Addressing social issues is not easy. Not only are the causes complex and influenced by multiple factors, but lasting solutions require changing cultural norms and attitudes that are deeply entrenched – and oftentimes, deeply divisive.

As we continue to struggle around issues like racism, gender inequality, and gun violence, we are challenged to find ways to have productive conversations and find common ground. Here are five important lessons learned from the civil rights movement to keep in mind.

1. Practice humility.

“We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak.”   – Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s important to speak up for what we believe. It’s equally important to recognize that we are limited in our experience, knowledge, and understanding. When people challenge our world view or have a different opinion, we can’t just assume they are wrong or dismiss them. We should take the time to understand their perspective, try to understand the context that shaped how they see the issue.  It may not change your position on an issue, but it may provide helpful insight to better approach the issue or strengthen your case.

Developing that humility in today’s world is not easy. People are constantly striving for affirmation and attention, and access to information online provides the false sense of expertise. That’s why it takes practice. Here are Six Principles for Developing Humility published in Harvard Business Review that are a helpful place to start.

2. Be prepared.

“Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”   – Malcolm X

No matter how strongly you feel about an issue, it is highly unlikely that you will be successful in creating change without some groundwork. Before you take action, do your research.

• Develop a deep understanding of the issue. Chances are there are complex causes and factors involved, even if it seems like a no brainer to you.
• Identify what’s currently being done to address the issue. Most likely there are others working toward similar goals that you can learn from, join, and support.
• Get everyone on the same page. Sustainable change will require coordinated efforts across different people/groups, so have a clear strategy for how to communicate about it to get your key points across most effectively and consistently.

3. Focus on issues and values rather than individuals.

“I would like to be remembered as someone who wanted to be free…so that other people would also be free.”   – Rosa Parks

Social issues tend to become very political issues. And when we bring politics into the debate, we often focus on individuals, whether they are politicians or leaders of movements. We focus on their policies, their actions, their rhetoric. Their individual strengths and weaknesses get tied into their stance on the issue. Focusing on an individual’s (or a party’s) stance on an issue can deepen the sense of division.

But social justice movements are bigger than individuals, they are about what we believe in and what we strive for. It’s more likely that you can find common ground about things people care about rather than how they feel about an individual. Focus on shared values and goals, rather than politics and politicians.  The Washington Post recently conducted interviews across the U.S. that revealed several beliefs that unite Americans despite current partisan divides.

4. Be civil and kind.

“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.” 

 – Maya Angelou

There is a lot of anger and fear in the world today. We have political leadership that uses hateful and demeaning rhetoric. And social media makes it easy to lash out in ways that we wouldn’t do in person, or in front of our families and colleagues. When faced with this environment, the gut reaction may be to volley back with the same, but that’s not productive.

Approach differences of opinion with compassion and understanding rather than contempt. Show those who are hateful kindness, so they are reminded of your humanity. Model the positive, so they might learn to change their behavior.  Here’s a great example of how reacting to an online attack with kindness led to positive change.

5. Don’t demonize the opposition.

“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”   – Thurgood Marshall

Lastly, remember that we are all human. We may hold vastly different beliefs and behave in ways that hard to understand, much less forgive. However, holding grudges makes it hard to move toward a productive relationship. Whether we like it or not, we are in this together. We have to live and work together. We have to forgive so that we may move forward.

Charitable giving is expected to grow by about 3% in 2018. Here are five areas to focus on to ensure that your nonprofit organization is poised to attract more support and continue to build on successes in the coming year.

1 – Strengthen brand awareness and reputation.

The goal of branding for nonprofits is to create a well-known, trusted, and respected name so that your organization is the place to go when your audience is  ready to take action. There are many organizations working on similar causes, so creating a strong brand that has a consistent voice and messaging across different media and marketing platforms is critical for awareness. Be clear and transparent about your work, funding, and impact as part of your reputation strategy.  Reinforce your reputation by sharing timely and useful information that demonstrates your organization’s expertise in the issue.

2 – Stand out from the crowd.

People are inundated with information from all directions and, after a while, it all starts to blur. It’s important to find ways to stand out and cut through the clutter.

• Start with visuals, which people notice first and help them decide if they will read content. Capture attention with design that is simple, yet appealing and distinct.
• Then, tell them how and why you are different.  Better yet, show them.
• Listen to what your audience is talking about on social media, and join the conversation with unique perspectives and ideas.
• Partner with others who support your cause and have a strong following. Leverage their networks and influence to grab your audience’s attention.

3 – Share engaging content.

Once you’ve captured their attention, get them engaged so what you share sticks – and they come back for more. In order to figure out how best to engage your audience, listen to them. Find out what matters to them, what they are talking about and how. Use that insight to craft messages and content that will resonate.

• Share stories for a personal/human touch that can draw audiences in and help them feel rather than just know.
• Create videos, so that audiences can hear and see what you are saying rather than just reading it. They are more likely to remember video content than visuals and text.
• Develop interactive content, such as quizzes and polls, to get audiences thinking and sharing their thoughts. These can also be a great way to gather information and get feedback.   
• Make it easy for people to share your content so you can grow your reach and engagement even further.

4 – Make it easy.

There are many ways people want to support nonprofit work, through monetary gifts, volunteering time, or donating goods and services. Once you’ve got them engaged, provide clear and easy options for each of these to maximize support. Make sure information about your nonprofit  is accessible on a range of platforms, including mobile. For those who are making monetary gifts, provide an option for electronic giving. Also provide recurring giving options — smaller monthly amounts that equate to tangible solutions (for example, $25 a month will educate a child).  This allows donors to give more each year by budgeting and also allows your organization to better forecast monthly investments.

5 – Build strong relationships.

It takes more effort to find new donors and volunteers than to retain those who are already supporting your organization. Create a system for tracking and regular outreach, consider using customer relationship management (CRM) technology if you are large organization with many donors and volunteers to manage.

• Take the time to thank them and show your appreciation.
• Keep them updated on your efforts, and show them how they are making an impact.
• Ask for help only once out of every three or four times you reach out.  Use the other outreach activities to reinforce the need and show how the partnership with your donors is an important parts of the solution.
• Suggest other ways they can support your work, or ask them for ideas on how else they can contribute.
• Provide training and support for roles they are taking on, and ask for regular feedback to make sure you are meeting their needs.

Make it a win-win relationship so that it turns into a lasting one.

In his 2017 book, Hit Makers, Derek Thompson explores the science of what makes things popular.

Trying to understand how something became popular is not easy –  predicting whether something will be popular is even more challenging. Thompson tackles this challenge by delving into a range of “hits” from historic lullabies and myths to current music, books, and movies – which also provides insight into the changing landscape of communication and information consumption.

We no longer need to carefully trace the movement of people across the seas to understand the spread of ideas and art, we can now very easily track the growth of popularity through media monitoring. More importantly, the growth of social media has created an environment, according to Thompson, in which “rather than us consuming content, it consumes us”. As the norm becomes engagement and interaction through frequent social media, the content we see is more tailored because our actions, thoughts, and preferences can be monitored without the explicit awareness or feeling of being watched.

Thompson argues that this isn’t a good thing necessarily. Why not? Because people like things more when they don’t have to think. When something is familiar, they find it easier to process. This “fluency” leads to more “liking”, which then shapes the content that is presented. This preference is natural, but dangerous because it can potentially skew information, narrow perceptions, and reinforce biases.

Then how do people discover new ideas and art?

In researching some of the biggest hits in recent years, Thompson finds that people want something familiar, yet surprising. He presents the concept of MAYA: Most Advanced Yet Acceptable. Understanding how far to push beyond the familiar requires deep ethnographic understanding of consumers. Young people, who are less crystallized in their opinions and tastes, are more likely to be open to new ideas and perspectives. It is also easier for those who are already popular to push their fans to explore beyond the familiar.

That brings us back to the central question of the book: Is there a science to popularity?

Thompson finds that quality is necessary but insufficient for success. Though his examples are engaging and insightful, he is not able to uncover any formula. Rather, he concludes that the business of creativity is a game of chance – one which requires not only good ideas, creative execution, and strong marketing, but also perseverance. Popular ideas and successful cultural products are not the norm – they are the outliers.

So then how are there so many videos and memes that  seem to “go viral”?

Thompson argues that viral marketing is a myth. Ideas don’t actually spread virally; rather, they are diffused through large broadcasts (one or more big, influential sources reaching lots of people). No matter how “infectious” an idea or post, it will unlikely spread on it own. In fact, he cites a 2012 study which revealed that only about 1 percent of messages on Twitter were shared more than seven times. Thompson finds that the paradox of scale is that the biggest hits are often designed for a small, well-defined group of people who, it seems, would need to have the networks and influence to broadcast their tastes.

In addition to exploring the science of popularity, Thompson discusses deeper issues such as the impact of social media on interpersonal communication and the role of media in perpetuating biases and prejudice. While this book may not provide the clear formula or strategy for creating hits that some may be hoping for, it contains valuable insight on the complex and changing landscape of media and communications.  

Here are five key takeaways for those in the social sector:

1. Listen and watch. Take the the time to understand what the people you want to reach know, think, and feel about the issue or topic. Find out what media platforms they use, who they follow, how they share information, and what they talk about.  
2. Tailor and Target. Rather than trying to find that one message or idea that resonates for everyone, identify different segments of your audience. Determine how to capture each segment’s attention and support based on what they find engaging, who they follow, and how they communicate.
3. Push – but not too hard.  Trying to force change or completely new ideas rarely works. Remember MAYA – take what is already established or popular, and build on that so it’s familiar yet innovative.   
4. Tell stories. Most people process the world in stories, not statistics and facts. Use familiar storylines and  techniques like repetition and rhyme to make your stories memorable.  
5. Don’t stop. It’s not enough to create something and put it out there – or to share an idea once and hope it spreads. You have to monitor who it’s reaching, how it’s being shared, and what people think of it. Then, use that insight to repackage, repost, and come up with new ideas to keep pushing your agenda.

The first thing to know about planning in an emergency is that emergencies are not the time to plan – they are the time to implement.  Even if organizations know this, they may be caught unprepared when disaster strikes.  A study in 2011 conducted by FEMA and the Ad Council found that 62% of smaller organizations did not have an emergency plan in place, and that 40% of small businesses and organizations affected by a disaster shuttered their doors and did not reopen.  

Why are so many organizations unprepared?  It could be an organization doesn’t have the bandwidth or resources to conduct planning or not thinking they are at risk.

A disaster can happen anywhere, at any time.  In order for your organization to not only weather a disaster but also be part of the solution, you need a plan before an emergency.   The only thing you can count on in an emergency is that the situation will emerge quickly and evolve as information becomes available.   Organizations need to be able to scale up response activities quickly and efficiently.

Here are 5 recommendations to help make the planning process effective and efficient.

1. Be organized.  

Your organization doesn’t need to spend a lot of time or resources on planning.   Create a cross-functional team to work on the plan, include operations, communications, and IT at the very least.  Create an outline of what the plan must have before sitting down to draft it.  Identify types of emergencies your organization may face and make sure the outline would address the different scenarios.

2. Create teams.

A flat reporting structure does not work in emergencies.  There is too much to do for any one leader to manage everything.  Instead, there needs to be a management structure so everyone knows which team they are on, the activities of that team, and who they report to.  A team structure will help an organization stand up its response activities very quickly and reduce redundancies.  If you model your team structure on the Incident Command System (the example below is from FEMA),  it will help your organization fit into the overarching response structure, and assist in sector collaboration across organizations and government agencies that is critical for response assistance.

3. Base responsibilities on roles, not individuals.

A roles-based org chart will be evergreen even as team members change.  But even with a focus on roles – take the time to identify who will currently fill those roles.   Always have a primary and secondary person identified for team lead roles and make sure that refreshing people who would be on their team is built into their regular work responsibilities.

4. Develop clear, simple processes and tools.

Have easy to use checklists and detailed but simple processes so people can easily step into roles and successfully implement the plan.  Remember, often emergencies give no notice and extend over days, weeks or even months.  It’s crucial you have an easy plan so as people cycle in and out of the response they can easily understand what is expected of them.

5. Share the plan.

Don’t put it on a shelf and forget it.  Share it with everyone in your organization.  Find ways to refresh staff on the plan.  For example, incorporate it as a key point of discussion once a quarter in staff meetings or have a cross organization preparedness working group that meets regularly and presents to teams annually.

Here are some great online resources that can help your organization be prepared:

• FEMA National Preparedness Training
• Preparedness Planning Tools for Businesses
• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications
• Community and Workplace Preparedness Tools

A small investment in planning can protect your organization and those it serves in times of crisis. Be part of the solution – have a plan!

We all know the story of Goldilocks — she tries porridge that is too hot and too cold, sleeps in a bed too soft and too hard, until finding both the porridge and bed that is just right.  Turns out that we can take a lesson from Goldilocks when it comes to strategic planning — no, it’s not her odd B&E tendencies but her search for the “sweet spot.”  That’s the key to successful strategic planning.  Unfortunately, a lot of us are making 3 mistakes that make it hard to find that sweet spot:

1. Not seeing the big picture…or seeing only the big picture.  In planning it’s important to see the big picture in order to ensure planning is mission-centric, appropriate to the current climate, etc.  But by only focusing on a “landscape” view, a plan lacks the details to ensure success.  Conversely, by focusing solely on a “portrait” view, a plan is created in a vacuum with no integration to the mission, realities, organizational culture or ability to support and get support from other existing efforts.  
   
   Ensure your planning has its foundation in important big picture issues like mission and organizational goals, but once those are laid out — focus on the details, making sure they directly correlate to the big picture.
   
   
2. Not thinking big enough…or thinking too big.  Often clients will start a strategic planning exercise with their list of limitations and start from there. They think that if they focus on what realistically can be done the plan will be successful.  Well, yes…and no.  Yes, the plan will likely be achievable but it will also likely not push for growth or identify opportunities.  However, pie-in-the-sky thinking isn’t helpful either.  It’s one thing to envision what your organization could do with a substantial increase in funding but creating a plan is contingent on a lottery-size windfall is an exercise in writing fiction, not planning.
   
   Be aspirational enough to identify areas of growth and then build the strategy so you have a blueprint to achieve your goals.  Let your limitations inform your planning, not define it.  Don’t let creativity morph into scope creep — Keep your mission and programs in mind!
3. Not including stakeholders…or including everyone.  A strategy can’t succeed if the right people aren’t at the table.  Identify your stakeholders and make sure they part of the process.  But, often in the spirit of “buy in,” many organizations make strategic planning akin to a team sport.  Success depends on the right people being at the table, not all the people being at the table.  Without the stakeholders, it will be hard to get the organizational support to implementation a strategy.  With everyone at the table, it will be hard to sift through so many voices to hear organizational priorities.
   
   Identify who your stakeholders are and engage them early in the process.  Tailor your planning schedule to make sure they can be actively involved.  Find ways to solicit information from others to get “on the ground” realities and make them feel included.

Work to find your organization’s sweet spot  – identify realistic growth, achievable aspiration and critical stakeholders as you move forward — it will go a long way to making sure your strategic planning “just right.”

This August celebrates National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM).  NIAM has been instrumental in helping state and local organizations increase awareness of the importance of immunization. It’s a great moment to look at the landscape – where we started, where we are, and where we need to be going.

Where we started

We’ve come a long way – immunization is the public health success story in our lifetimes.  In the United States, vaccines have made once common diseases all but disappear. The 1950’s is often thought of as a “golden” time in the United States.  But it wasn’t all good news.  The 1952 polio outbreak in the US saw 57,628 reported cases. More than 3,000 people died and more than 21,000 were disabled from the disease [1].  In the 1950’s an average of 150,000 measles patients had respiratory complications and 4,000 patients had encephalitis each year resulting in 48,000 hospitalization annually [2].

But beginning in the second half of the 20th century, things changed. Numerous vaccines were licensed for use in the US:

1953:  Tetanus and diphtheria (adult use)
1962:  Oral polio vaccine (OPV) type 3
1963:  Inactivated measles vaccine  
           Trivalent OPV
1971:  MMR vaccine  

In all, more than two dozen vaccines have been licensed to prevent diseases ranging from anthrax to yellow fever.  But it wasn’t simply the ability to prevent once-deadly diseases that was a game changer, it was the community built to support awareness and improve access to vaccines that made the difference.

1963 saw the establishment of The Federal Immunization Grant Program, which provided funds for states to purchase vaccines and support immunization services. In 1993, Vaccines for Children program was established.  These programs, and others, paved the way for the U.S. to significantly reduce the cases of many serious diseases.

Where we are

Today, diseases like diphtheria, polio and smallpox are unheard of in the U.S.  Other diseases, like H. Influenzae, measles, mumps, rubella and tetanus are rare.  

It’s a tremendous success story and we should all take a moment to reflect on that.  The collective effort from scientists, public health advisors, and community organizers have all played a role is this success story.  Organizations like the Rotary Club and National Foundation for Infectious Diseases have galvanized support that has changed the face of public health.  Coalitions like the Immunization Action Coalition have provided support and resources to immunization advocates.  State and local health departments have manned the front line for decades.  

These partnerships have created a new reality in the U.S. – one where we no longer fear once dreaded diseases.  And that’s amazing.  But there is a darker side to this success.  We now have generations that have never seen many of these diseases.  And as result, doubt has started to creep in.  Today, despite the evidence, despite the successes, there is an increase in vaccine safety concerns.  While it continues to be a minority view, there is a troubling trend of questioning vaccine confidence.  

So, as we celebrate the success of vaccines during NIAM, we should also be taking this moment to look forward.  

Where we need to be going

Here are five issues that we need to focus on to ensure that immunization remains a public health success story:

1.Improving vaccination across the lifespan

We’ve done an outstanding job with childhood vaccines, but many adults are not getting the vaccines they need. For example, only about 50% of adults get their flu vaccine each year, and only 20% of those 19-64 years at higher risk for complications from pneumococcal disease have received vaccination to protect against it [3]. The health and economic cost of vaccine-preventable diseases among adults is over $26 billion per year [4]. This will only increase as the U.S population continues to age [5].  

While older adults understand the importance of vaccines and there is coverage for them under Medicare, there is room for improvement in vaccination rates. For example, only 61.3% of adults 65 and older had received a pneumococcal vaccine in 2014 [6].  There are even more challenges in vaccination of adults under 65, who may not have health insurance, a regular source of health care, or realize they need vaccines.

Help adults understand what vaccines they need and address access / cost issues they may be facing.

2. Keeping an Eye on Global

Diseases don’t respect boundaries.  Other countries are working  hard on immunization, and their coverage continues to grow, but they are not where the U.S. is yet.  Some diseases that are rare in the U.S. are still common in other places.  A more global world means diseases travel with people.

A 2014 measles outbreak infected hundreds in Ohio after two unvaccinated Amish men had returned from the Philippines, which was in the midst of an outbreak with more than 58,000 infections and 110 deaths. While this example shows the ease with which diseases can migrate, it also shows the power of partnership. A rapid and respectful response from the local health department, with support from CDC, saw a number of Amish families vaccinated in what had been a traditionally vaccine-reticent community.

Global doesn’t just mean disease travels…so do cultures and perceptions.  Minnesota had more cases of measles in 2016 than all other states combined.  The measles outbreak first occurred in the large Somali refugee population where vaccination rates are low (42% for Somali descent vs 89% for non-Somali descent). The low vaccination rates in the community were due to vaccine confidence issues.  The State Department of Health has done a great job of engaging religious leaders and other trusted sources of information in the community.  It has translated education materials into Somali and started a dialogue with the community around their concerns about Autism Spectrum Disorder [7].  It’s this thoughtful and culturally appropriate outreach that will help bolster confidence in unsure communities.

Keep an eye on global epidemics and have preparedness plans in place (including identifying vulnerable populations) should travel-imported cases come to your doorstep.  Identify refugee / immigrant populations who may have specific information needs to make informed decisions.

3. Engaging the “Gray” Audience

Vaccines are often viewed as a black and white issue – you’re either for them or against them.  But the truth is, there is a lot of shades of gray when it comes to vaccines.  Recent studies suggest that up to 1 in 5 people have questions about the benefits and risks.  

These people are not against vaccines; they are unsure.  This is the “gray audience” –  individuals, groups or communities that are searching for trusted information in order to make an informed decision.

Gray audiences have many reasons for varying levels of confidence:  religious, cultural, past experiences with health providers, etc. Each audience is likely to have slightly different motivators and barriers so take the time to 1) know who your gray audience is and 2) what their concerns are.  Understand what they want to know and where they go for answers.  Take an anthropological approach to understand how their perceptions are being shaped and socio-cultural issues you should be aware of when engaging them.  And then make sure your messages respond to their concerns directly.  

Take the time to understand your gray audiences, so you can help them to better understand vaccination benefits and risk to make independent, informed decisions.  

4. Understanding the Role of Social Media

Social media is a great platform for engagement but can also be a double edge sword. Almost 70% of Americans use at least one social media site.  While users skew younger, 60% of adults 50 – 64 and more than a third ≥65 do use social media [8].   According to the Pew Research Center, “personal contacts are also a common source of news and can play an amplified role online.” Stanford University and Pew Research Center have done research that shows both young and old have trouble identifying fact from fiction or identifying bias [9].Because social media is immediate, with the ability to amplify a message among personal contacts, this trend is very troubling.  This presents a unique challenge to vaccine champions who can sometimes struggle to counteract “fake news.”  Addressing this issue can seem like a lot of effort for already stretched thin advocates.   But it’s an important issue and will only become more important as younger generations age, given social media is a mainstay of their information gathering.

Ensure you have a solid social media monitoring plan in place to identify trends and have a strategy ready so you can quickly and effectively address issues.

5. Building & Strengthening Partnerships

In real estate, the name of the game is location, location, location.  In the world of immunization, it’s partnerships, partnerships, partnerships.   Partnerships are what created the vaccine success story in the first place, and they are critical to its continuation.  Build and grow them.  Strong partnerships can share lessons learned, amplify messages, and provide access to hard to reach populations.  But strong partnerships require a strong strategy and committed members to make them effective.  

Get creative. Develop strong partnerships that can help you reach your priority audiences and strengthen focus areas. Invest in those partnerships to ensure they are effective and valuable to members.  

This NIAM, let’s take time not only to celebrate our good work, but also to plan for success in the years to come.  

Devi Partners has decades of immunization experience, working across the lifespan and around the world at local and national levels. For more information, visit www.devipartners.com.

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References:

1. Melnick J (1 July 1996). “Current status of poliovirus infections”. Clin Microbiol Rev. 9 (3): 293–300. PMC 172894 . PMID 8809461.
2. Walter A. Orenstein, Mark J. Papania, Melinda E. Wharton; Measles Elimination in the United States. J Infect Dis 2004; 189 (Supplement_1): S1-S3. doi: 10.1086/377693
3. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vaxview/index.html
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4486398/
5. https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p25-1140.pdf
6. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/ss/ss6501a1.htm
7. http://rtc.umn.edu/autism/
8. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media/
9. https://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Executive%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf, http://www.journalism.org/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowing-confusion/

Part of any planning process is determining objectives. In order to develop strong objectives, it’s important to understand what they are and where they fit into the plan.

 Objectives will drive your activities and will be what you use to determine your success so they need to be developed carefully.  SMART objectives are the best way to go.

Objectives determine what success looks like – they are developed after and informed by your goals.

So, let’s say that an NGO, we’ll call it Green Queen, is brand new and developing its strategy.  It creates an aspirational mission “to bring fresh flowers to all elderly people who are housebound New York City.”  From there, it builds on the mission to create an inspirational vision “to bring the beauty of the outdoors to those who are confined inside.”

So far so good, most organizations are able to get this far.  But Green Queen, like many organizations struggled with the difference between a goal and an objective.

Goals are what needs to happen to succeed. Objectives are the measurable steps that need to happen in order to achieve that success.  There are usually several objectives for each goal.  Based on that guidance, Green Queen developed the following goal:  to increase the number of elderly who receive cut flowers in New York City.  

Here’s where objectives come in, what will it take for this goal to be successful?  Objectives will drive your activities and will be what you use to evaluate your success so they need to be developed carefully.  SMART objectives are the best way to go.

Green Queen decided that one objective to meet their goal would to reach folks in nursing homes.  But that’s pretty broad, and pretty tough to measure.  A SMART version might look like:

Develop partnerships with 20% of nursing homes in Manhattan and Brooklyn by January 2018.  

• It’s specific – the objective is about partnership development in two boroughs.
• It’s measureable – 20% of nursing homes.
• It’s achievable – rather than all the boroughs, Green Queen selected the two they had the most contacts in and given their all-volunteer nature, they selected a low percentage (20%) for their first year.
• It’s relevant – it marries up to the goal.
• Its time bound – the objective should be met by January 2018.

Why Objectives Matter

Well, let’s look at why it mattered to Green Queen.  Their SMART objectives created a road map for them. Green Queen was able to determine exactly what activities were needed and could properly allocate their time, energy and resources to support those specific activities that would bring success.

Throughout the year, Green Queen was able to look at its progress against the objectives to determine if it was on track.  If Green Queen wasn’t, it was able to reassess what it would take to meet the goals.  For instance, if Green Queen found that by mid-year they had only reached 5% of nursing homes in Manhattan but 18% of the nursing homes in Brooklyn, they could reallocate efforts.  By course correcting, they could get back on track to meeting this objective.

Using SMART objectives, at the end of the year Green Queen would have very likely met their goals and be able to prove success.  Here’s an important take away:  success isn’t simply checking the box next to an objective.  It also shows donors your organization is able to successfully plan. It inspires confidence in your organization’s ability to deliver on promises and grow.

Objections to Objectives

Despite the value of SMART objectives, a lot of organizations are reticent to develop them.  “They too specific.”  “They box us in.”  “What if we don’t meet them?”

Well, yes, they are specific and do box you in – and that’s a good thing.  SMART objectives prevent scope creep and getting side tracked.  This specificity doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of emerging opportunities but it allows you to be laser focused on what’s going to bring you success.  SMART objectives also help you plan and properly allocate your resources.  And, if you build your objectives realistically you won’t fail.  This is an important point.  You want to encourage your organization to grow but don’t get so aspirational with your objectives that you have no chance of meeting them.  Green Queen was realistic – they were a young, all volunteer organization.  While some day they plan to reach all elderly housebound (their mission), they needed to develop objectives based on what they could do now.  Next year’s objectives can build on this year’s success, getting them closer to their vision.

While Green Queen is a fictitious organization, the realities it was working in are probably true for most social sector organizations.  It is also true for all organizations that developing SMART objectives can drive and prove success.  We’ve worked with organizations, from small NGOs just like Green Queen to large international multilaterals, to help them think through their planning process and develop strong objectives.  We’d love to help your organization develop a blueprint for success.  To learn more contact Amy at amy@devipartners.com.

You’ve been asked to take over leadership of a team midway through a project.  What do you do when you realize the project is off course and lacking a plan?  The reality is that there’s a reason planning comes first and trying to tailor a plan to an existing project is not ideal.  

Changing mid-stream can be threatening and demoralizing for a team that’s been working hard.  It’s a difficult message – be transparent and realistic.  Try to identify opportunities and wins – a  discouraged team will find it hard to be excited about what’s likely to be a heavy lift.

There are definitely limitations to what you can do but there are course corrections you can make to get the most out of a project “gone rogue.”

1. Understand the current situation: Conduct a rapid assessment.  Think of it as a “SitRep” (a report that details the current situation) that will tell you what the project was intended to do and what’s it’s currently likely to do, where it is in the process, what the gaps or weaknesses are that would hinder success.  Solicit honest input from your team.  No finger pointing, make it clear you just want to get a feel for what’s working and what’s not.
2. Develop a SWOT:  This will help you understand the impact of the weaknesses but also identify opportunities that you may be able to leverage. 
3. Identify “in play” and “static” areas:  “In play” are activities that haven’t begun or are early enough in the process that you could make changes,  or phases that are scheduled for down the road.  “Static” areas are activities or phases that are complete or almost complete where it is impossible to make changes or changes would require too many resources for too little improvement.
4. Determine successes for “in play” areas:  What would need to change to deliver a success? List them all and identify the 1-2 activities for each area that will yield the biggest results.  There are are usually a few activities that will achieve 60 – 80% of the success, after that it’s diminishing returns so focus on those high impact activities.   Determine the most critical “in play” areas and prioritize your resources and staff in those areas.
5. Paint a new picture:  Develop a “mini” plan that will see the project through to the end with course corrections for “in play” areas.  Redefine success based on what realistically can be done and create SMART objectives that reflect this.  Build in evaluation of both the project and of your team’s efforts to right the ship. If your project is so far down the wrong road that you can’t achieve all the original objectives, at least you can achieve some and demonstrate how the course correction contributed to this “modified” success.
6. Hit the Reset Button:  Pull the team together to communicate the new plan, clearly articulate everyone’s role and your expectations.  Changing mid-stream can be threatening and demoralizing for a team that’s been working hard.  It’s a difficult message – be transparent and realistic.  Try to identify opportunities and wins – a  discouraged team will find it hard to be excited about what’s likely to be a heavy lift.  Most importantly, be a strong leader – that means being open to hearing from the team but making it clear that some decisions that are necessary to course correct may not be popular.  Frame difficult feedback as kindly as possible but don’t avoid the conversation – it will impede the team’s ability to move forward.
7. Monitor closely:  For a project in trouble, there is less wiggle room than a properly planned project so develop a dashboard that the team regularly reports into.  This will allow you frequent assessments of progress and gives you the ability to adjust the plan to build in further course corrections if needed.
8. Incentivize your team:  Keep everyone motivated by praising progress, inviting creative solutions and calling out outstanding efforts to senior leadership.  It will be a stressful time, take care of your team and they will give you their best work.

The reality is that it will be difficult to deliver on the goals and objectives of a project that has not been well planned.  It’s going to be a heavier lift for smaller returns than it would be if strategic planning had been done in the beginning.  But, if you are systematic in your assessment, planning and implementation – you stand a good chance of delivering some wins and you’ve made a strong case for strategic planning going forward. If you want to learn more about how Devi Partners can help your organization course correct, contact Amy at amy@devipartners.com.

So you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole where up is down and alternative truths trump facts.  It’s a challenging time – science and facts are under fire, a new lexicon is developing that normalizes “un-truths”, and people have a limited appetite for information that challenges their worldview.  How do you inform people about important issues and advocate in this environment?

“Spend the time honing your communication skills so your organization can not only effectively advocate, but emerge as trusted source of information in this confusing landscape.“

First things first, take a deep breath – you are not alone.  We’re all grappling with this strange time.  The cultural pendulum is constantly swinging, and eventually it will swing back to a more balanced space.  But until then, here are 10 practical strategies to make sure you are heard in this post-truth world.

1. Identify your audience:  You are unlikely to sway your polar opposite, but you may find allies in that middle gray area.  Know who your “gray audience” is – understand their priorities and how they like to get their information.  Make it your business to understand what makes them tick and what they value.
   
2. Understand what works:  Tailor your messages to answer the age-old question: what’s in it for me?  What’s the value for those you’re trying to engage?  Not what you think they should find important, but what they feel is important.  Here’s a reality check – no one cares what we think, they only care why what we do is important to them.
3. Build consensus:  Regardless of who you are communicating with, find a point of common ground.  Work backwards to more and more basic and universal “truths” until you find something that you can all agree on.  From there, it’s baby steps to gain agreement on more nuanced issues. Don’t try to take huge leaps – you’ll lose your audience. Pick your path carefully: slow and steady is the goal.
4. Galvanize your base:  Engage individuals with easy to implement calls to action and provide tools to help them participate in the process.  Build momentum and make folks feel valued and valuable to the cause.  A coordinated base can amplify your message far more than an ad campaign can.
5. Pick the right spokespeople: Studies have shown that in times of trouble the most important communication element is the messenger, not the message.  If people relate to and trust a person, they trust the message.  If they they feel like a spokesperson really “gets” them, they are more likely to seek that spokesperson out for information.
6. Be collaborative:  Have a conversation – a true conversation.  Don’t talk at but talk with.  Don’t focus on how you’re going to respond. Instead listen, invite dialogue, and be respectful of differences.  The point is to change the frame in which we communicate, not to “win the argument.”
7. Engage your allies:  Get on the same page on messaging with your partners and like-minded organizations and speak with one voice.  An organized coalition is far more powerful than a single voice.
8. Keep it real…but respectful:  Nowadays there is little interest in political correctness.  But there is a lot of middle ground between PC and PO’d.  Use a carefully developed but authentic voice. Never, ever sink to name calling, hyperbole or histrionics.  And when attacked…don’t escalate, don’t engage.
9. Keep it tight and memorable: People have limited attention spans, especially on issues they don’t necessarily embrace. Boil your message down to its most concise. Be consistent – people need to hear the same thing at least five times before they remember it.  Make your message memorable so it sticks.
10. Invest in your people:  Make sure everyone is on the same page.  Train everyone on interpersonal and strategic communications, even those who won’t be  in the public eye – all it takes is one cell phone set to record to make an informal remark a painfully public mistake. Remember, one misstep can very easily undo 20 perfect steps.

The bottom line is: PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Build your strategy, plan for different scenarios so you can quickly respond and redirect. Success is not a happy accident – it’s the result of well thought out plans.  

These may be strange times, but strange times can also usher in opportunities. Not all organizations will be prepared to engage in this new world order. Spend the time honing your communication skills so your organization can not only effectively advocate, but emerge as trusted source of information in this confusing landscape. If you want to learn more about how Devi Partners can help position your organization to be a thought leader in a post-truth world, contact Amy at amy@devipartners.com.