I believe I have the best job in world. On a regular basis I get to meet with amazing leaders who care about their communities and the world. Many of these leaders also have the capacity to make community dreams, programs and campaigns successful.
Last month, during the facilitation of a leader engagement study, I met such a leader. Let’s call him Tom.
As part of the study, we test the case for support with each leader, asking questions about direction, timing, investment and relevancy. He listened as we shared our case and revealed the capital and program investments necessary to, “move the needle.”
Tom reflected on our materials and then asked this question: “Will this investment of capital and program support move the needle… or allow you to ‘turn the corner’ on these issues?”
“Move the needle” vs “turn the corner.” There’s a big difference between those two, isn’t there?
He went on the explain that, as a donor, he has been part of countless campaigns where he felt the case for support certainly moved the needle, but never really turned the corner on the issues of focus. He urged us to develop plans and strategies that will help the community turn the corner on the most pressing issues. It’s simply not good enough to achieve incremental success in areas of childhood obesity, early learning or teen engagement.
Tom’s challenge was clear: “Show me how your plans will help our community turn the corner on these issues. Convince me of this and you will have my support, and that of the rest of the philanthropic community, investing in your plans.”
This is a wonderful challenge. Take a second look at your case for support. Are you making the case for incremental improvement by moving the needle, or are your plans strategic, bold and capable of turning the corner on critical community needs?
