Planning Amid an Uncertain Future

For many organizations, the future has never felt so uncertain. We’ve never known exactly what tomorrow might bring, but for many organizations I encounter, there is a sense that in 2025 – while still tackling continued challenges like decreased charitable giving and high staff turnover -- we will be entering a cultural, social, and systems shift that has potential for unprecedented impact for the nonprofit sector. So for many organizations, the question arises, “How can we possibly make plans when the future is so uncertain?”

The truth is, that while you can delay or avoid planning, you can’t avoid decision making. If you remove planning and leave nothing in its place, you will have a series of uncoordinated activities and expenditures that work towards different ends. Each workday, staff will continue to need to make decisions about how to allot time and other resources. And in times of heightened uncertainty – wherein an organization might encounter decisions it has not had to previously consider -- it will be less and less clear what the right decision is. Many organizations will need to be prepared to pivot in their activities, develop new metrics of success, and/or seek new alliances.

To maintain focus, purpose, and identity amid change, organizations will need to mindfully build organizational alignment. Now is a crucial time to bring your organization together to consider:

• What is our central purpose?

• Who do we ultimately serve, and how can we engage their voices?

• What values will guide our operations – both internally and externally?

Within a retreat or community meeting, answering these questions – with or without developing corresponding plans – will provide some internal stability, allow coherency in organizational operations, and keep the organization on a path of making gains where it can. With a unified organizational vision, staff will be empowered to collaborate to meet a greater end, board members will have clarity on what resources and partnerships align with organizational priorities, and an organization can chart progress and seek out aligned opportunities.

We are entering many unknowns, but what we do know is that the needs in our communities will continue, and continuing to respond to those needs is crucial. The nonprofit sector has weathered many points of strain and transformation. Clarity in the strengths we bring and how we can best invest our resources and efforts to address new challenges will be key to continuing to care for our communities.