This post is a follow up to What’s in it for Me? Evaluating Stakeholder Engagement, where I shared, “If [the question] “What’s in it for me?” sounds self-serving, it’s because it is. In order to increase engagement, communities and the people driving the actions to produce change should easily see how their involvement leads to the change they wish to see.”
In other words, what you’re asking them to do not only has to make sense, but has to be worth it for them.
In theory, as their leader, what you should say goes, right? These days, this isn’t without a lot of push back.
In an ideal situation, you wouldn’t have to convince staff and board that what you want to happen matters. I’m sure it’s frustration when you experience the push back.
I recently finished a project where I observed that the executive director cared about that the process than staff and partners did.
Well, I could tell they understood the importance of the project and how it could support their work, but there was major hesitancy.
Let’s explore getting your staff, board (and anyone else that’s important to your project) on board.
This activity is ideal for:
- Board of directors, staff, and other stakeholders expected to participate in this project
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Schedule time for this activity, where you can work with minimal interruption. Make sure to schedule breaks!
- Whatever setup you use to capture your process (laptop, pen and paper, whiteboard, etc.). Make sure it’s kept in a place that you can refer back to
The steps:
The goal of this activity is to get to the root cause(s) for why staff and board are lacking buy-in.
I’ll leave it up to you to determine how this activity flows. It may be more convenient to have everyone in the same space together. However, I recognize that timing may not be ideal for everyone AND bringing people together with various levels of power dynamics may be an issue. You can try:
- One large group
- Separate stakeholder groups
- Individual conversations
Regardless of the setting, allow staff and board to openly share any concerns they have. Their responses may follow into one of the following categories:
- Is this a capacity issue?
- Is this a funding issue?
- Is this a role issue?
- Is this a programming issue?
- Is this an engagement issue?
Is this a capacity issue?
Being honest about capacity is crucial. Staff already have enough on their plates, and while board members are essentially volunteering for your organization, they also have other commitments. If this is the cause, staff and board are considering the status of their other projects and duties, whether they have the skillset(s) needed for the project, whether they can devote time to the project, and more.
Is this a funding issue?
Sometimes, the funding isn’t there for a large scale project. Which means you’ll have to figure out how to bring the funding in, be it through funders or individuals donors. More funding can increase staff capacity to do the work, including having funding to hire additional staff to aid with the workload, among other things.
Is this a role issue?
This connects to capacity. How does this project connect to staff’s actual job descriptions? Sometimes, funding comes with some stipulations. I’ve seen organizations develop programming in response to seeking funding, as opposed to seeking funding opportunities that directly align with current programming. Avoid work scope and mission creep.
Is this a programming issue?
Speaking of programming, is what you’re asking of staff and board taking from current organizational programming?
Is this an engagement issue?
Are decisions being made without stakeholder input, particularly staff? Don’t focus so much on the end user (participants) that you neglect the real concerns of the people expected to implement.
Let’s process
Going back to the client example above, when I presented the project findings to the staff and other stakeholders, I noticed that the executive director was most excited about it, while some of the stakeholders asked if they could speak with me directly as they next steps felt overwhelming. I thought about this while working on this project, but came to the conclusion that it’s not my responsibility to convince staff of the value in this. A lesson learned that the executive director and I explored included doing a deeper dive into staff capacity AND the possibility that the executive director may need to hire that capacity (in the form of a new staff member who will oversee the implementation of the project).
The above questions are a start. As your stakeholders share, you’ll be interested in probing more.
Giving staff and board the space to be open about their concerns is the first step. Now that you have the data (because we’re becoming more data driven), you have to do something with it.
Becoming data driven means developing a process for prioritizing your findings, and only you can determine what that looks like. You can determine this by identifying what’s the easiest to address, where the most capacity lies, or where the most buy-in is.
Key takeaway
Accessing staff and board buy-in is a long-term process. Providing opportunities for stakeholder feedback AND developing an action plan may encourage that buy-in to trickle in.
Try this activity and let me know how it goes for you (or if you need support.)
Raise Your Voice: What steps do you take to assess staff and board buy-in? Share below in the comments section.
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