The board member is excited.

“My cousin in Arizona just told me how his nonprofit is partnering their day care with a senior center and just drinking in the money from all the funders. We should do that!”

Right. Never mind that you’re a public garden with a research mission and you already have robust relationships with several senior centers that bring devoted volunteers to your site. You’re not a day care center, and the research you do requires fine motor skills.

“But we could get so much money from funders!!”

Is that really true?

The first question that major funders ask is how this new project fits into your strategic plan; which in turn has to match your mission and vision. Somehow, this fabulous idea doesn’t look so fabulous any more.

Or does it? What if you don’t have a strategic plan? What if you don’t have a coherent vision and mission? How can you tell whether this is a fabulous idea or not?

When everyone on your board, and everyone on staff, knows your mission, vision and plan, it’s a lot easier to “JUST SAY NO” to the random fabulous idea. 

But when you don’t have this foundation, it’s very easy to be pulled into projects and schemes that take you away from your purpose.

Mark Pettit wrote 5 Steps to Overcoming FOMO about personal goals. With his permission, here they are, with my take on applying them to your organization.

Five concrete steps:

1 – Commit to strong, specific goals. Articulate clearly what your organization’s priorities are. Ask that excited board member how the opportunity fits your current priorities. An important caveat: Don’t squash the enthusiasm, channel it!.

2 – Know the high-value activities needed to hit your goals. When you know the activities that will bring you the most return for your effort, you know where to channel that enthusiasm.  Have her work on the most important things, and keep her and others focused on the priorities.

3 – Recognize the tradeoffs. Questions are rarely ‘yes/no.’ If there’s a possibility that the idea fits, consider both the opportunities and the costs of each choice. My colleagues and I call this the “positive/positive, negative/negative” equation. What’s the upside of saying ‘yes’ AND what’s the upside of saying ‘no?’ What’s the downside of saying ‘yes’ AND what’s the downside of saying ‘no.’ All relative to your goals, of course.

Remind your board that you have more than you think.

4 – Give yourself permission to say ‘no.’ There will always be other things to spend your energy on and other opportunities that look good. Engage your board in a conversation about making choices, and acknowledge that you can’t say ‘yes’ to everything.  This boosts your ability to say ‘no’ when the time comes.

5 – Create an abundance mindset.  Chasing scattered opportunities is a symptom that you aren’t sure of your own plans and progress. FOMO is today’s way of saying ‘the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.’ Meanwhile, the person on the other side of that fence is saying that about you. Remind your board that you have more than you think. You have a plan. You have rational reasons for each part of it. And feel free to say ‘no.’

*Fear of Missing Out

Lead your board through these five steps, and watch staying true to your plan get easier. Write back, and let me know how it goes!

Let’s talk about crafting that Vision and Mission and making sure you’re all on the same page. Contact me at sdetwiler@detwiler.com and we can talk.  Or sign up here to receive regular updates on board development and planning.