Secrets of Survival

...we recently came back from a really great meeting in Hartford, CT with a small group of other capacity-building funders, where the subject was how to assess and communicate the impact of this mode of grantmaking. [It was a GEO "action learning" group, if you must know.] It has me thinking that I should spend some time here talking about just what exactly capacity-building is and isn't, what it can and can't do for organizations, particularly arts organizations.

At the end of the two-day session, the facilitator asked "What do you think are the key characteristics of organizations that will survive (and thrive) in the current downturn?"

Here's the list we came up with, in no particular order:

1. Thoughtful, visionary leadership with a strong sense of mission and the core program.

2. Strong decision-making systems and planning frameworks.

3. The ability to express the value of the organization internally and externally.

4. Strong advocacy and creative support from board members.

5. A diversified funding base

6. Capacity for bold, even audacious decisions. Also, the ability to make tough decisions informed by the core principles of the organization.

7. The ability to evangelize and build public support.

8. The ability to identify and take advantage of collaborative opportunities.

No surprise, a lot of these things are interconnected--be thoughtful and externally-informed enough to know your core value proposition, be bold about using the opportunities of the current crisis to reorganize your operation around that core value, etc. And yes, all easier said than done, but I think we were all surprised by the level of consensus on these points from funders working in very different sectors.