Folly #93: Think & Feel

Make time to let things sink in.

I just finished the short series Adolescence. It was the kind of show where I sat staring at the TV after it was over, just trying to process everything. It made me realize how rarely I do that in real life. The work that courageous nonprofits do is messy. It deserves reflection.

Back to Adolescence to illustrate. The show mirrors a full range of human emotion: hope, fear, anger, disbelief, horror. It digs into societal pressures that we accept as normal – in this case, the judgement that online access to information puts on young people. There is more than one scene where an adult breaks down and sobs. It was hard to get my head around all the things about our society and human interaction that these characters were grieving.

And it’s shot in a single take. A one-hour show where the camera never turns off.

So this is starting to sound a lot like the real world, no?

Time to Think

Nearly every nonprofit leader is facing an overflowing plate that demands action. They are not encouraged to take time to breathe. Recently, a wonderful organization I know was preparing for the membership meeting that they host every year in the spring because bylaws state that they have to disclose financials to members by a certain date. In the past, they’ve handed out a professionally designed and printed annual report at that meeting. Pretty, but not cheap.

How often have you held yourself to a deadline because, “that’s when we’ve always done it,” even though you have a feeling that now is not the right time.

Someone asked the question, “Is this how we should do it?” and it opened up an incredible dialogue around goals, audiences and resources.

The deciding conversations (which occurred in less than a week – super fast!), resulted in a plan for better and more timely communication, and better use of staff and financial resources. It also built in an opportunity to engage key donors in messaging. As in: we can ask donors to make a pledge to XYZ project, and then we can announce those committed funds at our member meeting in a few months.

Don’t be afraid to ask! Image used with appreciation to Piyapong Saydaung on Pixabay

Is This the Right Time? Three Questions to Ask

In Buddhism, they have something called Right Speech to avoid false, divisive, harsh or gossipy communication. It’s a fantastic framework to ask: Is it true? Am I the one to say it? Is now the time to say it? Does it need to be said? I use this a lot. (And should use it a lot more.)

And in life, if you’re thinking that question, so are other people. Speak up!

Question #1: Why are we doing this?

This opens up an honest discussion about who the audience is, and what is the right message for that audience. Audiences and messages change – they are not static. So it’s worth taking time to think about this and make sure you feel that you’ve got it right.

Question #2: Why are we doing this now?

Sometimes it’s a good time and sometimes it’s not. Audits aren’t complete. Families are on vacation. The weather is too cold (or hot) for an outdoor event. Things start opportunistically – as in, “We haven’t had a member meeting in a while. Maybe we should have one next month.” There are lots of factors that affect timing. But you won’t know if they affect your timing until you ask.

Question #3: Why are we doing this like this?

Is this the way that our people want to hear from us? Are we sure that they won’t look at something online? Do we really know that they want us to mail them a printed report? Do they want a community celebration with food and music? The answers may be “Yes!” but the question is, how do you know?

All these questions are a beautiful way of making sure that your fundraising plan is the right plan. Plans should be dynamic! So ask the questions.

So let’s take time to think and feel things. And be grateful that we’re no longer adolescents.

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Have a story to tell about deciding to do something differently? I’d love to hear it.