Saying no to good ideas: a filter for small boards

It often starts with one program. A youth service notices kids arriving hungry, so it starts a breakfast club. Then parents need help with forms, so it starts helping with those too. Each step makes sense on the night it’s agreed. A few years later the same handful of people are running more than they can carry, and the original program gets less attention than it used to.

How it happens

Organisations rarely drift because of one bad decision. It’s a run of small, generous ones: a funder offers money for a slightly different program, a member asks if you could help with one more thing, a keen volunteer starts something new. Each yes is easy to defend. Together they stretch the same few people further every year.

Signs it’s happening:

People can’t say what the organisation does in one sentence.
The same few people are tired, and the same jobs keep slipping.
New programs start faster than old ones are reviewed.
Funding decides the activities, instead of the other way round.
Board meetings are all about keeping things running, with no time to decide anything.

Five questions before you say yes

Put these in the meeting papers whenever a new program, grant or partnership comes up:

Does it serve the people we exist for, or is it a good idea that belongs to someone else?
Who will do it? Name the people and the hours.
What will it really cost, including admin, reporting, insurance, supervision and winding it up?
What happens when the money runs out?
What will we stop to make room?

Look at what you already do

List every program on one page, with the people involved, a rough cost and how many people it helps. Then put each one into a group: core (protect it), keep but fix (under-resourced or poorly run), hand over (someone else is better placed), or stop. Closing or handing over a program is a hard conversation. Start it early, give people time, and point them to someone who can help.

Saying no well

Thank the person, say what you’re focusing on this year, and suggest who else might help: “We can’t take that on this year because we’re putting our time into X. You could try Y.” A board that has agreed its priorities beforehand can say this together, so it isn’t left to one person.

If you’d like help

It’s easier to have this conversation with someone outside the room asking the questions. We do this as part of strategic planning, from $1,800 including GST. Or book a free 30-minute call and tell us where you’re stuck.

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