I really enjoy working on Community Needs Assessments (CNAs). For me, it’s the critical starting point on the road to meaningful measurable improvement in the health and wellbeing of all community members. So, you can imagine how excited I was when one of my clients invited me to join them in a Podcast to talk […]
Welcome to a new year, filled with new opportunities. And what better time to set the stage for success than at the beginning? You’ve probably heard this kind of thinking in one or more quotes (e.g. Well begun is half done – Aristotle). In fact, these first few weeks of the year really are ideal […]
Margins, and the capital investment pools they enable, are gradually recovering for some organizations. For most though, these funds are still scarce, so capital investments must be selected more carefully than ever. In this series we've been describing evaluation criteria that can be used to select the best investment opportunities. In this post, we focus […]
As the calendar draws to a close it's a great time to look forward by looking back. What do I mean? You can use data from past performance to identify opportunities for future improvement. And none of this requires a lot of time, which probably sounds especially good during this holiday-infused, busy time of year. […]
The concept of a Risk Assessment is not new, however incorporating a few tools and concepts can strengthen the reliability of the assessment. With these tools, the assessment can be more thorough and consider circumstances that might otherwise be overlooked. The fourth criterion, Risk Assessment, is intentionally positioned last so useful data gained from examining […]
In an era of limited capital, and slowly recovering margins, organizations must exercise more caution and scrutiny than ever in deciding what will be funded. The changing landscapes of competition and consumer expectations can further complicate these decisions. In this series, we describe four types of criteria, and then some additional considerations, all designed to […]
Many organizations are working through an era of tight capital, reducing the margin for error on investment decisions to just about zero. And the current market volatility is only adding to the stress level surrounding these decisions. In this series, we describe how leadership teams can select the “best” projects to fund with limited capital […]
When capital is limited and the possible investment opportunities are numerous, how can organizations select the “best” ones for funding? This is the current environment for most health and human service organizations. The starting point might seem obvious – apply selection criteria and see which projects “score” the best! With tight capital and lower margins, […]
What’s that old saying…the Chinese word for Crisis (Wei Ji) is a blend of Danger (Wei) and Opportunity (Ji)? While the truth in this literal translation is debatable at best, the concept has endured since the 1960s, probably because many have found it to hold elements of truth. The “Dangers” of Tight Capital Emerging from […]
For most organizations, summer is the best time to prepare for Strategic Planning. However, given everything that has transpired in recent years as well as everything that is unfolding, you might be wondering if that is still the case. Here are two good reasons, one internal to your organization, one more externally focused, that you […]