Recently I attended a Board away day. The main purpose for
the day was long-term planning but, as ever, there were also the added benefits
from bringing stakeholders together and getting to know each other away from
the usual day to day issues. Of
particular interest was having not just staff and management in the room but representatives
from the charities we fund. Having their perspective really helped ground the
discussions. One charity said they thought it was such a good idea that they
were going to invite a funder to their next away day.
When I assess charities,
one line of questioning is about their strategic planning and who inputs into
this. Some charities take a limited approach with just staff and Trustees
getting together. Other charities take the time to seek the views and input
from a wide range of stakeholders including service users and external referral
agencies. I can’t recall anyone ever saying that they included a funder.
I can
think of some reasons why it would be tricky. For example, if the funder
endorsed the plan the charity might assume that this would translate into
future funding. But these expectations could be managed. What would the
benefits be? It could be a useful reality check on fundraising strategies. It
could bring an objective view from someone who reads lots of plans.
When
thinking who to invite to your away day, think of asking a funder. What do you
think the pros and cons would be? If you’ve already tried it, I’d be really
interested to know how it went.
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