If you have the right people at the table, when you plan new community services, you’ll be much more effective. In this post, Delquanda Turner shares who should be involved in the early planning phase – those you serve (your constituents) and, ideally, other partner organizations.
- Taking a broad-based approach to planning is, Turner feels, the way to go. Choosing a ‘go it alone’ approach isn’t.
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Delquanda S. Turner
In the planning phase for a new service or community initiative, please don’t make the mistake of not having someone from the community at the table. Having worked at the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) since 2007, I’ve launched many new services for my constituents. As well, I’ve observed or witnessed what happens when planning is done with and without community input. Including those you’re trying to serve in your planning discussions is, I strongly feel, a must-do priority. It isn’t a luxury. Please do not wait until the planning has been completed to start seeking the thoughts and feedback of your clients.
I’ve found that if you’ve built authentic relationships with community members, you’ll gain invaluable insight – when you give them a seat at the table. Understand, however, that many of these men and woman are not accustomed to being in this situation. Therefore, there will likely be a learning curve when you involve them. However, the ‘buy in’ you’ll get from a community that has been given a seat at the planning table is worth it.
Three considerations to keep in mind:
- To make this community-inclusive approach work well, I’ve found that communication is key. What does effective communications start with? Relationships; ideally authentic relationships with those you serve in the community.
- Community leaders who establish such relationships embody a skill I call community awareness. They have a bond with a given community which allows them to meet them where they are. Conversely, some have community-based jobs, but spend too much of their time behind a desk – not out in the neighborhoods they serve. You can’t meet people where they are if you’re glued to your desk.
- No single Non-profit Organization or 501 (c) (3), no matter how capable, can strengthen a community alone. What does it take to truly strengthen and lift a community? It takes a village.
- For example, the organization I currently work for, JWB, does a lot of it’s work in collaboration with other organizations. The impact of the partnerships we have, in moving a community forward, far exceeds what my colleagues and I at JWB could have on our own.
The awesome power which lies in the partnerships your non-profit organization creates should be leveraged, not ignored. When you plan, involve those you serve. If you relate, communicate, and collaborate, you will be a true leader in the community you serve. Again, it takes a village.
LEARN
Effective Community Leadership
- If you don’t involve the people in the community, you are making a big mistake.
- Involving the community means involving those who will be assisted or directly affected by your organization’s efforts.
- Including those who will benefit from your efforts will, in many cases, require patience on your part. There will be a learning curve for many community members you invite to planning sessions.
- Community Awareness – People who possess this quality have a bond with the community which allows them to meet people where they are.
- It takes a Village. Relationships, partnerships, and collaborations: All of these elements are needed to be truly effective in the community.
GROW
Empathy, Relationships, Partnering, and Collaboration
EMPATHY
What Delquanda Turner calls Community Awareness, at it’s core, is Empathy – i.e. being able to walk in somebody else’s shoes. Jim Collins, best-selling author, states that great companies encourage their employees to bring forward the truth, to be transparent with their feelings and impressions (not simply be YES-men). One venture capitalist, speaking to a crowd of new-business startups, stated that he, when looking to fund a startup, looks for among other things, empathy. This involves, as he defines it, doing this: Asking 100 people to find out what they are looking for in a prospective product to solve a specific problem.
RELATIONSHIPS
As it pertains to a non-profit organization, I think Turner hits on a very important point. Non-profits seek to meet missing needs in the community which they’ve witnessed for themselves – firsthand in many cases. And to do that she speaks of community awareness. I think it’s noteworthy that great businesses, successful startups, and effective community leaders all share this key commonality. The Requirement: Seek to get input from those that are most affected by what it is you’re looking to offer – to solve their problem or fulfill a need. This isn’t sheer coincidence folks. The Lesson: Don’t simply operate from your own views and expectations, but make sure you get the expectations and views of those who’ll be affected while planning.
PARTNERING & COLLABORATION
Turner highlights another important principle when she speaks about partnering, using one’s leverage, and ‘taking a village’ to best impact a community. Many foundations and private funders demonstrate this principle’s relevance as they strive to fund proven outcomes which deliver tangible impact. Consequently, they shy away from funding a number of seemingly worthwhile initiatives. Why? They’d rather fund a non-profit organization that has strategically collaborated with others. People want to see the fruits of their giving. Non-profits that rarely partner with others don’t reap the best harvests.
The right role of the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Robin Morgan, a non-profit guru profiled in our second YOW Series, has almost 30 years of experience. The best Executive Directors, she firmly believes, aren’t sitting in the office all day. No. The best EDs are best served when they are out of the office, in the community. Delquanda Turner echoes the same sentiment.
It takes a village to be an effective community leader. This approach requires you to do the following:
- Get out of the office as much as possible
- Build authentic relationships
- Show that you care (Empathy and community awareness)
- Partner, with the community and other non-profits, to achieve optimal outcomes.
A non-profit that always acts in isolation, shunning collaboration, will never we feel truly thrive. Neither will one characterized by poor planning and inauthenic relationships. In doing great community work, your empathy and ability to form partnerships is essential to fulfilling your organization’s mission.
In this post, the final post in our Delquanda Turner Series, she promotes including those you’re serving in your planning. As well, the seasoned Community Planning Manager offered 3 strategies that will allow you to successfully implement what you’ve planned.
- Look for the next Your Outcomes Well Series in a few days.
Your Outcomes Well
Better outcomes through Best Practices (Non-profit leaders)
Photo credit: Yoel Ben-Avraham/flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Your Outcomes Well
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