In a hurry to get home, I started calculating how many school zones I’d have to slow down for. Two zones. Maybe three extra minutes.
Three minutes.
My hurried mind decided three minutes was unreasonable. As I got closer to the first zone, I found myself asking, “How much does it really matter if I’m three minutes late joining a webinar? Who even cares?”
And then I realized what was really bothering me. It wasn’t the school zone. I was in a hurry because I hadn’t planned very well.
Adjusting to school zones this time of year is a good reminder that sometimes slowing down is part of getting where we want to go. Going slow is sometimes part of good planning. I’ve realized that philanthropy and nonprofit management have their own versions of school zones. The difference is that there are no flashing lights or road signs to tell us we’re entering one.
I often have conversations with donors and nonprofits who are moving quickly because something feels urgent. A new program looks like an opportunity. A grant needs to be spent. A funder wants to change direction. There’s an unexpected demand for services. Suddenly, there’s not enough time to stop and think.
Sometimes we do need to move quickly. But sometimes we need to slow down long enough to ask, “What happens next?”
What can happen in a slow zone?
For a nonprofit board, the slowdown might come before launching a new program. What happens if funding decreases? What if demand is lower than projected? What if it increases faster than expected?
For a nonprofit executive, the question may be capacity. Can existing staff and volunteers take on more? Can we deliver the new program well?
For donors, the questions might be different: What am I really trying to accomplish? Is the gift enough, or do we need partners? What kind of updates do I expect?
And for a private foundation considering a change in funding priorities, slowing down means thinking about the organizations already depending on that funding, and considering who else needs to be at the table.
How do we identify our own slow zones?
There are countless reasons to slow down, but we cannot do it for every decision. The trick is knowing which decisions warrant a slowdown.
That is where scenario planning can help. Scenario planning doesn’t predict the future. It asks us to slow down long enough to imagine several possible futures before one of them arrives.
It’s more than a ten-minute conversation at a board or staff meeting. It means asking what could happen before it happens and thinking through what we’d do if it did.
The goal is to be less surprised when the unexpected occurs.
A nonprofit might start with a few questions:
• What if our largest grant disappears?
• What if demand for our services increases dramatically?
We should also remember that scenario planning isn’t only about bad news:
• What if we suddenly had 25 percent more money?
• Would we know what to do with it?
• How could we grow without compromising the quality of our work?
Then consider three possibilities:
• What if things go better than expected?
• What if they unfold as expected?
• What if they become more difficult?
The questions that follow are simple but important:
• What would we do?
• What would we protect?
• What decisions would we need to make quickly?
• What would we wish we had done six months earlier?
Planning our pace
Scenario planning isn’t predicting the future or fortune-telling. You don’t have to decide what will happen. Instead, it is about being able to say, “We’ve thought about the possibilities, and we’re better prepared to respond.”
The next time your board or leadership team faces a decision with significant consequences, try three questions:
• What if it gets better?
• What if it gets worse?
• What would we want to have done before either happens?
Sometimes a board or leadership team needs someone outside the conversation to ask the question everyone else has stopped asking. That’s where a good facilitator can be worth the investment.
Maybe that’s what bothered me about those three minutes. I thought slowing down was keeping me from getting where I wanted to go. In reality, it was giving me a chance to pay attention to what was ahead.
The next time you hit a school zone—whether you’re behind the wheel or sitting around a board table—don’t just think about the minutes you’re losing.
Think about what the slowdown gives you a chance to see.
Maybe the best way to prepare for the road ahead is to slow down before you get there.
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If you have a question or a topic you would like to see explored in future posts, please reach out to me.
The Gift of Giving by Dawn Franks is a practical, inspiring guide to living with purpose through generosity. Filled with real-world wisdom, it encourages readers to make a meaningful difference and leave a lasting legacy. Click to learn more about The Gift of Giving.
Website: www.dawnfranks.com
Email: dawn@dawnfranks.com
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