Changing Your Non-profit's Lifestyle

Originally published Nov 29, 2017

When we hold discussions on non-profit strategic planning, we often ask which of our attendees actually have a plan. Typically, at least half of the crowd raise their hands. For the follow-up question—who’s successfully implementing those plans—virtually all of the hands go down. Over and over, non-profits say they’re simply unable to execute what they put down on paper. This isn’t surprising—typically, business executives spend about five percent of their time on strategy. Non-profit leaders are even less attentive shaping their organizations’ futures. By necessity, they’re focusing on short-term issues, and long-term strategy is a “luxury” they can’t afford.

This isn’t to say that non-profit leaders don’t “dream big.” They often have good ideas that form the basis for strategic plans. Without results-driven action, though, these plans are useless, and even damage credibility and morale. Too frequently, however, non-profits don’t “live the dream.” Strategy execution is overcome by day-to-day concerns and resource limitations. Consequently, the plan is an “end” rather a “means,” a stopping point as opposed to the beginning of a dynamic, on-going process that drives the organization to the intended long-term outcomes. This isn’t a recipe for success.

To be sustainable and continuously meet community demands to the fullest extent possible, non-profits have to put executing well-constructed strategies on equal footing with core service delivery. Mission-advancing outcomes can’t be secondary to their daily lives. For their own good and that of the communities they serve, non-profits need to go beyond “planning”—they need to “live strategically.” This requires a new mindset, one in which strategy drives key activities in pursuit of a market- and mission-oriented, sustainable future. It’s continuous planning that leads to effective action, ensuring realization of a future responsive to anticipated community needs.

In other words, non-profits need to see the cycle of strategic planning, action, and adjustment as a “lifestyle,” an integral part of organizational management and daily activities. Elements of strategy can’t be “nice-to-haves,” only pursued if there is time to spare. Simply engaging in strategic planning isn’t enough. “Strategic living” has to be the “new normal” to ensure sustained relevance, results, and stability. It’s a big shift in perspective for most non-profits. Making a successful transition to this new way of life requires the development and incorporation of nine key organizational “virtues” directly into non-profit DNA.

•  Curiosity
•  Responsiveness
•  Creativity
•  Patience
•  Practicality
•  Coordination
•  Communication
•  Attentiveness
•  Flexibility

Fully integrating these attributes into governance and routine allows non-profits to build beyond the present day, improving delivery, aligning and enhancing services, and ensuring that they are they’ll always be there for their communities. While it may seem impossible to “get ahead of the curve” given competing and often urgent daily priorities, living strategy is entirely possible if non-profits fully commit to doing so, developing and executing realistic strategies, adapting to performance and conditions, and realizing expected results as regular rules of business, using the right resources in clearly defined roles.

Adopting the strategic lifestyle isn’t something to which non-profits should just aspire, if only they could find the time. If they want to realize their full potential, it’s critical. The time has to be found, the effort has to be made, and the attention has to be given. It’s a big change but, simply put, non-profits that want to be lasting, high-level contributors to their communities can’t avoid this transformational shift in approach. They have to move beyond the often-fruitless cycle of simply planning and then planning some more, but never taking coherent, rewarding action. They have to start living the strategic life.