Reject Fear. Embrace Possibility.
By Tammie Jones
Recently, I’ve been struck by how often those of us seeking to advance social justice operate from a place of fear:
Fear of being turned down - Many nonprofit organizations feel pressure to maximize the dollars going to programs. As a result, they don’t even ask foundations for the support they desperately need, including funding for operating costs, support for facilities improvements, or even money to support competitive salaries for staff. They try to make do on a shoestring budget instead of facing potential rejection, and the work is diminished as a result.
Fear of overhead - The myth that well-run nonprofit organizations should not exceed 15 percent overhead permeates nonprofit boardrooms and charity watch dogs, and it continues to damage the sector. Fear of looking like a bad steward of resources ends up wasting valuable resources, as staff are forced to manage their data on disconnected spreadsheets in lieu of making the investment in evaluation and CRM infrastructure.This makes it difficult for nonprofits to effectively measure their impact—let alone use information to drive daily management decisions. Worse, it can result in misdirecting staff, damaging morale, poisoning organizational culture, and limiting the talent attraction and retention.
Fear of failure and not knowing - Too often, I’ve seen nonprofit organizations pull together the “dog and pony show” for funders, spouting the accomplishments of their programs without being honest about the lessons learned along away - let alone the challenges that haven’t yet been worked out. Fear of being perceived as ineffective stops them from sharing this information with funders, which then stunts funders’ learning and insights, potentially resulting in increased investment in bad strategy and perpetuating misconceptions sector-wide.
And, this is just a sampling of the fear-driven behavior in the sector that is holding us back from achieving our desired impact!
"Don't ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn't."
— Michelle Obama (while campaigning in Phoenix in 2011)
As an executive in residence with EarlyWorks, I have the opportunity to help nonprofit and foundation executives face their fears and consider their work from a new and different perspective. After all, crisis and opportunity are often two sides of the same coin!
As the decade comes to a close and you reflect on how you want things to be different in 2020, take a minute to consider this question regularly posed by Shawn Dove, CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement:
What would you do - right now, in the position you hold today - if you were ten times bolder?
If you are looking to jumpstart change in your organization, please reach out.
