The Foraker Group

Whew! Decisions. Every day in every way. Life changing and insignificant. Each one is called the same thing, but wow are they different! Sometimes their sheer volume can make even the insignificant feel hard. As humans, of course, we are always making choices – even choices that do not feel like a choice. For many of you, your choices have an immediate impact on people’s lives or on the stability and longevity of your missions. These are the choices I am thinking about at the moment – when our responsibility is always to “leave it better than we found it” – when all is as it should be – bigger than a person, a point in time, or a single idea. In our volatile and uncertain world, these are the choices I am thinking about. So how do we make these decisions in ways that reflect our job as mission stewards and keep us moving forward?

The opposite response to all these decisions is option paralysis or just stagnation. Those are choices too, but not helpful ones for those who are relying on the missions we provide. I also know it is tempting to just “wait and see” and not take ownership or leadership in our own plans for the future. I have heard this a lot more than normal in the last few years. But while waiting is a decision, it reinforces the lack of power and ability for board and staff, along with donors and volunteers, to know best about what is important on the ground and in communities. I worry about groups who feel stuck, but I equally worry about those who are easily distracted by the shiny stuff and recant on existing promises to communities while they chase the money. Money chasing is so prevalent in our world we have a term for it, “mission drift,” where we see an opportunity for funding that requires something new.

Making the right set of decisions takes both a commitment to saying “yes” or “no, thank you” at the right time. Back in 2022, I shared a few tools for your team’s decision-making. I am now in 2026 with a refresh of those tools to match our current environment.

1. Unpack it:We love a decision matrix in our sector. Truly, in my many decades in this work, I have seen a matrix for so many things. Why do we like them? Well, because they help us unpack the challenge not just for ourselves but in a way that a group of people can dive in together and discuss their perspectives on how they see the issues and topics. The gift is not just in categorizing the issue but in the dialogue. Please hear that part especially – it is not just you at your desk unpacking things into quadrants or categories, it is the group journey that is essential. There are so many examples to choose from, but one that is especially helpful right now is a risk matrix. Many versions are out there. Some are general and assess overall organizational health, while others are more specific and focus on risks regarding succession, money, programs, legality, partnerships, and more. Our simple risk matrix invites the team to establish the context of the risk, name it, analyze its severity, and then place it in a quadrant where you measure probability on one axis and mission impact on the other.

We regularly recommend two other matrix tools – The Cynefin Framework and the Mission/Money Matrix. At the heart of the definition of complexity, the Cynefin Framework helps us understand that not all challenges are the same and, therefore, not all decisions are the right match. In its simplest form, the framework asks us to categorize our challenges so that we can then match the right amount of time, money, resources, and decisions to find a solution. I still remember my biggest “a-ha” moment upon being introduced to the framework came when I suddenly understood why so many decisions that nonprofit board and staff were making were not providing the expected results. Indeed, they had been – unknowingly – applying the same set of tools and resources to vastly different kinds of problems. This is the gift of so many matrix tools – the ability to dole out our energy to the places that matter the most. When in doubt, matrix it out.

2. Picture it.I love words, and in planning and decision-making, they are often our go-to source of expression either in conversation or in writing. But words are imperfect because they can miss the essence of our intentions or the energy behind why that decision matters to our work. Sharing a picture, or painting or drawing a vision of the results your team is seeking can be a wonderful tool to bring everyone together to see how a set of decisions will lead to a shared image of success. A variation of this exercise is for everyone to find or create their own picture of success and then share the common traits. You can also use this idea to track progress from where the organization is now to where you want to go together. This tool is an excellent way to weave in a cultural context and core values, and to engage everyone in the energy of why the decision matters. When in doubt, draw it out.

3. See it as a progression. Two examples might serve as our best way into this idea. First, a group has more money in savings than is prudent. A conversation begins about what to do with the money. Some want to save for the short-term while others want to shift to turning the savings into a true endowment. At that point, people in the room who know what both options mean are overwhelmed while others become frustrated. This is the perfect spot to turn the decision into a progression. In this example, we can move from a decision that jumps from one extreme to another to understanding the choices between them and viewing those choices as stepping stones from one to the next. To be more specific, the progression is savings – to a board reserve account (also a shorter-term savings but with board restrictions and policies on how it’s spent) – to longer-term investments (also with policies and spending intentions that may need advice from an outside investment professional) – to a true endowment that is held in perpetuity and where only a percentage of interest earnings are available for spending. Pulling apart the choices helps the team ask essential questions like “what are the short and long-term definitions of success,” and “how does each choice serve our mission.” It also helps the team avoid jumping too quickly to tactics and solutions that they may or may not fully understand and may be choices that differ from one another.

Second, a group is interested in diversifying their board, but every time they recruit someone new, they do not stay. This group often speaks about diversity and inclusion but has not, like many, done the deeper work to know what these words mean in context to the organization and people who already exist on the team. So, they become frustrated, feeling their efforts are “not working.” Instead of seeing this work as simply recruiting board members, the opportunity is to see it as a progression. That progression can help identify where the organization finds their way from focusing on a board of “superstars” to a “constellation” of team members who don’t just come together but stay together. That is the difference between recruiting and retaining and also between being welcoming and offering a space of belonging. Specifically, understanding the progression from inclusion to welcoming to belonging is often a revelation. For brevity, let us say that inclusion is about creating or holding space where people are fully able to participate, welcoming is the environment we create that people experience as inviting, and belonging is a feeling someone has about being in the environment and with the people. For most, this progression creates enormous opportunities to go deeper and ask questions that lead to different decisions than when we just take one step and hope the whole composition of the team will change through the act of recruitment.  When in doubt, step it out.

4. Envision it. As noted earlier, one trend we regularly encounter during uncertain times is the hesitancy to look too far ahead, and yet, as we have seen before in a discussion about living in liminal space, it is actually envisioning the longer-term destination that helps us take the necessary leaps in the near term. Every day we see the propensity to think incrementally – to fix what is immediate and in front of us. But if we are to be the best stewards of our time, money, and energy, we need to make decisions with the larger destination in mind. Engaging the team in crafting (in words or pictures) a short-term definition of success that leads to long-term success is so helpful in navigating the everyday bumps in the road. Long-term goals often come in a few varieties. Some are defined by time like 7-10 years while others are thought of in multiple decades or even in perpetuity. The perpetuity versions are often framed as “vision statements.” These are like the horizon – they provide a beautiful view of the ultimate aim, but groups are hard pressed to tell you how they will achieve it in any tangible way. On the other hand, envisioned futures are often decades in the making. But they are SMART in their structure, often written as a specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic outcomes in a certain time frame.

Envisioned futures are not vision statements or goals. They help us know why success matters for the people or community we serve. They drive us forward with energy and strength. Through every great economic, political, or environmental disruption, what I notice again and again is that groups with a clearly defined envisioned future can manage the daily and near-term disruptions far better than those without. Envisioned futures propel us to thrive and not just survive as we move from our immediate transactional decisions closer to the transformational change we seek. When in doubt, envision it out.

5. Strategically pause.It is also true that sometimes the best decision is to wait so you and your team have time and space to think, to grieve (if needed), to celebrate (if appropriate) – to just be where you are right now and experience the moment together. Rushing to search, or rushing to plan, or rushing to do most things keeps us moving, but likely in a way that will make us have to circle back to fix what we rushed to get done. In the end, the rush to take action can be far more time-consuming, expensive, and divisive to the team’s well-being than taking a strategic pause. What makes this time different is the intentionality behind it and leadership’s willingness to name it and live through it with the team. Change is hard, and there are so many ways that people respond to it. Some find joy in ambiguity, while others loathe it with great unease. Naming the pause for what it is can help everyone breathe into the moment together and create more trust to move forward when the time is right. When in doubt, space it out.

There are more ways to get to where you want to go. These are just a few. Try them or call us. This is the work we love to do with you.

–Laurie