Be Bold with Your Vision
February 20, 2025 | By David M. Wagner
John F. Kennedy’s famous challenge to the nation to land a man on the moon (and bring him back safely) proclaimed a bold vision for the U.S. space program.
“We choose to go to the moon” resonates more loudly than “by this decade is out, we will have improved our ability to conduct manned spaceflight.”
And yet, when nonprofits communicate vision with stakeholders, their words often sound more like the second, flat, uninspired version.
Your vision is a powerful way to build and organize support for your organization’s work. Are you missing opportunities to energize that support by not daring to go bold?
Moderated Expectations
Too often, nonprofits sell their potential short and moderate expectations about what they will achieve.
They don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver.
So they hedge, by:
Focusing on the work they do (“we will deliver xyz services”)
Emphasizing the status quo (“we will continue to support xyz community”)
Tempering goals (“we will improve our capacity to do xyz”)
If your vision sounds like this, you may be focused on achievability.
And while your team probably will meet these goals, you’ll miss a chance to energize support – and achieve more for your mission.
The Benefits of Bold
A bold vision, by contrast, can do more for your mission.
It can:
Inspire your team and other stakeholders. Ambitious goals attract more partners, funding, and dedicated effort from team members than tepid ones.
Stimulate tough conversations about “how.” A bold vision invites – even forces – conversations about what limitations stand in the way, what partnerships and resources are required, and what actions need to take place to be successful. In other words, bold visions drive change.
Drive your organization to achieve more. When you aim higher, you shoot higher. Even if you don’t attain your aggressive targets, you’ll achieve more in striving to meet them than by lowering the bar.
Bold in Practice
Those benefits don’t mean you should promise to end worldwide poverty in the next 3 years, or some other unattainable goal.
Create a bold vision by:
Focusing on outcomes. Think “person on the moon,” not “improve manned spaceflight.” Don’t just describe services or processes – communicate the mission impact you’ll achieve.
Balance audacity with achievability. You’ll know you’ve struck the balance when someone says your goal is unrealistic, but when you ask what it would require, they identify something that could happen, but is hard to do (like securing a large increase in funding). “Hard” is a good sign you’re onto something bold.
Fully commit to your vision. Kennedy’s challenge wasn’t just lip-service – he committed significant public resources to the effort. Secure your team’s commitment, too, before sharing.
Your vision is a vehicle for motivating your team, driving positive change, and ultimately achieving more for your mission. Don’t miss the opportunity with a run-of-the-mill vision. Be bold. Set a time to talk with me if you need a facilitator to help envision an ambitious, but achievable, future.