In my last two posts, I have been exploring how to articulate and align what I see as the four elements of a nonprofit organization’s strategy:
- Why: Vision statements often express an organization’s “why.” It describes why you exist and do the work you do. This is the change or result you seek.
- What: A mission statement often communicates an organization’s “what.” This describes what you do to contribute to the change you seek.
- How: Your organization’s models (business, funding, service delivery) describe how you execute your “what.”
- Who: Your target population is your “who.” These are the customers, clients, and beneficiaries you serve.
All four must be clearly articulated and aligned with the others to ensure your organization is focused, effective, and impactful. But which is primary?
What is Your Anchor?
I have found that nonprofit organizations usually feel more committed to or more passionate about one of the four elements of their strategy than the others. An organization might have been founded to serve a specific Who, and they are willing to let their Why and What evolve to match the needs of their Who. For example, an organization exists to serve the needs of teenage mothers, but their Vision for those mothers and the services they provide evolve as economic, social, and political forces evolve.
Or, an organization might be unabashedly wed to their Why and willing to reconsider their What, How, and Who in order to achieve their desired result. For example, an organization commits to increasing racial equity. They start by targeting business and community leaders (Who) with training (What) but later shift their focus to providing youth mentoring to create generational change.
However, if an organization is equally committed to (or, more likely, equally unclear or ambivalent about) all four, planning processes really will spin in circles. You have got to pick one element, make it your anchor, and align the others around it. It is the center around which all other elements of your strategy revolve. It is the hub.
What’s Driving You?
I’m going to get every last mile out of this car metaphor (ha!). There are all-wheel drive cars and front- or rear-wheel drive cars. In the former, all four wheels have power to propel the car forward. In the latter, only two do. I would like to suggest that in any nonprofit strategy there are two elements of strategy that should be driving your organization – Why and Who – and the other two can be in service and support of those – What and How. I think when an organization’s commitment to their What (their specific services and activities) is driving them, more so than their Why (their Vision or Mission), they are more vulnerable to mission creep and burnout. Likewise, when an organization is most committed to and powered by its How (specific models of fundraising, revenue generation, or service delivery), they limit their ability to adjust their What to meet the needs of their Who and make greater impact for their Why.
What is your anchor? And are the other three elements aligned to it?