The Voices We Need to Hear

Running an effective nonprofit means we need to collaborate and hear from others.

The Challenge of Hearing the Right Voices

One of the skills that is not often discussed (and often assumed) in the nonprofit world is our ability to listen to multiple voices about the work we are doing. We are always balancing the voices of clients, funders, donors, the public, etc. as we craft and hone our programs to meet the needs of the community that we are set to serve.

It’s one of the most challenging parts of running an effective nonprofit. I often joke with my for-profit friends that they have it much easier. I tell them that their sales relationships are much less complex. Basically, they have a product that someone else buys; they give you money, you give them product. Pretty simple.

Our nonprofit world is much more complex. I have people that are buying a product for people that they don’t know and that they themselves will never use. The benefit for the purchaser is a heck of a lot more intangible than those that are benefitting from the product or service.

But, as we think about the nonprofit world and how we keep our constituent bases happy, there are a few critical voices we need to keep in mind as we administer those programs in front of us.

The Voice of the Client

They are the people right in front of us, those we serve. In some instances, we would call these people “customers”, but I really don’t like that word. By and large, customers can pick and choose where they will get their product. If customers don’t like the product that Wal-Mart has, they can easily get the same, or similar product from another big box store.

“Client” on the other hand, has a much narrower definition. Clients don’t always get to choose where to get the product they need. Many times, government and nonprofit services are monopolies; you can’t get those services anywhere else. It’s incumbent upon us to give our clients a much better and higher level of service than those that afforded traditional customers.

The Voice of the Business

This where we take a look at other services in our industry and find out how they are doing. Many times, we look at others in the same line of work we are in, not as competitors, but much more as colleagues. With that level of trust, we can often ask our fellow professionals how their service numbers are looking. We can begin to analyze what is happening in our shops and if what we are seeing are unique situations or are these industry-wide concerns? If we can see how we are measuring up with other nonprofit organizations, we can begin to ask questions to determine if we are doing well or not.

The Voice of the Process

This is where we can begin to look under the hood of our own organization; as nonprofit leaders we need to take a fearless look at our own processes, our own procedures and determine if we are doing well by our employees, our donors and our clients. We need to continually scan our processes, develop metrics that we can measure and address improvements when issues arise. What our processes are telling us about the work we are doing and who we are serving?

The Voice of the Employee

We are all aware of the adage, “Manage Processes, Lead People”. This is where we communicate with our team members and determine the needs of those that are behind the work of our processes and procedures. Continuous and open communication on work flow, tools, processes, etc. Working on developing the voice of the employee in our work is an important aspect to building trust and ensuring our work is benefiting those that need our services.

The Voice of the Funder

In the nonprofit world, this is an important voice that we need to definitely take under consideration. Our funders, through their donations, have a unique relationship with our organizations and have made investments (far more than just financial) for the success of our clients and our organizations.

Communicating with our funders are also a two way street. Not only are we soliciting input from those that are funding our organization, but we have the unique opportunity (actually, obligation!) to inform our funders of the lives being changed and the services being provided by our organizations.

Integrating these Voices

Thinking about and integrating these voices in our work can have some real positive benefits. In a strategic planning session, these voices can provide informed insight into our organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These voices can be used to help guide our work to meet the missions and visions of the organization’s we are here to lead.

As we think about these voices, think about how you, as a nonprofit leader, can begin to access these voices. Next week, we will talk about some different ideas and tools you can use to secure these voices to help plan your work.