In our latest DEIJ workshop at Mission Met, we focused on key strategies for making marketing more inclusive, from auditing materials for accessibility to using diverse visuals and language. This session emphasized why representation matters and how inclusive marketing can foster stronger connections with diverse audiences. Curious about the details? Check out the highlights and discover actionable steps to start implementing diversity in your marketing efforts!

This guest post by Tasha Van Vlack, founder and CEO of The Nonprofit Hive, dives into the transformative power of networking for nonprofit leaders. Tasha shares her insights on how building and maintaining strategic connections can unlock new opportunities, from resource sharing to increased visibility and access to expertise. Discover why investing in a robust network is essential for nonprofit success.

Is your strategic plan gathering dust on a shelf? It doesn’t have to! Imagine it as a fun bridge connecting your bold vision to real-world success. Yes, strategic plan execution might seem intimidating, but with a few clever tweaks, you can turn it into an exciting journey rather than a daunting task. Ready to take control and keep your team motivated? Dive into these four easy (and even fun!) tips to streamline your process and watch your organization smash its goals with confidence and clarity. Say goodbye to overwhelm and hello to progress!

As part of our efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) at Mission Met, we're hosting internal workshops where each team member explores topics of interest about incorporating DEIJ principles into our work. This training about inclusive design helped our team recognize the significant areas where we can enhance accessibility in all aspects of our business. This experience has increased our empathy for individuals with various disabilities. It has also highlighted how accessibility challenges, despite the foundations laid by the ADA in the 1990s, remain prevalent across industries and around the globe.

Are you frustrated with dedicating hours to developing comprehensive strategic plans, only for them to be forgotten? Many mission-driven organizations encounter this issue, often stumbling during the implementation phase due to common pitfalls. In a recent LinkedIn Live conversation, Jamie Yazdani from Yazdani Consulting and Ricky Chilcott, co-founder of Mission Met, delve into these challenges and present actionable solutions. We’ve got the summary here for you!

As part of our efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) at Mission Met, we're hosting internal workshops where each team member explores topics of interest about incorporating DEIJ principles into our work. This is the fourth workshop in our series and it focuses on the changing DEIJ landscape by highlighting recent news pieces and court rulings that have impacted these efforts.  We’re sharing the key takeaways with you.

This article explores the concept of co-strategic planning. It emphasizes the transformative potential of communities strategically planning and collaborating for meaningful change. Through examples like New Leaf Justice Enterprise and Collaboratory, the article illustrates how strategic communities drive effective change, the importance of transparent strategy sharing, and the fostering of collaborative success. We invite you to embrace co-strategic planning in your community for a better tomorrow!

As part of our efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) at Mission Met, we're hosting internal workshops where each team member explores topics of interest about incorporating DEIJ principles into our work. This is the third workshop in our series and we’re sharing the key takeaways with you about incorporating DEIJ principles into our consulting and training services.

In nonprofit management, navigating donation processes can be tough. A recent webinar with Mission Met Co-founder Ricky Chilcott shared innovative strategies to make it easier.

As a part of Mission Met’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) efforts, we are facilitating workshops where each team member engages in a personal exploration, connecting topics of personal significance with DEIJ principles. In a world marked by persistent racial inequities, the imperative for white individuals to become allies in the fight against racism has never been more urgent. A recent presentation, spearheaded by Mission Met Senior Consultant Paul Lamb, offered invaluable insights into how white people can actively engage in this crucial struggle. 

At Mission Met, we are actively translating our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) ideals into tangible actions and inviting you, our audience, to join us on this transformative journey. As part of this work, we’re conducting workshops where each team member embarks on a personal exploration, delving into a subject close to their heart and weaving it intricately with DEIJ principles, culminating in a collective sharing of insights. Here are the key takeaways from our second training about unconscious bias.

AI's potential in helping with strategic planning is exciting but awareness and careful implementation is also needed to maximize its effectiveness and impact. Check out this article on www.causey.app that lists the positives of using AI in strategic planning and the challenges.

We recently began rolling out our inaugural DEIJ training session for our team. This wasn't just another mandatory workshop; it was a step toward cultivating a culture of inclusivity and justice within our organization. Each team member is tasked with exploring a topic close to their heart, linking it back to DEIJ principles, and sharing their findings with the rest of us. This month’s topic was on integrating DEIJ practices into project management.

Nonprofit partnerships are indeed essential for addressing complex social issues and maximizing the impact of limited resources. However, navigating these collaborations can be challenging due to various barriers that organizations may encounter. In this article, we will explore common obstacles to nonprofit partnerships and provide insights into how you can overcome them to foster successful collaborations.

Whether it’s connecting with potential donors, collaborating with other nonprofits, or engaging community leaders, strategic networking creates a ripple effect of positive change. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of such partnerships and share a resource with more information about how to navigate networking relationships.

Partnerships let you join forces and share skills, leading to a bigger impact. In this article, we'll explore different types of nonprofit partnerships and see how organizations work together to make positive change.

In the dynamic world of nonprofit organizations, the pursuit of a mission often feels like navigating uncharted waters. From fundraising challenges to resource constraints, the path to creating meaningful impact can be arduous. However, in this journey, nonprofits have an ally waiting in the wings – the transformative potential of partnerships. This article explores the benefits that nonprofits can reap from partnerships, unraveling the layers of opportunity that lie beneath the surface when organizations unite for a common cause. 

Our team is dedicated to a positive team culture and we decided to include a “Culture” focus area in our strategic plan this year. Now that we’re at the end of 2023, we’ve found an enlightening tactic that you may be interested in using for your team. It has benefited our team this year and we look forward to evolving it in 2024.

This tactic is a team retrospective meeting (we call it a “team retro”). It’s a dedicated meeting each month where victories are celebrated and potential avenues for improvement are uncovered. This article is your backstage pass on how we conduct a team retro meeting and how it contributes to engagement and positive culture.

As nonprofit strategic planning consultants at Mission Met, we serve as guides to help leaders of small and medium-sized nonprofits discover the right strategy for their unique organization. But, that begs the obvious question: what, exactly, is a “right” strategy? There are some timeless concepts that lie at the heart of most successful strategies. This article is the first in a series that will unravel these foundational components, equipping you, the nonprofit leader, to craft a strategy that will shine bright in your strategic plan.

Nonprofit strategic planning continues to evolve. As a nonprofit leader, you might be asking what trends are emerging in strategic plans. Is your plan, your strategies, and your nonprofit keeping up?

Join us as we dissect aspects of strategic plans to discover what developments or changes are happening in nonprofit strategy.

Mission creep refers to the gradual change in the focus of an organization from its original mission to other areas that may not be aligned with its core values. Sometimes this is referenced as mission drift. In this article, we'll explore what mission creep is, why it happens, and ways to manage it.

We've created a directory of nonprofit podcasts that inform and entertain. And we're not keeping it to ourselves. We believe in sharing valuable resources with fellow mission-driven professionals like you. So, check out our podcast list and discover some amazing audio content for the nonprofit sector.

In this blog post, you'll find out about the team effort that went into creating Mission Met's statement on DEIJ. It’s our hope that sharing the step-by-step process we took, including areas for improvement, will inform and inspire you as a mission-driven leader to develop your own statement (and subsequent strategy) dedicated to these core principles.

Strategic planning can be your nonprofit's secret sauce, the magic ingredient that turns your mission into impactful outcomes. I know this because I’ve seen it happen over and over again for more than two decades. At Mission Met, we've dedicated ourselves to simplifying this process for you. Get ready to dive into five proven strategic planning hacks that can truly revolutionize your organization.

As a key team member of a nonprofit, you already have a strong passion for making a positive difference in the world. However, it's easy to feel like your message isn't being heard by a wider audience. That's where podcasts come in - they allow you to share your organization's story and mission with a community of supporters who are eager to listen. Whether you're new to podcast interviews or have done many before, it's essential to approach each one with the right preparation and mindset. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your next podcast appearance.

Do you feel like there is never enough time in the day to work on your nonprofit’s strategy? You are not alone! Nonprofit leaders often share this sentiment due to numerous urgent and competing demands such as taking care of personnel issues, fundraising, grant proposal writing, engaging stakeholders, communicating with the board, and on and on. Although there isn't a quick fix to find more time, fortunately, with the use of some tools, making time for strategy and other priorities doesn’t need to feel like such a daunting task. Let’s explore ways to make strategic planning more manageable each week by using the Eisenhower Time Management Matrix and the Focus Funnel.

As a nonprofit leader, are you looking for your team to increase efficiency and productivity, improve communication and make better decisions? Creating a positive culture by implementing values and practices may be the answer.

With all of the recent news about artificial intelligence (AI), it got me thinking about the potential impact of AI on strategic planning — my area of expertise. So I did a little experiment: I went to ChatGPT and asked it to craft a strategic plan for a fictitious organization. Check out what happened next in this article.