The Secret to Successful Planning

Here’s a secret that will change your life.

Ready for it? Here it goes:

Plan for 85%

Not 95%. Not 100%.

85%.

Here’s why:

Emergencies and urgent needs happen. Staff go out on leave. People (and their families and pets) get sick. A storm comes through. A longtime donor decides to pivot to other causes. A pandemic disrupts absolutely everything.

Also:

That massive grant comes through. MacKenzie Scott donates to your organization. The venture philanthropy investment you made 20 years ago pays off in results for your community and funding for your organization. The new program you’re piloting has AMAZING results. A partnership with another organization is gaining ground.

Being excellent stewards of donor dollars isn’t about using up every last cent.

Creating a great strategic plan isn’t about knowing exactly what will happen every day for the next 5 years.

Doing both of these well is about maximizing your organization’s potential and capabilities to truly tackle the issues you’re working to solve.

Your most valuable asset is the time you and your talented team have available to adapt to new circumstances or capitalize on new opportunities.

If you’ve already committed that time – and budget – 100% to other things, you won’t be ready when the inevitable comes.

Just like a rubber band, an organization is strongest when it is flexing its talents, skills, and capabilities well without over-stretching.

When a rubber band is stretched to 100% of its capacity, it may hold for a few moments, but it’ll eventually snap or stretch out beyond usefulness.

The same goes for you and your team.

So as you head into end-of-year giving and 2023 strategic planning season, do yourself this favor:

Plan for 85% knowing that you’ll need that remaining 15% to flex, pivot, adapt, learn, and grow.

Interested in hearing what others are saying about this idea? Join the conversation over on LinkedIn.