

So, what does this mean for long range planning? Does it mean we can’t realistically set long-term goals to steer our programs? I would suggest no, it doesn’t mean we cannot set goals, it just means we have to be careful about what types of goals they are. Like a ship at sea with no set course, the winds of change are likely to take an organization with no goals on a wild ride.  Maybe we can’t accurately predict the future environment, but by setting a course, and staying true to its direction, an organization can steer through the changing winds and still make progress on realizing its ultimate ambitions.

Here are a few tips on creating a strategic direction that is flexible enough to accommodate the changing environment:

• Define with your intended impact:  what individual, community or societal change are you trying to achieve?  How will an individual, group, or place be better off as result of your efforts?
• Define your competitive advantage: what unique ability do you have to sustainably produce a social value?  Do you have a program design, funding base or leadership that sets you apart, are your programs/services more successful or more efficient than others, or are you uniquely situated to serve a particular audience?
• Define your business model:  how will you sustain your programs in the future?  Have you found and experienced success with a diversity of revenue streams, including philanthropic contributions as well as earned revenue?
• Clarify your organizational values: what do you hold most important? Do all new initiatives need to be sustainable?  Do you prioritize collaborative service delivery?  Is it more important to try to expand the number of people served or prioritize depth/comprehensiveness of services and assistance?

Now, take your answers to all four of these, and begin to develop strategic goals that focus on expanding impact, strengthening market advantage, strengthening the business model and upholding organizational values.  Together, these should help steer your organization in a direction that leads to long term success!

I was surprised recently when I learned that two of my cool, confident colleagues are introverts. “Really?,” I exclaimed, admitting they had me fooled. “That makes half of our staff,” I thought to myself, bewildered. One of them quickly followed up, “But I can fake it really well.” Her delivery was flat and reactionary – like when a doctor taps your knee with that triangular rubber hammer thingy to check your reflexes. Your knee moves forward, in a sudden swift jolt as if prove that it works – it’s normal.

I understood intimately what she meant by that because we’re the same – introverts living and working in an extroverted world. I’ve been “faking” extroversion for years – some days more convincingly than others. You never hear extroverts say “oh, but I can fake introversion” because it’s not a quality traditionally revered by our society, especially in the workplace, and particularly in conversations about leadership.

But that’s changing, and Greenlights is quite the test kitchen with more introverts than extroverts on staff (several of whom I would have guessed wrong). You might be surprised to learn that the two colleagues I mentioned earlier are – wait for it – communications professionals! Gurus, even. (Insert head scratch.) Now that’s something to chew on!

It’s become clear to me that introverts can excel in professions historically intended for extroverts (and they are!). Leadership has often been defined by characteristics of extroverts: comfortable in the spotlight, effervescent, ability to make quick decisions with little information, persuasive, alpha, etc. But in Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, she points out that lots of leaders today are introverts. Take for example Larry Page, cofounder of Google, or Douglas Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup. And how about Warren Buffett or Dr. Seuss, for goodness’ sake?! For all the Good to Great groupies out there, you may know where I’m going, because Jim Collins said it, too. Big, bold personalities aren’t the only ones revolutionizing companies and the way we do business.

The need to fake extroversion is a learned behavior directly tied to Cain’s observations during her research at Harvard Business School: If students jump into conversation frequently and assertively, they’re in the game; if they don’t, they’re bench warmers, at best. We’re conditioned, even as infants, to believe that extroversion is ideal, the norm.

It’s time to shed some light on why introverts might just be your organization’s game changer…
3 skills introverts bring to the workplace:

1. Open eyes – Introverts are hardwired to see roadblocks and pitfalls miles before landing on top of them. This is their comfort zone – the ability to anticipate problems early and the resolve to find a remedy no matter the complexity.

What’s it got to do with leadership? Visionary-filled offices need anchors and navigators. Introverts are realists who ask “what if” a lot, sometimes to the chagrin of big hairy audacious extroverts. Realists infuse farsighted ideas with sustainability. They finish baking valuable, yet half-baked ideas that might otherwise crash and burn soon after their cinematic launch. The value-add here is balance, and it’s worth more than any liability insurance money can buy.

2. Open ears – Introverts are listeners. They let you do the talking. They value contemplation before (re)action.

What’s it got to do with leadership? When leaders listen, they hear – ideas, that is. It’s a magical thing really. When employees feel heard, they speak up more which leads to transparency, collaboration and out of the box thinking. Perhaps surprisingly, introverts are some of the best leaders of innovators, because they don’t get in the way.

3. Open arms – Believe it or not, introverts are some of the best connectors, in part because of skill #2. While they aren’t charged by social interaction in the same way extraverts are, they’re actually quite savvy at networking, particularly when they have clear purpose.

What’s it got to do with leadership? Introverts have observation skills akin to submarine radar detection. They hear and see things that extraverts sometimes miss, and they’re fantastic matchmakers because they pick up on what makes people tick, often able to connect people to an organization’s mission in very personal and mutually beneficial ways. (Perhaps not coincidentally, both fundraisers here at Greenlights are introverts. I’m proud to say that I’m one of them!)

My point is not at all to say that one personality type is a better leader. Call it what you want, but it’s clear that introverts and extraverts alike can benefit from “faking” a little of the other. And therein lies my point: Introverts bring a heck of a lot to the leadership table that has been overlooked for a very long time, and perhaps the game changer is really about striking a balance within your organization.

Hi, I’m Alanna — Greenlights’ Services Coordinator. As part of our mission to strengthen the nonprofit sector, we get all kinds of questions here at Greenlights, from viewing our in-office salary surveys, to using your workshop vouchers. To answer your frequently asked questions, “Ask Alanna” has a regular spot on the Greenlights’ blog, and this month, I’m covering a few questions I receive regularly around member benefits.

Our organization has been a Greenlights’ member for three years and I know we get discounts on workshops. That’s worth the membership itself! But can you tell me more about the discounts available to Greenlights’ members?

Dear Greenlights’ Member,

Thank you for reaching out to start using more of your member benefits! You’re right — Greenlights’ members receive discounts on our workshops. You also get discounted member rates on local events like Board Summit and the Texas Nonprofit Summit. Besides that, members also receive special rates on Board Excellence and Financial Management toolkits, as well as special offers on nonprofit services like Directors & Officers liability insurance, consultation services, and much more from our Business Partners.

Come meet other Greenlights’ members at our happy hour on March 27, 2013. You can also contact our Development & Membership Manager if you have any specific questions on discounts or other member benefits.

See you at a workshop or event soon!
Alanna

My organization is interested in becoming a Greenlights’ member, but I have to convince our board that it’s worth budgeting for. Any member-exclusive opportunities that might help win them over?

There are tons of great member benefits listed on our website you can share with your board, but you may want to specifically point out a few of the following organizational member-only offers. Only Greenlights members can:

• Be featured at Board Summit with 50+ other local nonprofits looking for new board members. (The 2013 deadline is March 15 – apply now!)
• Join the 501(c)ommunity – an online collaboration, resource-sharing site for nonprofit professionals
• Apply for Greenlights’ capacity-building grants

Even better – bring or send your board to one of our happy hours (like the one on March 27) and they can hear about it directly from other Greenlights members!
Alanna

March is Membership Month at Greenlights – join or renew now for the opportunity to win one free registration to the 2013 Texas Nonprofit Summit! If you’re a current Greenlights’ member, what is your favorite member discount or exclusive offer that you’d encourage others to use to their full advantage?

I’ve learned many things from my mom, but one of the most important things she’s instilled in me is, “you’ve got to have a plan.” Maybe that’s why I love being a fundraiser – you definitely need a good plan in place to be successful.

This year Greenlights is developing a new strategic plan to carry us from 2014-2016. I decided to get a head start last year and develop a three-year plan for our fundraising program. It was a daunting task at first. I struggled with the best way to approach the wide variety of information that needed to be covered.

Here are some of the key questions that helped me shape the plan:

Where have you been and where do you want to go?

No matter how old your organization is, it’s good to take a few steps back to look at how your fundraising program has evolved. I found it very helpful to do a SWOT assessment (Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities and Threats) of our development program first to help clearly identify the specifics of our plan. From there it was much easier to outline the road map.

What are your organization’s key growth opportunities?

From there, I focused in on our key growth opportunities (for us, there were five). I included an overview of each opportunity with specific revenue goals and action steps. I also included assumptions impacting the success of the plan. These may seem like no brainers, but it’s important for the board and leadership to see that in order for the development efforts to grow, you need 100% involvement from your board, active participation on the development committee and sufficient time and attention from your executive director on fundraising priorities.

 What are your specific action plans for achieving the goals?  

This is where you get to the heart of your fundraising plan. I organized my plan by our budget areas so it would be easy for me to outline revenue goals. In each budget area, I outlined my plan and rationale, the specific goals and strategies, staff and board involvement, timeline, expenses and target revenue by year.

In the end, it was a 24 page labor of love. My plan-loving self is reassured by having this document as a guide not only for our development team, but for our board and staff as well. The plan will definitely shift and change as most things do, but it’s great to have such a detailed map to follow.

Does your organization have a strategic development plan? What advice can you share with others taking on a project like this?

Comparing two board members is like...

We hear a lot about board member engagement, but what exactly does it mean to “be engaged?” No two board members are alike, so it’s difficult to create a one-size-fits-all approach to board member engagement. To some degree, it’s connected to involvement — serving on committees, volunteering at events, and attending meetings, among other things. At its core, though, engagement is less tangible than simply participating in activities. Engaged board members are constantly wearing their board member hats, always ready to be an ambassador for your organization, and see nearly everyone with whom they come into contact as a potential donor, volunteer, or supporter.

We don’t want our board members to be bored members (sorry, I couldn’t resist). So just how do we set our board members up for success and an engaging, satisfying experience? Here are four tips to get you started.

Smart Recruitment

Engagement actually starts before people ever begin board service. Creating a process for focused, intentional recruitment is the best step you can take to finding the right fit. Start by defining the skills you need on your board, then fill in the skills your current board members have. Where are there gaps? If you have gaps in two key areas — let’s say accounting and marketing — which is most critical right now? Prioritize the skills you need, and actively recruit based on those. Last tip, don’t show up empty handed. When recruiting, bring materials that showcase all your organization has to offer (brochures, information on programs, etc), and come prepared with specific ways that a person can be involved.

Effective Orientation

Make time to inform and inspire new board members when they come on board. Talk about board governance and clarify expectations for the specific roles and responsibilities of your board members. Ask each new board member to join at least one committee, and get them plugged in right away. You can also use your board orientation as an opportunity for board members to meet clients and observe programs. Finally, encourage questions! Let your board members know that their term will continue to be a learning opportunity, and consider pairing them with a tenured board member as a mentor to help them have a successful experience.

Defined Structure & Purpose

Board members want to know that the work they’re doing is critical to the success of the organization. Create specific ways your board members can contribute, and put them to work! Nowadays, most people don’t join a board to simply build their resumes. They have time, energy, and talent to contribute, and they want to make meaningful contributions to your organization. Provide a variety of opportunities, so that each board member can find ways to serve that make the most sense for their individual skills and interests. And don’t forget to thank them! Treat your board members as you would any donor or volunteer (they are, in fact, both!), and recognize their service accordingly.

Preparation for Success

(This is admittedly a catch-all category, so that I could keep this post at a nice, neat four steps…) Give board members the tools and resources they need to be successful. Send them to board training. Provide accurate, thorough reports in a timely manner. Ask them if they’re satisfied with their board experience, and if they’re not, work with them to find ways of involvement that are meaningful to them. Finally, be honest! Share with them not only what’s working well, but also the challenges you’re experiencing. Being up front about how their efforts are or are not helping can help you change course if needed.

There are lots of great conversations happening in our 501(c)ommunity about board development. Take a peek, ask a question, and add your own voice!