Strategic Planning

Sponsor Something Free

The other day it struck me that you do not always need money to sponsor an event. Just think about the opportunities that exist daily that are free. Intel claims to be “the sponsor of tomorrow.” I do not think they had to pay a cent for the rights (except to a marketing department). TGIF has built it’s campaign around sponsoring the concept of Friday. What can you sponsor that so ubiquitous that we never have thought of attaching our enterprise to… weather, days of the week, future moments in time, emotions, memorable moments, forces of nature, etc.

The list is really endless and yet a creative opportunity to springboard marketing campaigns with no contracts.

If you are looking for existing funding opportunities consider all the youth sports leagues that suddenly find themselves trying to replace the Ford, GM, Chrysler logos that use to adorn their sports jerseys. I listened to an interesting piece on ESPN radio bemoaning the lose of these critical sponsors. Many open doors to make a difference and be a savior for community programs.

What opportunities have opened themselves which were never considered options previously?

Size Doesn’t Matter

Reading the Twitter tweets of Johann Bruyneel (@johanbruyneel), the Sports Director of the Astana Cycling Team- or as most people recognize him as the manager of Lance Armstrong’s Seven Tour de France wins. He posted a tweet the other night that was humorous and yet immediately one I could identify with:

“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”

You never can be too small to have an impact and if you are BIG remember how quickly something small can take all your attention.

The New News

The state of the newspaper: Do we think a market will continue exist where individuals will purchase a newspaper filled with information that is not real time? Will you continue to pay versus go online and view information for free? Do you think what is being deemed ‘an outdated model’ will perpetuate simply due to tradition?

What will I pay for? I deeply value the flow of information. Additionally, I value another person’s perspective on the news. Who can make sense of the news and present information in a context that allows me to decode complex issues? I value people’s opinions and perspectives when well thought-out.

I see an opportunity in this ‘dying’ medium. What opportunities exist in your market that may have been written-off already?

5:45 AM Conference Call


I woke at 5:45 AM this morning, walked down to the computer, and 10 minutes later was on a video conference engaged with a board that was holding a retreat in New York. This is done daily across the world. For me it re-enforced the point that resources are available from all over. If we limit our thinking and ask less powerful questions our results will be in proportion with our vision. Do not be afraid to ask grand questions or consider resources from around the world. In a global world, you never know who or what you will find.

First Glance

Have you invited a guest into your home who pointed out some feature of your house that you never noticed? Have you sold a house and were amazed at what caught the eye perspective buyer’s? My parents collected Bev Doolittle paintings during my youth. One day I found additional camouflaged images embedded within one of her paintings and was surprised that they had been there all along. Have a look:


It is a reminder to me to invite ‘outsiders’ in for their perspective. The stories of mail room employees being called into executive level meetings to give a ‘gut’ reaction to a marketing piece continue to exist- except many organizations do this by going ‘live’ and then waiting for public feedback. Why not tap into the sphere of people who know about our enterprise but are not insiders. Get their reaction.

I have asked some of my educational consulting clients to allow me to contact parents who spend time in the parking lot after dropping their children off as school. Fascinating what I hear. Many of these parents are not on the Board, members of the Parents Association, or active volunteers; but they have an opinion and they are as influential if not more than any marketing campaign.

Are you inviting unique perspectives into your organization to get new perspectives? Focus groups comprissed of different cross-sections of your client base offers tremendous feedback. Asking for input from a broad range of constituents is dynamic.

Now back to that picture- I see 10 hidden faces at first glance, how about you?

Diveristy of Ideas

A friend reminded me of the importance of doing business with people who believe in accountability and professionalism. If you build a team that is simply composed of friends, the ability to shift between being peers to business associates or fiduciaries can be a complicated process. One of the benefits of having a diverse group of individuals serving on a board is to gain additional perspectives but also to avoid the trap of not wanting to upset a friends when expectations edge towards performance. There is never one person who can embody all the attributes and viewpoints but a team of individuals with unique perspectives brings a lot to the board room.

Who is going to ask the question that needs to be asked?
Who is going to ask for a clarification when not everyone in the room understands the data but are too polite to ask for a clarification?
Who will make sure that the organization meets the ‘best practices’ standards?
Who will speak for the small segment of customers who are easily forgotten?
Who will say ‘slow down’ if the group needs a moment?
Who will reposition the board’s message so it is easily communicated?

Who do you need that helps your team excel? Who do you currently have on your board that may be there simply as a friend-of-a-friend?

A New Way

Charity is dead.

The ‘E’ in CEO stands for ‘excuse me can you spare dime.’

The enterprise that has the most connections and funders wins the war for fundraising success.

Nonprofit organizations tweet, friend, link, blog, post, Evite, refresh, and blast in a constant attempt to gain market share and recognition.

More time is spent reaching out to volunteers, donors, patrons, foundations, politicians than they spend achieving their mission and running key programs.

Resources are frequently shifted in order to make an organization eligible for funding, awards, volunteers, community recognition, grants, facilities. New programs are adopted simply to meet the demands of a third party.

The number one attribute for nominating a new board member- capacity to give.

What if…
  • Nonprofit organizations spend 90% or more of their time and resources meeting the mission
  • Special Events and Gala fundraising events that typically cost 30 cents for every dollar raised become a gathering to report back to the supporters, volunteers, customers, partners, politicians. Exchange ideas, get feedback, engage, build community, connect.
  • General operating support should receive the highest deduction from the IRS. The more restrictions of the gift, the less deduction. Allow the board and staff decide what is the best way to use the resources and then provide constant communication and transparency.
  • One metric does not fit all nonprofit organizations. There is no perfect Return on Investment formula. Measuring success is an abstract exercise that rests in the liminal.
  • FOCUS: Announce your intentions and go do it. The fewer peripheral pieces the better. Stop hiring the best fundraiser as CEO if that is all they bring to the enterprise. Get the best leader, manager, strategic thinker, communicator, advocate, collaborator, visionary, and whatever else you need. Hire for the cause not the funders.
  • Be brave: go out and partner, leverage parts of your mission to other organizations that are better positioned to provide a service, share your challenges, be targeted.

Many more ideas to follow in a developing manifesto…what would you suggest to change the social sector? Is it really working?

To Plan?

Many businesses and nonprofit organizations that I communicate with have decided to put any long-range or strategic planning on hold. Most often the economics of hiring a consultant are given as the main reason. Some clients are moving in-house by using a self-facilitated process where a board member or volunteer leads the effort. I applaud those who are still thinking about the future and wonder about the organizations that exist only in the day-to-day mode.

All of this came full circle last week when both planes that I was scheduled to fly on encountered mechanical issues while in the pre-flight stage. Neither was especially alarming but it re-enforce the status of the airline industry. New orders for planes are being deferred and new aerospace technologies are being considered but few are being implemented at the moment. What is going to happen when everyone feels the need to expand or ramp back-up? The deferred maintenance and investment in new aircraft is going to create a backlog that will arguably take a decade to clear.

What are the opportunities that your enterprise is missing because you are no longer holding planning sessions or scheduling retreats? How much is the day-to-day oversight of the balance sheet taking bandwidth from the organization’s ability to think strategically? It is as if everyone abandoned the wheel house to run down to the engine room to keep the power up but nobody is watching the seas. Who is in you Crow’s Nest scanning the horizon? If they exist, have you spoken with them recently?

Finite Thoughts


Listening to NHPR this past weekend and caught the conclusion of an interview about thinking and the brain. The author of the book (could not catch their name) promoted the idea of ‘cognitive cash’. The idea that we have a finite number of thoughts available to us during out lifetime. A number has been calculated on how many thoughts the average person has during their lifetime. How are you using your thoughts? How often do you spend it for a positive return on investment? Do you allow your thoughts to run free like a water running from an unattended garden hose? Does it matter?

When you add the idea of scarcity to an commodity suddenly the value increases. I have tried to think about this daily. How am I using my cognitive cash? Where and how am I willing to spend it?