Do you know how YOU take action?

One of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves—and our clients—a lot lately is this:

What does it take for you to take action on your vision and values?

Do you know if you’re someone who needs a lot of information before you move? Or are you comfortable making a decision with less?

Knowing this about yourself is one of the most helpful leadership skills you can develop. We also think it’s one of the most helpful fundraising skills.

Because here’s what we’ve learned: every leader has a different threshold for action.

Some people are comfortable moving with 60% of the information. Others want 90%. Neither is inherently right or wrong. But being willing to ask other people for feedback about your threshold for action is a game-changer. Your team, your board, your colleagues, and the people you trust often have a clearer view of your patterns than you do. If they tell you you’re moving too fast, that’s useful information. If they tell you you’re waiting too long, that’s useful too. Because it’s all too easy in the nonprofit sector—where we work on changing the status quo—to get stuck in inaction.

The problem isn’t having a preference. The problem is when the trap of perfection convinces us that waiting is always the safer choice.

It isn’t.

Sometimes it steals our momentum. Sometimes it keeps us from testing and learning. And worst of all, sometimes it can feed our fear of doing the wrong thing.

Best effort changes with the moment

This trap we all fall into at times has us thinking a lot about what we call best effort.

In calmer moments, your best effort might be a beautifully researched strategy, six rounds of feedback, and a polished implementation plan.

(We can feel some of you just gloooowing reading that.)

But right now? In…ummm…less calm times?

Your best effort might be:

* A phone call instead of a perfect proposal.

* A conversation instead of another committee meeting.

* A draft that you stopped editing before it was beautiful because it already got the point across.

* An ask made with humility and vulnerability instead of certainty.

That’s not lowering the bar. That’s responding to reality.

Values ask us to move

We are willing to bet your organization’s values don’t ask you to wait until you’re certain. They don’t ask you to be perfect. They ask you to move in ways that are aligned with who you are.

Some of the values we’ve seen clients articulate over the years include enthusiasm, community-rootedness, compassion, possibility, belonging, curiosity, and learning.

Notice something? None of those values require certainty.

Almost all of them require movement. Almost all of them assume that learning happens while we’re doing the work—not before it.

Leadership researchers studying adaptive challenges make a similar point. The most difficult problems rarely come with complete information or obvious solutions. Progress depends on taking thoughtful action, learning from what happens, and adjusting as you go rather than waiting until everything is known. (Harvard Medical School Continuing Education)

Thoughtfulness can become a hiding place

We’ve noticed another trap born from this: confusing inaction with thoughtfulness.

Not taking an aligned action because you’re worried it won’t be exactly right isn’t neutrality. It has consequences, too. Communities don’t get served. Relationships don’t deepen. Opportunities pass. Money doesn’t move.

Sometimes thoughtfulness is the trap. It’s easy to get stuck there.

It’s a scary moment in the world, and it’s easy to become so anxious that nearly everything starts to feel like it needs one more meeting, one more revision, one more opinion.

So what helps?

One of the most important tools we know is relationship. Not because other people have your answers. But because they help you see yourself more clearly.

Do you have people around you who can gently prod you toward action?

Who can remind you of your values when fear starts making decisions?

Who can say, “You know what? I think it’s good enough. Let’s see what we learn.”

Research on psychological safety points to something similar: teams learn faster and make better decisions when people can share unfinished ideas, acknowledge uncertainty, and learn together rather than waiting until every answer is polished. High standards and learning aren’t opposites—they depend on each other. (Source: Harvard Business Review)

If you don’t have those people, reach out to us.  Really. We’ll see if we can connect you with another Values-Based fundraiser looking for a thought or action partner.

And don’t forget—you can always call on us. Our 15-minute conversations are always free. Use them for a gut check. Reply to our last Community of Care email. Tell us what’s got you stuck.

Sometimes you don’t need another strategy. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you’re ready.

A note to nonprofit leaders

We want to give a shout out to nonprofit leaders everywhere who are doing exactly this and we learn from them every day. You know who you are. The ones making difficult decisions without perfect information. The ones moving forward with curiosity. The ones feeling the grief, fear, uncertainty, hope, and responsibility that comes with this work—and continuing to move toward the vision they hold for their communities.

We see you. We know this isn’t easy.

The organizations we see making the biggest difference right now aren’t the ones getting everything right. They’re the ones continuing to act, learn, repair when needed, and act again.

Sometimes the most important thing you can do for your mission is make the best decision you can with the information you have today.

Stay open to learning as you go and you’ve got this.

• Messy is ok.

• Slightly incomplete (aka “beta testing” or “piloting” something new) is ok.

• Changing course when you learn something new is ok.

Progress has always belonged to people willing to move before they had perfect certainty.

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