This blog post is part of five articles on organizational sustainability. Related articles are noted at the end of the post.
Stage 4: Aspirations, Results, and Strategic Goals & Objectives
When considering sustainability, where you are going and the results you want to deliver are a key component of creating a sustainable organization. If you don’t know what you are working towards or the results you want to achieve, it is difficult to set a direction and move towards it.
Aspirations are the outcomes that we want to deliver through our agencies work. In this case, the sustainability aspirations of the organization. What does sustainability look like to us? What factors are most important when we consider sustainability (finances, programming, staffing, etc.)? How does sustainability weave into our existing goals and objectives? How do we communicate sustainability to our team?
With a solid understanding of the answers to questions like these, your Board can then consider: What sustainability initiatives do we want to prioritize today? In the long-term? What opportunities exist for us to scale back to our strengths and partner with others to provide shared services as a sustainability tactic? How might that look?
Being able to answer questions like these and being open to conversations within your organization and with potential partners are beneficial for sustainability.
Every good plan must have a way to measure success, and this is where results come in. Knowing that you are making progress and seeing change around your sustainability goals is essential if you want to succeed. If you don’t track your results, you’ll never be able to measure what change has occurred, or to modify your tactics for improved results.
Organizational sustainability requires that you build your sustainability goals and initiatives into your strategic plan. That you create strategies, goals and metrics in place to track results over time. Where possible, sustainability should be a strategy woven into daily activities and desired outcomes. For instance, say your strategy is to review your program materials annually to ensure that the content is up-to-date, relevant, and best in class. This sustainability strategy leads to positioning our agency as a leader in our field, sought out by funders and partners to deliver our content.
Not all strategies and goals will have sustainability built into them. The more that do though, the more the staff and stakeholders can see the importance being placed on sustainability within the organization. Likewise, some sustainability strategies and goals stand independent of everything else. How your organization integrates sustainability into its strategic plan is unique and reflects the vision, mission, values and priorities of your organization.
Tell us how your aspirations, results, and strategic goals and objectives have framed your decision-making and led to enhanced outcomes. Share your thoughts and observations in the comments below.
Comments