Managing Board Expectations in Nonprofit Planning Processes
How do you manage unrealistic expectations from your board (and even your donors) during important planning processes?
Last week, I wrote about a big mistake nonprofit leaders make in their strategic, departmental, and operational planning processes – overcommitting the team beyond their true capacity. I also described how knowing key data, like your vacancy rate, can help you begin to get a better handle on your true capacity.
There were so many thoughtful examples in the comments of that post about the perils of overcommitting and the imperative to better understand our true capacity as we plan.
But what happens when it’s not you, but the board – or your key donors – who are pushing you to do more or exceed the organization’s capacity? (Thanks to my dear friend Tasha Van Vlack for following up with this important question – I know many nonprofit leaders grapple with this on the regular.)
Nothing is more effective in this situation than having a strong, healthy relationship with your board and key donors that is grounded in a culture of mutual respect, trust, and effective communication.
If you already have that kind of relationship, great! If not, it’s time to start building it.
During planning processes, here are some actions that can help you provide helpful context, right-size expectations, have candid conversations about how the organization can do its best work.
Bring in data. From your own organization. From industry reports. From what you're hearing from other organizations in your area. Data alone is not going to change people's minds, but having upfront conversations about the current reality is important to ground everyone in what's true.
Align with your peers. Too often, organizational planning looks like leaders looking only at their own area of the business without considering the essential collaboration and alignment needed across the organization. If you are a department leader, spend time with your fellow executives discussing ideas and working through options. Prioritize together, plan together, present together to demonstrate true alignment.
Leave room to negotiate. When you overcommit from the first draft of your plan, it is very difficult to right-size things in subsequent rounds. If you know your Board or key donors will push for the organization to do more, don't put yourself in the bad position of being unrealistically ambitious at the outset.
Be brave. Challenging unrealistic goals directly and respectfully pushing back against poor practices is part of the job of a nonprofit executive. You may not get exactly what you want in every circumstance, but if you don’t speak up, then you, your team, and the community you serve will suffer.
Have you had success addressing and realigning unrealistic expectations from your board or key donors during strategy or operational planning processes? Join the conversation over on LinkedIn to share what’s worked for you.
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As strategic advisors to nonprofit CEOs and department leaders, this is one of the ways LaFemina & Co. helps - providing practical support to help you navigate the day-to-day complexities of nonprofit leadership. If you’re ready to get the right support to help you and your team succeed, send us a message and we'll set up time to connect.