Confident Decisions That Spur Growth
|
Summary
In late 2019, during a time of uncertainty, The Humanity Share engaged OnCenter to craft the organization's first long-range plan. Six months later, the entire team was aligned around a flexible strategic plan that allowed them to make confident decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and grow staff, fundraising, and programs in a way that honored the voices of their East African partners.
|
The Humanity Share works hand in hand with East African communities to break cycles of poverty and build sustainable, equitable futures. |
The Challenge & Context
The Humanity Share was founded on a cross-cultural friendship between two people who knew that, together, they could create something positive. Over the next 14 years, that friendship would impact over 75,000 people through community-led transformation addressing basic needs, quality education, and sustainable income.
The Humanity Share–like many of our clients–approached OnCenter in a time of uncertainty. In the early years, the strength of their relationships and the talent of their team had helped them overcome the fact that they had never had a formal long-range plan. But in 2019, the organization was faced with replacing its Founder/Executive Director during a season of strained relationships and had difficulty in matching up projected fundraising with its portfolio of potential projects.
Going forward, the team that so intentionally built sustainability in others knew that in order to continue growing and meeting the needs of its partner communities, they would have to become more sustainable themselves. In particular, they needed a clear plan in order to make more confident decisions.
The Humanity Share–like many of our clients–approached OnCenter in a time of uncertainty. In the early years, the strength of their relationships and the talent of their team had helped them overcome the fact that they had never had a formal long-range plan. But in 2019, the organization was faced with replacing its Founder/Executive Director during a season of strained relationships and had difficulty in matching up projected fundraising with its portfolio of potential projects.
Going forward, the team that so intentionally built sustainability in others knew that in order to continue growing and meeting the needs of its partner communities, they would have to become more sustainable themselves. In particular, they needed a clear plan in order to make more confident decisions.
|
Our Approach
|
The OnCenter team laid out a custom approach to intentionally listen to partner communities, repair relationships, and align the team around a shared plan over six months. The first step was listening through a series of in-person workshops in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Chicago, which included design thinking and ideation techniques like brain-writing as well as long-range planning activities like writing SMART goals and ranking strategic priorities.
Each session was intentionally chosen to navigate cultural contexts, empower each team member to speak and contribute, and reveal critical insights that honored the voices of the community partners. The resulting five-year strategic plan included five strategic goals with accompanying objectives, financial projections, and a custom timeline. The final strategy was presented to the organization’s board of directors for approval. |
|
They were committed to finding the approach that met our needs. They didn’t force a process onto our team. They modified and adjusted leading up to and during meetings. That ability to adapt, redirect and stay agile shows a level of maturity and experience in their art. - Kait TenHarmsel, Executive Director, The Humanity Share |
|
Outcomes
When the plane landed back in Chicago from Nairobi, Kenya in February 2020, no one could have anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic was just about to begin. But the beauty of agile strategy is that the resulting long-range plan was flexible enough that when COVID happened, the organization was able to pivot temporarily from a development to aid and still be aligned with strategic goals.
The organization prioritized where they put their energy, rebranding the entire organization and bringing on its first Director of Development. Now poised for program growth, the organization brings out its plan several times each year to reflect on whether they are moving in the right direction and to align on key decisions, including budget. They also use it to share the direction of the organization with key stakeholders and volunteers, who appreciate the transparency and better understand how to contribute to the organization's mission. |
|