ProInspire Strategy Update 4: Strategy Steering Committee Kick-Off Meeting

By Monisha Kapila, Founder and CEO, ProInspire

ProInspire DC and SF committee members connect via video

In April, ProInspire’s Strategy Steering Committee met and discussed the Internal Assessment based on stakeholder interviews. The Steering Committee includes a cross-section of ProInspire stakeholders, including staff, Board members, partners, and alumni. The discussion was very dynamic as the group discussed the Internal Assessment findings, opportunities for ProInspire, and questions to be further researched.

Some highlights from the meeting were:

• Monisha shared background on ProInspire’s desire to launch a strategy process and to think boldly about the impact we are trying to achieve. She shared the Person-Role-System (PRS) framework from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Person-Role-System is a framework for thinking about social impact results. It is a mental model used to formulate strategies for transformation and change by understanding the dynamic, reciprocal relationships between and among persons in role and the systemic structures in which they function.
• The Steering Committee discussed shifting ProInspire from a programs focus to a results focus. Participants agreed that they want the bold goal to be framed in terms of results and outcomes rather than activities.
• The participants each shared their own answer to “what result are we trying to achieve?” and then posted them on the Person-Role-System framework. The results were distributed across the model, but a higher number were focused at the talent (person) scope.

Elisa Chen, ProInspire Alumni Board Member, reflects on questions

Moving into the External Assessment phase, the committee asked ProInspire to do additional research and come back to the group with some clear choices outlined for discussion and decision. Four themes emerged as areas that warrant significant research moving forward:

• Are there particular clusters (mission-based, geographic, scale, etc.) that ProInspire should focus on? Research should include a survey of what clusters ProInspire is currently working with, and where the model is working particularly well. Research should also evaluate where there is a distinct need, as well as where funders are currently investing.

• Culture change. What are examples of other successful sector-wide culture change efforts? How did these work? What made them successful?

• Business models. What are other business models that ProInspire could learn from? For example, membership models, best practices/training models, recruiting models, skill building models, and consulting models.

• Defining a ‘good leader’. What are the competencies and characteristics of a ‘good leader’ in the social sector? How do nonprofits most effectively develop ‘good leaders’ to further their mission/achieve outcomes? Research should include both what competencies ProInspire seeks to build through their programs, as well as what competencies are valued in the sector.

Over the course of the summer, we have been working on the External Assessment phase of the process. ProInspire’s Strategy Planning Committee, which is made up of 7 ProInspire alumni, are conducting analysis on the questions above and the boarder landscape. Next week our Strategy committee is meeting to review the External Assessment and discuss key questions around our strategy. Look for an update on that meeting later this month.