Doing More with Less: a Non-Profit's Dilemma

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Change is the watchword of the 21st century. For nonprofits, the word takes on a particular urgency. There’s been a paradigm shift, says Lorri Powers, executive director of the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Foundation, a Hampton-based organization that coordinates and supports disability services in the Virginia Peninsula. Much of state and federal funding has been stripped, and nonprofits have to do more with less. “We’ve been operating for 50-plus years under the same guidelines. That’s not feasible anymore,” she says. A new strategic plan needed to be slotted into place.

Powers recently took over as executive director, and instead of feeling that change was a challenge, she wanted the board to see it as an opportunity. “I’m the first person to roll my eyes when I hear about facilitator sessions in other places. But John [Sarvay] and I have fun together, and that’s the key to alleviating the dread people may feel.” That’s the way real work can get done, she says. 

 

It was important to Powers for the board to be actively engaged, despite the daily tasks that still needed their attention. In addition to a series of work sessions with the board’s strategic planning committee, Floricane also facilitated a focused, four-hour session with the full board. It suited the foundation’s needs perfectly. Instead of getting derailed, as is often the way of many strategic planning efforts, Sarvay kept the group on track. “We managed to get everyone thinking differently and stretching their vision,” she says.

 

The work with Floricane was also an opportunity for Powers to clarify her part in moving the organization ahead. “I needed a sounding board — someone to help me get out of my brain space. John brought a great toolkit with him.”

Written by Brandon Fox, a Richmond-based freelance writer.