Managing Execution Risk: From Vision to Reality in Nonprofit Finance

During Elizabeth Warren’s election campaign, she was credited with saying, “When I first started talking about running for office, a lot of people said to me, ‘Don’t let the consultants change you,’ and I’d always assured them that I wouldn’t allow it to happen. But like it or not, I had to change. Not because of a consultant, but because I started to understand the cost of a stupid mistake.”

Whether running for office, or running an organization where people rely on us for executing a mission or at the very basic level, employment security, our decisions matter. How we choose to make those decisions requires a strong team, which often includes bringing trusted consultants into our corner for both expertise and experience. While a good team can help create an organization’s vision, a great team takes the vision and makes it a reality.

Collaboration is a nonprofit strength

As a nonprofit and small business finance consultant, I have had the opportunity to work with committed, progressive organizations dedicated to public health, education, social welfare, and reform. What was central to working with all of these great nonprofits was not just their mission (as all nonprofit missions aim to benefit society) but also their ability to collaborate as a group and further the organization’s mission together. Each of these teams were able to make the most of their collective passion for the work, knowledge of the industry, academic training, and career experience to successfully execute a vision-directed plan for their organization’s growth and social impact. 

That said, forming a great team can have a few challenges. Staff members are unique in their perspectives, life experiences, and desire for a particular outcome, but all great teams have a few key contributors. First, there is the visionary. Whether it is the executive director, the development officer, or the H.R. manager, this person holds the big picture of what the organization can be. The vision, if a great one, is usually grand in scale and overly optimistic. 

Second, and also crucial to every good team, is the realist. The realist decodes the visionary’s dream for the organization and determines the potential impact of the vision on the organization and sustainability. At times, realists can be viewed as naysayers, but these are the team members that can clearly interpret the vision and then develop the plan and strategy to move the organization in that direction. Without actionable next steps, lofty goals move no closer towards actualization.

Someone needs to implement any good idea

With a shared vision and steps to make organizational goals a reality, the team members that pull it all together are the implementers. They are the managers and staff dedicated to doing the daily work required to move the vision forward. It is important to not discount this work because without implementation, a vision alone does not have impact.

Implementers are tasked with monitoring project plans from start to finish and are responsible for reaching the desired outcomes imagined by the visionary and outlined by the realist. Accomplishing this successfully is no small task and includes consistently monitoring the progress of the work, overseeing individual productivity and identifying the various tasks that need to be executed to achieve each milestone within the larger vision.

As an implementer myself, I have found that managing staff resources, timelines, project plans, and budgets starts with first being able to identify and acknowledge existing team capacity. Then I confidently look to outsource additional skillsets or expertise when beneficial. After a history of prior organizational success, it can be quite a humbling experience to realize that to move to the next level, next-level assistance is needed – even if that assistance comes from outside our own organization. However, the benefits are worth it.

Outside perspectives can help overcome your blind spots

There is tremendous value in having an outside perspective along with specialized expertise. Having a team member outside of the organization can provide a bird’s-eye-view of the initiatives as well as an unbiased view of where teams are and how they’re working together to fulfill that vision. At times, it takes an outside person, with no pre-existing biases, to mitigate unexpected issues that arise. This objectivity gives outsourced team members the ability to troubleshoot areas when needed, see and work to fix gaps within project design, or even be the go-to person in delegating the division of work.

On the larger scale, an outside perspective can help in clarifying the vision for the organization, establish and build confidence in projects, and inject a sense of urgency and momentum among team members to see the vision to fruition. Objectivity in oversight can be key in supporting each team member from the visionary to the realist to the implementer and their respective teams, enabling each leader and group to shine within their respective roles.

Stay open-minded toward seeking outside help

Fortunately, outsourced support is not hard to find. It is just a matter of knowing where to look. Consulting services have always been the best friend to new organizations, or established organizations taking on new projects. Wherever we find this help, outsourcing can be relied upon for support services, temporarily or on a permanent basis, to ensure that organizations have complete and fully-supported teams to move any vision forward.

Attempting to bring any organizational vision to life takes work, but when executed properly, the potential for long-term impact is a wise investment. The process of learning, discovery, and growth lasts longer than the project and plants the seeds for expansion and subsequent organizational success for future initiatives.

How we can help

CLA offers a full range of outsourced accounting and consulting services. Please inquire further if you have additional questions or would like to discuss any of these resources.