Better, Sharper, Leaner: Diary of a Think Tank CEO

Published on Monday, December 01, 2008
ARTICLES

July. My head hurts. The Bear Stearns failure means more trouble in the wings.

August. Risk management - a top priority! Significant financial reversals have hit our major donors. I'll leave some vacant positions open, move a few people around, make sure staff are working on their highest-value projects - that they understand their most important deliverables. Each will help us cut costs and raise money. And I need to brief our Trustees.

September. Donors at every level are feeling the squeeze. We'll have to review all expenses, including contracts with vendors, printing, travel and meeting costs. Projects that do not have high marketing and visibility value in the near future are on hold. (I'm grateful for our reserve fund. We may need it.)

Raises will be revisited. What else can we do to reward staff? More time off? Different work hours? Flex-time or flex-place?

October. Many of our major donors have lost millions. They have asked us to understand why they will reduce their contributions for now. Grace and concern is what we communicate. We will not walk away from our relationships.

But others are adding zeroes to their checks, grateful we exist during these treacherous times. We need more mid-level donations to make up our revenue deficit, so we'll review our donor lists again. Some people will prosper during these times. We'll find them. And we hired a proven expert to help us figure out ways to significantly increase on-line giving.

Key staff will help us find people who can see opportunity during these difficult political and economic times. Trustees will call our major investors around the holidays to say "thank you." They are an active part of the solution, writing checks, opening doors and hosting events. We will deliver extra value to our grantors and look for new funding opportunities.

November. Direct mail continues, though the returns are lower and we're careful about more risky prospecting. Our message is full of the compassion and zeal we feel around here. More than ever, we explain, they need us on the front lines. Donors seem to understand that people are more acutely attuned to our message during these days.

Our staff has shrunk. Each of us does more than usual while we are adjusting. I will lead by example. But prolonged overwork saps creative energy and vision, and we need to be at the top of our game. So we'll be careful.

And we'll need to extend the timeline for our Capital Campaign.

We've expedited certain things, like evaluating and aligning touch points - the ways people individually and in groups become aware of us and interact with us. We're going to manage our brand identity better. And we'll bring our investors inside our operations so they can "experience" our message and our audiences.

December. We have already reduced our expenses by 11 percent, because all of us have oars in the water rowing the same direction. We delayed a few programs, reassigned some staff and let a few people go. We left some vacancies unfilled. Staff and Trustees conduct meetings at less expensive places, and sometimes over coffee instead of a meal. Raises are reduced. We'll give an extra day off during the holidays rather than Christmas bonuses. Travel is curtailed, and we have found more in-kind donations of supplies and services. So, dear Diary, we'll use this struggle to become better, sharper and leaner.

Besides, winning the battle of ideas waits for no economic upturn.

Lynn Harsh is chief executive officer and senior education fellow for Evergreen Freedom Foundation. Write her at lharsh@effwa.org.