Ops Insights #005 Seat at the Table
May 5, 2023 | Read Time: 2 minutes | Written by Jenny Kleintop
You are an integral part of the team but may not be getting invited to the table for relevant discussions.
You may be asked afterward to pull data, run a report, or provide stats. As a result, you find yourself trying to fill in the gaps without having a full understanding of the purpose or desired outcomes.
Let’s fix this.
When I went to work for my second nonprofit organization, I was invited to the director’s weekly meeting. When I sat down, the VP said “Everyone give Jenny all your data requests so she can leave and get to work.” I politely asked if I could stay.
Later I talked with the VP and found out the last person in my role made that request. I thanked her for explaining and made my case for staying at the table. She had no problem with letting me stay.
Why did I want a seat at the table?
Because that is where all the action happens.
That is where I learned what was going on for the week. I heard who had what data needs and how much of a priority it really was. I was informed of upcoming needs around events, mailings, list pulls, reports, prospecting, and so much more.
That is where I worked on building relationships with my counterparts. I heard and shared personal stories and grew a deeper appreciation of what people had going on outside of work.
That is where I had a voice. Yes, I spoke up and contributed. “Oh, you have that mailing come up… did you know we can actually pull x, y, and z… would that be helpful?” So, my colleagues grew an appreciation for what I brought to the table.
By working closer together, we were able to get more done and more efficiently. No need to chase people down to follow-up on data requests to try and understand the purpose. It was covered in the meeting.
Get Your Seat at the Table
Start with 3 simple steps.
If you or a team member in philanthropy operations is not invited to the table, schedule a time to talk to your leadership.
At the meeting with leadership, bring the “why” it is vital to have you at the table. Such as… you are able to stay informed on priorities, build relationships with colleagues, and contribute to the conversation so the team is able to make fundraising decisions based on being backed by data and insights (it helps to have in hand a few visuals to show what you mean).
When invited, be open and willing to take that time to actively participate. Yes, you have a million things going on. As do your colleagues. So much these days is to do way more with way less, but if you work together, you will go further, faster. Plus, you don’ t have to spend twice as long chasing people down to figure out what really is needed with data requests.
Take that first step… you’ve got this!
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