So, What Can You Actually Do? And Why Should Anyone Care?
Feb 01, 2022
What Can Do? Would Anyone Hire You?
When we consider uncertainty, rather endemic in our field and especially during these times, we might consider these simple yet deep questions (an interesting exercise for boards and senior staff, separately and together, perhaps):
If I was a mayor or city manager, or a president or provost, or a superintendent or principal, donor or foundation, and had serious issues to address, and budgetary pressures:
What would we hire your agency or organization to do? (precisely, with accountability and measurements, what problems would be solved?)
Who else might apply? (removing blinkers, if money is on the table, what other agencies might reasonably step forward, in whole or in part?)
What is your unique value proposition? (is there something that only you and your staff can deliver? Or is this something that is shared or even duplicated with others?)
How do you measure success? (what is the return on investment? how do we ensure that we make a unique difference?)
And yes, the ROI, or Return on Investment, is a reasonable question. How do we get value for money? Every funder, whether government, foundations, or individual donors, has financial pressures and choices. How do you deliver?
Again, remove the blinkers and be brutally honest. Then develop a plan!
These are indeed the questions, worded differently perhaps, that are being asked in the halls of power and influence.
How do we respond?
What are your main “pain points” dealing with demonstrating your value? What advice would be most helpful to you? And we always assume that you are asking for a friend!
Get in touch. We’ll address your questions and concerns in an upcoming blog post.
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