Recently, we’ve been helping two clients translate a new strategy into work plans that are useful every.single.day. (Why have a new strategic plan if you don’t change what you do every day?!)
During this part of the process I feel like a detective, finding patterns and opportunities that the organization can build on. Sometimes the clients seem surprised at what we notice. The surprises typically fall into two buckets - both of them related to the strengths of the organization.
Strategic questions are key components of strategic planning and program evaluation because they help answer the “So what?” regarding your observations, outcomes, and future directions.
Additionally, strategic questions help with designing roadmaps for planned shifts in your program activities. So, how do you go about crafting strategic questions?
Imagine yourself sitting in a board meeting. You’ve just received a presentation detailing a recent evaluation and changes to your organization’s premier program. The session comes to a close and the speaker asks, “any questions?” Uh oh. You know that engaged board members should ask questions. But, you just learned so much. All of the questions you can think of are about the practical implementation details of the proposal. So, what do strategic questions sound like for Board Members?
At the same time, many of our clients seem busier than ever. Needs are ramping up. Complexity is growing as fast as expectations. We’re in relationship with so many leaders who are carrying “plates” that are full and heavy! In fact, sometimes when we bring ambitious leaders into a room and ask about the future, we’re met with equal parts enthusiasm and knitted brows.
Our clients have an urgent desire to activate change in the world. They are ambitious! They are determined to advance financial well-being, health, food security, philanthropy, justice, and equity. We’re often by their side as they kick off strategic planning, point at the horizon, and ask big questions about how to create change. We love those moments! (Bring on the sticky notes).
At the same time, many of our clients seem busier than ever. Needs are ramping up. Complexity is growing as fast as expectations. We’re in relationship with so many leaders who are carrying “plates” that are full and heavy! In fact, sometimes when we bring ambitious leaders into a room and ask about the future, we’re met with equal parts enthusiasm and knitted brows.
Over the past couple of years, we have seen organizations addressing food insecurity across the country partner with each other to engage in neighbor centered design. At SWIM we like to think of neighbor centered design through the lens of implementing “neighbor centered practices” or equity practices. Offering services that match the needs and desires of neighbors facing food insecurity can be challenging, but when neighbor centered design is not prioritized we leave people out - often those who are the most vulnerable.
Read MoreEvery Monday we have a SWIM Team meeting via Zoom. It’s something that helps us leap into the week ahead. These are NOT check-in meetings. (We have strong opinions about check-in meetings, but that’s a topic for another blog!). Each weekly meeting relates to the health of the company and the team. The fourth Monday is always about skill building and it’s my turn to facilitate.
Today, in our weekly meeting we practiced two SWIMmy ways of working.
Read MoreAt See What I Mean we talk a lot about “Neighbor Centered Practices” which are a list of practices that food banks, their agencies and other organizations can implement to better serve their neighbors. The list continues to grow because different groups of people have different needs. We encourage organization leadership to select 5-8 practices to focus on implementing through data driven decision making and what they know to be true about the people they are serving.
Making the decision of what practice to focus on or what group of people to focus on can be tough. SWIM can walk alongside you as you explore the different options, and decide what’s best for your organization.
Read MoreLast month, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the work of Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Direct Connect program, a Retail Store Donation Program where food pantries are linked directly with retailers, providing access to quality products like produce and meats that would otherwise go to the landfill after being removed from grocery store shelves with significant shelf life left. During my time with the team I was able to participate in an organizationally famous (rightfully so) ride along with network connector and leader, Tom Hong.
Read MoreWe’re conditioned in the nonprofit world to skip over the celebration of the accomplishments happening within our own organizations and teams. Don’t get us wrong, we understand it’s difficult to celebrate our accomplishments (the big and the minor ones) when there are more people to reach, more houses to build, or more food to distribute everyday. When you enter the nonprofit world you are most likely entering a culture that doesn’t share proud moments as often as it should, a culture that views ‘celebration’ as a dirty word.
Read MoreA network that achieves shared power has greater potential for shared action with high impact. Everyone is involved and everyone pulls the same direction. Highly effective networks shift their power dynamics from a hierarchical model to a shared model.
We had a chance to sit down with community leader, Gina Weekley, to talk about her experience within network leadership, how power is shared and how decision making can play a role in sharing power.
Read MoreSWIM recently partnered with the Iowa Council of Foundations (ICoF) to conduct a Racial Equity Cohort. This experience encouraged ICoF members to take a deep dive on their roles and practices surrounding racial equity. The cohort was co-facilitated by Stacy Van Gorp and SWIM collaborator, Sharina Sallis. After the cohort was complete, Sharina took some time to share with us her perspective on philanthropy and how funders can evaluate their own practices as they relate to racial equity and justice.
Read MoreMost organizations—new and old—are dominated by questions like: What’s broken, missing or possible and how can we fix it/change it/do it? Who are we? What is our purpose? And what should we do?
In other words: What should we…. Do-Be-Do-Be-Do!?!
Read MoreOfferings - workshops, communities of practice, webinars, toolkits, and research briefs - are the heart of how network hubs (like associations or network HQs) influence their members. In our new publication with partnership with the Iowa Council of Foundations (ICoF) “From Implicit to Explicit: Lessons for supporting funders in advancing racial equity in philanthropy,” we move from discussing single offerings to thinking about a more strategic approach: delivering interwoven offerings over time to generate momentum of network adoption.
Read MoreWe’ve heard again and again that advancing racial equity in an organization is a journey. We agree. But, what’s that really mean in practice? At the Iowa Council of Foundations it meant a great deal of intentionality and a five year time frame.
Read MoreEveryone on the See What I Mean team has seen at least a handful of my plants on camera during our zoom calls. Total I have at least 45 plants (it’s been a while since I’ve counted). My interest in botany has been growing for the past 6 years when I was a summer intern at a local botanical garden during my time in undergrad. Since then, my collection has grown, more extensively during the start of the pandemic like many others. I bought a few plants right before embarking on the remote work lifestyle and just couldn’t stop. Here are a few things that I’ve learned along my plant journey that I believe we all can benefit from as well.
Read MoreAdd See What I Mean to the chorus of voices encouraging change in philanthropy. So many institutions adjusted approaches during the pandemic and many of those changes would be excellent to make permanent. Here’s a quick list of ways we can improve the grantmaking process.
Read MoreWhen you have a new idea, the likelihood that it will create the effect that you're hoping for is pretty small. This is especially true in the social sector where we're trying to solve the most wicked and complex problems faced by our community: food insecurity, racial Injustice, educational attainment, stopping violence and abuse. Rather than spending weeks, months or years designing a perfect program, figure out the essence of what you want to do.
Read MoreWe’re heartened to see that so many organizations have leaned into participatory leadership. Participatory leadership means recognizing the value in asking many people for advice, input, ideas, and problem-solving. This can raise new ideas and garner early buy-in.
Read MoreWhen I was a new executive director, I would frequently keep a piece of scratch paper next to my desk where I would jot the items I wanted to talk about at the upcoming board meeting. It looked a lot like the grocery list I kept in my kitchen at home…
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