How To: Create a Strategic Plan

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Every organization needs a 5 year strategic plan. Mapping out your non-profit’s goals will give your staff, volunteers, board members, and donors a clear understanding of where your organization is, and where it wants to go.

1. Table of Contents

2. Executive Summary

  • This is a basic summary of what you will be including in the strategic plan.

3. Background and History

  • Include the what, where, why, and how of your organization’s creation.

4. Direction

  • What is the strategic direction of your organization?
  • What do you want to get accomplished in the next 5 years?

5. Mission Statement

6. Vision

  • What is your organization’s definition of success?
  • What would need to happen to make your non-profit obsolete?

7. Core Operating Values

  • What are the core operating values that influence the culture and public image of your organization?

8. Financial Support

  • What are your funding sources?

9. Use of Services 

  • Who are you serving?
  • Where are you serving them?
  • How are you serving them?

10. Critical Issues

  • What is crucial to operating your non-profit and its programs?

11. Organization’s Bylaws 

12. List of Board of Directors 

  • How are they selected?
  • What are they required to do?

13. Environmental Scan

  • A brief summary of opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses of your organization

14. Goals and Objectives

  • A general summary throughout the 5 years
  • A break down per year, per program

15. Monitoring and Evaluation

  • What monitoring and evaluation framework will your organization use to effectively measure the effect of your programs?

16. Organizational Structure

  • List of staff and positions

17. Budget

  • For each year listed in plan (projected or proposed)

 

Good luck!

Dealing With Pain

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Whether it’s a tattoo or a sprained foot, people always want me to gauge my pain on a scale of 1 to 10. Not to pat myself on the back, but I’ve always had a high pain tolerance. If you can tell that I’m in pain, I’m in a lot of pain.

A couple of Fridays ago I had the misfortune of landing very awkwardly into a pot hole after stepping off of a median. Luckily, I only suffered a bad sprain on the top of my foot. This experience got me thinking about my injuries abroad, and the time which has shaped how I deal with pain.

I’ve injured myself many times throughout my travels, but nothing compares to the hike I endured in my final days of studying abroad. It has almost been 6 years since that experience, but I still use it as my gauge against physical and emotional pain. The first hike own over three mountain peaks wasn’t all that terrible. I was insanely out of shape, and it took me twice as long than it should have to reach the campsite, but for all intents and purposes it wasn’t that bad.

However, the night before heading back to civilization, I tripped over a large rock. (In my defense it was pitch black at the time.) I pulled a hip flexor, which isn’t that terrible of an injury if you get to rest it. Unfortunately we were set to start our hike back up the next morning. A group of us had to move excruciatingly slow because of various injuries in the we all had.

After hours of using my other leg to put all of my weight on, both my legs felt useless. A hike that could be finished in one day had to be split into two. Sleeping on a hill with rocks digging into every part of me definitely didn’t help heal my injuries. For some reason, I was feeling optimistic that morning. We had made it that far so we should be in the clear for the rest of the journey.

I forgot that we had to deal with the cliffs of insanity. You have to climb a bit, turn a corner and there are more cliffs. And so and on and so forth, till you believe that you will be spending eternity climbing those cliffs. At this point it was excruciating to put any weight on either legs, but with the help of a tall German who was pulling me up the cliffs, I made it through that portion.

Even when we got to the clearing (the final stretch), I had to switch off an on from being carried to the car. I don’t remember how much time it took to get to the car after the cliffs, but I know that I had reached past physical limits I didn’t know existed, and if I wasn’t granted the human instinct of survival, I’m sure that I would have collapsed into a heaping pile of tears and refused to move.

On a scale of 1 to 10, that experience was a 37.

Now, whenever I bust a foot or accidentally burn myself, I get through the pain by reminding myself that I survived that hike, so I can survive this. I have struggled emotionally and psychologically since that experience, but I think there is a part of me that remembers that in the face of extreme adversity, I pushed forward and refused to give up on myself.

I’m sure I will face many more challenges in my life, but I know that I’m strong enough for almost anything if I could survive that hike.

How To: Create a Post-Event Strategy

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Last Wednesday I talked about planning an event. This week I would like to discuss how to create a plan to engage donors and attendees after the event ends.

Make sure everyone is properly thanked  for their support (via mail, email or phone calls) using your list of attendees and donors and their contact information. I find that a hand-written note is the most effective means of thanks, but if time and money don’t allow it, make sure that the expression of thanks is personal.

Next, make sure your list of attendees and donors is transferred to whatever database your organization uses. Uploading and keeping track of these people and their contact information may be tedious at first, but it will definitely be beneficial in the future. Your attendees and donors are obviously interested in your organization, but if they aren’t kept in the loop, support could fall by the wayside. Not because of their lack of interest, but people are busy.

Invite people who haven’t already done so to “Like” your Facebook page and to “Follow” your organization on Twitter and Instagram. The more you keep people involved, the more likely they’ll continue their support.

Events are meant to create long-lasting supporters for your organization. It’s crucial to make sure that attendees feel wanted and are important to your mission.

Get planning, and good luck!

Romanticizing the Past

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There was a four-year gap between when I first studied abroad in the country my organization works in and when I was able to return. As time went by after my studying abroad experience, I began to look at my memories through rose colored glasses. I didn’t intentionally put those rose-colored glasses on, but there were some aspects of my original adventure that go warped.

For example, why didn’t we explore the country more during the day? Most of our classes were at night and had plenty of time in the middle of the day to be outside. When my co-founder and I returned to the country four years later, we tried walking around the middle of the day for meetings. In four years I had forgotten that the weather there was either hot and humid, or just really hot, especially in the middle of the day; we weren’t being lazy students, we were trying to prevent heat stroke.

When we came back, the whole country felt different. Which makes sense after four years, but it still took me by surprise when our favorite restaurant was gone and our favorite bar installed a disco ball. These things do seem small, but they were part of the glaring realization that time had changed this country, our organization, and us.

We were no longer treated like students, because we weren’t students anymore. A part of me still misses being coddled by staff and other groups, and a part of me is terrified that these people now see me as an adult and one of their peers. It was certainly easier for me as a student. I didn’t have the responsibilities of a non-profit weighing on me. I got to take fairly easy classes while volunteering in a school (a future partner school). Some days when I’m stressed about a logistical or funding problem, I pine for the days where being a student was my number one priority.

But then, I remember what my organization has accomplished over the past 5 years, specifically all of the strides we have made in establishing ourselves internationally. I realize that I have grown up a bit when I see and appreciate the respect we have achieved in our sector, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I’ve learned that looking at the past through a positive lens is great, but to not let it diminish what has been accomplished closer to the present. I can learn from the past, but appreciate who I am now. Wishing for a simpler time is folly, because life was never simple and the present is not something I should resent. The past may feel like the glory days, but I have a feeling that five years from now I’ll probably be talking about 2014 with the same reverence as I do with 2008.

Just like my organization, I need to learn from my past (and not be stuck there), be grateful for the present, and get excited for the future.

How To: Plan an Event

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There are many types of events to plan for: online auctions, galas, 5Ks, golf tournaments, etc, but there are core planning techniques that will help make your event a success.

  1. Pick a date. Knowing when your event is going to be gives you ample amount of time to plan and organize.
  2. What type of event would most benefit your organization?
  3. How long is the event going to run?
  4. What space do you need? How much will it cost?
  5. Who are you inviting? How many people are you inviting?
  6. How are you inviting people? What marketing materials will you need?
  7. Is admission going to be charged? How much profit do you want to make off of this event?
  8. Is entertainment involved? What kind?
  9. What food are you providing? Where are you getting it from?
  10. Is anyone speaking at your event? What contacts do you need?
  11. Will there be an auction? What type of items are you looking for? How are you getting these items?
  12. How will you staff the event? How many volunteers or staff members will you need?
  13. Will there be a way for attendees to donate via cash or credit card?
  14. Are there any materials you want to give attendees? (i.e. Thank you cards)

Probably the best thing to do while planning an event is to double and triple check everything and with everyone. Make sure the entertainment knows when to come and that volunteers show up and are trained. It may seem a tad neurotic, but people and services can fall through the cracks very easily if they aren’t monitored.

Get planning, and good luck!

Sort of Out: Coming Out Through Studying Abroad

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A lot of my LGBT* friends knew pretty much their entire lives, or at least since puberty, that they were queer. I wouldn’t say that figuring out I was a lesbian at 20 is completely late to the game, but comparatively to my queer circle, I felt like I showed up to the party pretty late.

Of course, it would take me traveling half way across the world to figure out my sexuality. In hindsight, the signs had definitely been there for me. I had considered boys aesthetically pleasing, but I thought then if I waited long enough, the physical and sexual feelings would emerge. Also, looking back on my female friendships and my obvious crushes, I still shudder and shake my head.

I finally let myself start to see the truth of things when I was studying abroad my junior year of college. There were only five of us in our program, and luckily we all got along; we all became very fast friends. There was only one boy in the program, and I started on my usual course trying to convince myself that I had a crush on him. As much as I tried, nothing more than friendship felt right. There was, however, a girl in our group that I was very attracted to, I just wasn’t admitting it to myself. This girl was smart, kind hearted, and hot, very hot. Again I tried to convince myself that a same-sex attraction was just close feelings of friendships.

The trip was life changing , so obviously I felt strong emotions toward my new friends. Afterwards geography separated me from of the group, and I almost convinced myself of my success.

It finally took an interaction with an old high school friend a month after returning that led me to my sexual revelation. Not initially of course, because that would have been too easy.  We snuggled the whole weekend while in the mountains, but it was finally that Sunday coming home that reality smacked me upside the head.

People have asked me why it took me so long for me to register, and I have asked myself the same question many times. Why did it take a study abroad trip across the world and back for me to figure it out? Why was I keeping myself blind to my obvious reality? There were points in high school that I flirted with the idea of being attracted to girls, but I buried it away from my conscious thought.  I didn’t want it to be an option, so I made myself not see it.

Studying abroad made me see, learn, and re-learn things about who I am as a person and what I wanted to get out of life. This experience mapped out my passion for education, development, and non-profit work. Most importantly, it made me feel again. For too long I blocked myself off from my emotions and the world. By traveling abroad I let myself go free, and I let myself be. It was the beginning of a long and continuous journey of learning about and loving myself.

I’ve found that when I am the most open and true to myself, the happier of a place I am at. Being true to me has been amazing, terrifying and difficult, but absolutely incredible. I am eternally grateful for the experience I had. I shudder to think about the shell of person I would be today without it. That semester was the catalyst toward finding myself through all of the facades I built.

Some people in the LGBT* community have known since the beginning, others, it takes a little bit longer. For me, I almost had to be smacked upside the head with my own sexuality. We all have different journeys. For me, it took the long way around the bend, I couldn’t be more grateful.

How To: Utilize Social Media

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Social media is fantastic. You can reach people who are not usually in your financial or geographic reach with little to no cost. In my opinion social media is one of the best marketing tools organizations can have.

The most important aspect about using social media is to have a constant and clear presence on all of the sites you are using. Platforms like Hoot Suite can help you stay organized and consistent. Mapping out what you want to say and when you want to post it helps outline and create the image you want to be projecting online.

Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+ allow smaller organizations to reach out across the world for new volunteers and donations, and it is also a great platform to connect with other organizations that have similar missions and goals. Networking by following and liking groups that are similar to yours can lead you to new followers and new opportunities. Engage with the people and organizations that follow or like you and who contact your organization via social media. People and groups like to feel engaged and that their comment or opinions matter.

Make sure you encourage people to share, re-blog, and retweet. It may be unlikely that your post will become viral, but a post can spread fairly far and quickly if shared through numerous circles of people.

Stay simple. A picture is worth a thousand words, so you don’t necessarily need a paragraph that goes along with it. People skim their social media, so make sure that whatever your text, picture and / or link is, that it’s appealing and catchy. Basically, think about what you click on, what catches your eye. See what other organizations are doing to maintain and expand their online presence.

It takes time to build up, but a quality social media presence is priceless. You are able to access new groups of people and learn about what your sector is doing in all parts of the world. The chance for donor expansion or collaboration is literally at your finger tips.

Happy posting, and good luck!

Armchair Activism

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Armchair Activist (Noun): One who sits in their armchair or desk chair and blogs or posts Activists issues on Facebook without ever really doing anything about said issues or exercising any form of activism as it would require that person to actually leave the armchair. –Urban Dictionary

Most definitions of armchair activism or “slacktivism” that I have come across are not flattering or positive in any way, shape, or form. I definitely understand the criticism. People who aren’t involved, but who like to convince themselves and the online community that they are making a difference. Feeling satisfied by only posting and tweeting about a certain cause.

I might be swimming in naiveté, but I would like to argue why, at least in theory, we can’t assume that arm-chair activism is solely composed of lazy people who like to pat themselves on the back for doing virtually nothing. Those type of people exist in every social movement.

I do believe that with new and ever-growing technology our understand of social movements need to change. I’m not saying that everything about a social movement can be accomplished through a computer, but many of these people who are posting, liking, and retweeting would never had had access to the information or news story in the first place. Can we really say that if social media didn’t exist the way it does, that these people would be more ‘active’ in these causes?

Not everyone can march on Washington or occupy a local area. If they can sign a petition, or spread a news piece, they are doing something productive. Could they be doing more? Of course; in theory you could say that about any person within a movement.

People only have so much time and emotional energy to give. If they volunteer at an animal shelter and only post online about labor issues, that’s great. We can’t make a difference every waking moment within in every sector or issue.

Is there an over-inflated sense of self in some of the online activist community? Yes. Is there an over-inflated sense of self in the Occupy Movement? Yes. A group of people who only like to pat themselves on the back and puff out their chest to build online clout should never define an entire movement or activist community.

Hash-tags can’t save the world but they can make the world a little more informed and hopefully, passionate. Which, in theory, can make the world a better place.

How To: Get New Donors and Keep Them

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

If we are lucky, our organizations have at least a small core group of people who financially support it. We wouldn’t be where we are without these donors, but honestly, the more we expand and diversify our donor base, the more sustainable our organizations will be.

I have found that the best way to get new donors is through storytelling, whether it be through social media or through elevator pitches.

Social media is a great way to reach potential donors that are normally outside of your geographical area. Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+ can be great resources to spread a donation campaign or generally about the work you are doing. A quality, regularly updated Facebook page or Twitter handle can show potential donors what you are doing, how you are doing it, and how a donation can impact the work of your organization. Also interacting with other organizations on these sites will give supporters of similar programs an opportunity to check out your projects.

If you are looking for bigger donations, I find that crafting an elevator pitch is the best option. Whether you are at an event, happy hour, or there is a surprise encounter, it’s crucial to have a short pitch about how much money you are asking for, why you need the money, and how it will be used. Cold calls or emails sometimes work, but people really value face to face interactions, even if it is for 30 seconds.

Along the lines of storytelling, just talk to everyone about your organization as much as possible. People are much more willing to give money when they see that the people working within the organization are passionate about the mission. For example, I may have created a new opportunity for my organization at my sister’s graduation party. You never know when people are looking to give, so it’s best to always be ready.

After getting these new donors, what is the best way to make sure our donors keep on giving? I’ve found that organization is essential; keep track of who donates, when, and how much. Make sure the donors feel appreciated, whether it be through personalized thank you notes or a shout out on your Facebook page. The more your donors know about what is happening within your organization, the easier it is for them to talk about how your organization is a great one to support to their friends, family, co-workers, etc.

Ask! The worse they can say is no. Good luck!!

Real Positive Change Takes Time

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Everyone in sports and LGBT* community is talking about Michael Sam getting drafted by the Rams and that his jersey is selling like hotcakes. While obviously excitement has been expressed by the LGBT* community, it is also very easy to lament over the fact that the first openly gay play drafted to the NFL wasn’t an all-star quarterback or wide receiver. Why couldn’t the LGBT* community bust down the door instead of having in gently pushed open by a seventh round draft pick?

I am not diminishing Sam’s achievements. He has obviously worked very hard to be where he is now, and the fact that ESPN aired a gay kiss on TV definitely made a big splash in the sports world.

The reason we don’t have an openly queer quarterback is the same reason we haven’t an openly queer president. Lasting positive change takes time and moves very slowly. Saying that lasting change takes time does not mean that I am satisfied for slow progress, but in order for the LGBT* community to bust down doors, we need people like Michael Sam. When Harvey Milk won in 1977 no one had dreamed of an openly gay politician. Now we have out Senators and Congress-people who stand up for LGBT* individuals across the United States.

Again, we should not be satisfied with slow-moving change; we should always try to aim higher and better. A quick flash in the pan is satisfying initially, but after a short period of time it can very easily lose impact. Unfortunately people need to see something over and over again until it becomes accepted and normalized.

Fast change looks nice, but what about the substance? What happens after the first openly gay quarterback gets drafted or the first out president gets elected? There is something to be said about reaching to the top, but more importantly lasting change comes from the hard work that continues after reaching the mountain peak. What is a queer president or quarterback going to do to continue to advance the LGBT* movement?

In a perfect world we wouldn’t need to kick the door down or LGBT* rights.

I don’t need to tell you that we don’t live in a perfect world. So we keep trudging forward, relishing in the small victories, but never accepting them as the permanent status-quo.