There’s a difference between responding and reacting. Reactions are instinctual—Someone throws an object at you, you duck, swat, or catch it without thinking. Responses, on the other hand, are considered. They are choices rooted in reasons. And they benefit from meaningful conversations.
We’ve been supporting staff and Board leadership teams as they look to “respond to the moment,” rather than react to it. By centering what matters most to their communities and mission, we’re assisting them in building strategic frameworks and exploring scenarios to guide their priorities and decisions in this destabilized environment.
A solid strategic framework combined with scenario planning can help an organization:
- Anchor in its core commitments—its vision, mission, and values—no matter the situation.
- Align the Board and staff on the work that’s most impactful for the community, most essential to the mission, and that the organization is best at or uniquely positioned to deliver.
- Identify strategies to pursue “no matter what” that address vulnerabilities, capitalize on strengths, and build capacities for resilience.
- Prepare it to be responsive or nimble as needed, making decisions quickly because leaders are clear about what’s most important.
- Pursue strategic collaborations to meet community needs in new ways, from advocacy and program partnerships to transferring unsustainable programs if necessary.
- Mobilize financial and political support by clearly sharing the organization’s commitments, aims, and needs.
As we’ve worked with organizations, we’ve put together some tools to help structure these important conversations. We’re sharing them with you in our free toolkit, “Respond to the Moment with Clarity.” We hope they provide helpful frameworks for you to start and guide conversations with your teams and Boards.
