A Different Way To Grow
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a strategic plan or annual budget for a charity that intends for getting smaller. We are always aiming for growth.
But all the indicators suggest that growth is getting more and more difficult. Fundraising is always challenging and likely to be even harder in the tough economic times and demographic shifts we are seeing.
Needs are expanding rapidly, domestically and internationally. More people are hurting and their needs are increasingly complex. We are more aware than ever before of all the suffering that surrounds us, and despite herculean efforts, it often feels like solutions are getting further away in many cases.
Public support systems are being reduced or eliminated by governments and institutions that are dealing with reduced available funds. Social isolation and political divisions are pulling us apart when we desperately need more connection.
It’s pretty grim.
So how can we hope to increase our impact? How can we grow?
It may be that some organizations can find the resources to hire more staff, expand or innovate programs, and take on enlarged or new facilities. But even for those of great faith, this is far from a certainty.
But growth is possible. Most organizations can realistically have more impact even under current challenges. But it requires a different understanding of growth.
We need to embrace growing our Influence beyond our Scale.
In the last two months I’ve met with leaders, boards, and teams from large and small organizations who have insights and expertise that has potential significantly beyond their budget and capacity limits. They have learned lessons that others would absolutely benefit from. But too often they are unaware, or even unwilling to share.
We, as the charitable sector, suffer from two limiting insecurities that prevent us from embracing influence growth:
We don’t see our abilities and what we have to offer. I have the privilege of telling leaders frequently that I see in them and their teams particular insight that would be beneficial to other organizations doing similar or related work in other places. The humility that doesn’t recognize or advocate for our own accumulated insight undermines needed change. It’s time to own our best practices and admit that we are experts in some crucial areas.
We are more focussed on our organizations than the causes we are called to. Far too often I see and hear charity leaders who are caught up in competitive scarcity mindsets. We make (often spurious) claims of our uniqueness and worry about how to hold on to our donors, staff, access, and positions in ways that ultimately limit the overall impact for those in greatest need. It’s an understandable tendency, but truly a tragic reality.
If we want to fulfill our organizational Vision and Missions we are probably going to have to more freely share our knowledge with others. We are going to have to connect and collaborate more generously, even when we aren’t sure how (or if) it will benefit us. We are going to have to honestly and humbly acknowledge the expertise we do have, and hold it in open hands for others to adopt and adapt.
Doing so will be challenging in many ways, but it is the most efficient, effective, and possibly the only realistic way many organizations can expect to significantly increase our impact.
We are going to have to overcome the grip of our insecurities.
We have to emphasize Influence over Scale.
Contact me if I can be helpful to you and/or your organization.
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