Puzzle

You may see the challenges facing your organization quite clearly. The mission statement that was created 30 years ago may no longer serve the needs of your community. Your revenue streams may not be adequate to support what you see as the future needs of your organization. Sources of revenue may be too concentrated on grants or a handful of large contributors. Particularly, in a volatile economic market, this may be a risky strategy.

You know changes need to occur, but you are not sure others in positions of authority and influence are on board with your vision. What do you do?

The first step is the creation of a sense of urgency. This is crucial to gain needed cooperation. If complacency is high, few people are interested in working on the problem. Point out the reasons why change needs to happen to people in positions of authority. Use data and examples, feedback from clients and funders. People who have been intimately involved with an organization for a long period can become immune and unnoticing of issues that build up over time. Consultants and outsiders are often a fresh, objective source of observation that can help create honest discussion about the problems.

Next, create a team that will guide the process. Look for those who have power, authority and high credibility. Sometimes, a low-level employee or volunteer can have as much influence as the CEO or board chair. Think about difficult situations in your organization. To whom did people listen? Sometimes, the person who is a reliable administrative assistant or volunteer in a non-leadership position has as much influence with major decision makers as does the CEO.

Create a team to work on the issue. If you want to revise your mission statement, create a committee to do it. The same is true for fundraising. Create a committee for each major task or group of tasks. It will distribute the work load and get more people involved as advocates. Then, you can use your coalition to develop the strategy to create the change.