The Risk of Doing Nothing

Last week, Wesley Glen Ministries launched a new program in Columbus, Georgia. We are starting small with 10 new neighbors (what we call the people we support) but hope to grow to around 55 over the next year.

It has been interesting to reflect on the process that got us here.

Over the past couple of years, we have asked a lot of questions, gathered information, listened to people, studied the need, and tried to think through what could go wrong. At the core of many of those conversations was a pretty simple question: How much risk are we willing to take?

I think nonprofits can be particularly risk-averse, and for understandable reasons. Resources are limited. People depend on us. Boards expect us to be good stewards. And there is a personal side to it too. If I make a decision that loses money or doesn't work, will I be viewed as ineffective? Will people think I failed (or worse yet, I’m a failure)?

With Columbus, one of my biggest concerns was capacity. We have a relatively lean leadership team, and I didn't want growing somewhere new to come at the expense of the people and families we already serve.

So, we kept analyzing and planning.

Eventually, though, my team put a date on the calendar. And that date was important. It forced us to make decisions and helped us (primarily me) move out of analysis paralysis. We knew there were things outside of our control, and I had to get comfortable with the fact that we weren't going to have time to think through "everything," whatever "everything" even means.

Plus, the longer we waited, people kept going without services.

That part is easy to lose sight of when you're looking at budgets, staffing plans, projections, and all of the other things that go into a decision like this. For someone who needs high-quality supports and doesn't have them, this isn't a strategic planning exercise. It's their life. And it impacts their parents and families too, including their ability to work and attend to other important parts of their own lives.

So, I've found myself thinking more about the risk of NOT doing something.

I've become increasingly interested in how nonprofit leaders make growth decisions when certainty isn't available. I don't think the answer is to be reckless. We should listen, use good data, understand our capacity, and do everything we can to succeed.

But at some point, we also have to move.

I'm curious how others approach this. How do you know when you've gathered enough information, accepted the risks, and it's time to get started?