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Are you boring or engaging?

When I gather with a group of nonprofit leaders and ask them to introduce themselves, I hear one person after another talk about the work they do. They use jargon, insider-speak, buzz words. They talk about the boss, a challenge they are facing, and find a variety of ways to describe their day-to-day work.

My reaction? Like everyone else, I’m confused and bored.

What would I like to hear?

I want to know your dream for a better world. I want to hear something I can understand and relate to. I want to hear your passion for the work, that’s contagious. Your introduction is the beginning of our relationship. Your words should make me curious; they should pique my interest.

Let’s explore how to do just that.

A Vision-focused approach

Keep in mind your goal: to get people to be curious and responsive. You’ll do that by starting with vision!

Vision is the big dream that inspires others. Your organization’s Vision is that big, bold dream of a better world. The simple statement gives you and everyone in your organization a clear view of the big picture. Examples like, Oxfam: A just world without poverty and Toronto Zoo A world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive, clearly communicate a dream.

A Vision statement for your organization has value:

  1. It is your guiding light, continually inspiring your work;
  2. It helps you and your organization set priorities and choose programs and services that are aligned with it;
  3. And, it acts as a safeguard and measurement, keeping everyone on track towards common goals.

Taking it a step further, your Vision Message, the personalization of your organization’s Vision:

  • Reflects your feelings and your personal motivation;
  • Is the start of a conversation, it works like a magnet to attract interest and curiosity;
  • Conversation leads to the connections you will need for ongoing, continued growth and development.

Your Vision Message is your own personal version of the Vision. It is how you express your purpose. It’s a short story about why you do what you do. It is emotional and engaging. It naturally appeals to listeners.

Your Vision Message is not a branding slogan. You do not have to look for clever wording or an advertising headline. You are looking for a few words to express the dream that makes your organization important to your community and to you personally.

Practice being engaging. Share your dream for a better world. I’d love to hear it!

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Start small, dream big

It’s time again to think about how we gather. We’ve gotten so used to virtual meetings, we may have forgotten the joy of being in a room together.

But, no matter how you are doing it, great meetings are the place to turn dreams into reality!

Let’s explore the power of coming together with purpose and Vision.

Convening may be as familiar as a small group gathering to address an issue or make a plan. But it can be the start of something large and impactful.

Start every meeting with Vision.

Imagine your Vision – the dream your organization has for the future – as the underlying theme of every meeting or event you hold. Consider the possibilities:

  1. You regularly renew your commitment to the dream
  2. You start each meeting on common ground
  3. You have a shared point of reference, including the stories you’ve collected about your pursuit of your Vision
  4. You have a guiding principle that impacts all decisions
  5. You can reject what does not fit and might divert you from your course of action
  6. You are able to measure progress toward your Vision

Every time you convene you have the opportunity to move closer to your Vision and to bring others with you.

Your Vision is a dream, and you have the opportunity to reach for that dream by gathering the right people, who share your Vision, and together setting out a plan to reach toward that dream.

This is why we convene and why we set goals: to make dreams a reality. Convening is the action required to move forward and make something happen. Without it you are simply hoping for change.

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use your words.

Communication drives success.

Think about your heroes. What do they all have in common?

Throughout history our most respected and memorable heroes are great orators, or great writers, or both. Whether they are founders, philosophers, politicians, scientists, religion, artist, or business leaders, the most influential are also the best communicators.

Orators traditionally used the stage and print to get their message out.

Today, among your personal heroes may be a great conversationalist in your family, a singer/songwriter, a speaker with a motivational podcast, or an inspiring author. They have a voice and they use it to connect.

Great communication can make you famous (or at least popular).

Becoming a strong communicator gives you the power to influence people. It allows you to make connections. As a nonprofit leader, communication will win advocates, donors and volunteers. It will make you and your organization stronger and more influential.

Communication is so fundamental it is often overlooked as a key part of success. Yet, when you look at what nonprofits need to succeed, nothing is possible without communication. To fundraise or influence policy makers, or to recruit volunteers, you have to speak and write. To successfully serve clients or build a membership base, you must communicate.

Communication drives success.

Speak up! Use your voice.

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It’s not someone’s job, it’s everyone’s job.

Imagine how much more powerful your organization would be if you multiplied the number of people who felt prepared and empowered to talk about the organization’s vision! The more people spreading the word, the more donors, volunteers, and advocates you have. Simple math says it makes sense.

Why don’t organizations work this way now?

Change happens slowly. While you can see the innovative practices of start-ups and fast-growth businesses, nonprofits tend to be more traditional. The focus is not on the bottom line. You exist for the public good. That’s a responsibility and a promise. Innovation has not traditionally been part of the equation.

Now, more than ever, nonprofits are challenged to find and keep employees, to pay them fairly, to create succession plans for continuity, and to continually inspire and motivate everyone in your circle of influence, including employees, volunteers, boards, and service recipients. It’s a heavy lift.

Everyone in your organization has the heart and mind to be an ambassador. They have chosen to work and volunteer there because they care about the vision and mission. It’s time to empower yourself and others. In fact, it is becoming a necessity.

I’ll explore this topic in more detail next week. For now, think about how you, from wherever you are in the organization, can stand up, speak up, and lead the way forward.

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Step UP! You are a Leader

Not in a leadership role yet? No problem. I want to share with you the secret I discovered that changed my life.

When you have the opportunity to raise your hand and get involved, do it. I was frustrated in work and volunteer roles. I wanted action. I wanted change. Then I discovered how to make things happen.

Every leadership position I’ve had was because I was willing to take on a new task, help others out, give an opinion, or try something new. I went beyond my job description to make things better. No one complained because work was getting done. And when it came time for a promotion, I had already created the next role for myself.

Leadership is all about stepping and doing the job.

Leader at the Center

Nonprofit organizations need leaders. They need you. Becoming a leader from within the organization is rewarding. I call it Leader at the Center. It’s a role that needs to be filled now! Stepping up leads to opportunities, inside and outside your organization.

How do you become a Leader at the Center? Here are 3 steps:

1. Communicate – use your voice to share stories, including your own! Speaking about your dreams and the dream of your organization to create a better world will get you an audience, in person or on social media.

2. Connect – be the connector. Make sure you are meeting people and connecting them to resources, ideas, and other people. Your active connecting will come back to you with connections that will help you reach your dreams.

3. Convene – bring people together. See a problem? You can solve it by using your communication skills and connections to gather people and address the issue. Convening is the way you change dreams into goals.

You have exactly what it takes. Step up. Raise your hand. Start talking, make connections, and gather people together. You’re a Leader at the Center.

Merle Benny is a speaker, author, and trainer. She believes there are Nonprofit Champions at every level and role in an organization. Connect to Nonprofit Champion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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What is the problem you’d give your life to solve?

Big question, right? I challenge you to think about it. Finding your passion and talking about it is the best way to get what you want right now.

When President Franklin Roosevelt wanted to end child polio he helped create the nonprofit that became the March of Dimes. As the whole country rallied around this big goal, scientists went to work.

Your vision is your organization’s way of sharing a big dream for the future. It’s walking on the moon, ending discrimination, giving every child a home.

Possibility.

Discovering your vision means backing up a bit, zooming out, to get a wider view.

Let’s get personal. Put aside the written vision statement of your organization and explore your own reason for the work you do.

What is the problem you’d give your life to solve?

It’s a big question. Exploring it gives you a different perspective. It’s so easy to get caught up in the details and forget the big view.

The March of Dimes didn’t want to do research, they wanted to end childhood polio. They succeeded. Rather than end the fight, they went for a bigger dream. They expanded the Vision: March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies.

Think about your Vision, is it big enough? It is fat and audacious? Does it feel like a dream and inspire you to work harder?

YES! That’s what the world needs, right now.

How to Write Your Vision

  1. Look at your own life journey and what brought you to where you are. Then explore why this work matters to you right now.  
  2. Dig deep, go beyond your mission (the work you do) to find the bigger dream for a world where your work is unnecessary.  
  3. Name the bigger dream. Visualize it. Find the words to express it.

Don’t edit yourself! This is an important first step but it is not your final draft, in fact it’s not for publication. This is about you finding the words to express your dream.

When you expand your Vision, and begin to dream what’s possible, you see opportunity where it didn’t exist before. When you find the words to express it – your purpose, passion, and dream – your message becomes contagious. You are expanding your reach and appealing to a broader audience. You are communicating to win.

What is the problem you’d give your life to solve?