Sunsetting – It’s Good to Let Go with Purpose
We all hang on to things longer than we should. Whether it’s an emotional attachment, force of habit, or “that’s the way we’ve always done it,” humans love to keep things around that aren’t really useful any longer. In its extreme form, it’s known as hoarding – hey, you never know when you will need a magazine issue from 25 years ago, right?
What nonprofit organizations, especially associations, hang on to are programs and services that are not working because their time is past. Sure, that webinar may have been just what you needed 15 years ago, but the world has changed. Maybe it’s time to let that one go and create a new one for today’s world. But we get attached to things, like programs and services, because we give them our time and energy. They also provide a sense of security because they have been around for a while. We get uncomfortable removing something that’s “always been there.”
When it comes to sunsetting programs and services, even the most astute nonprofit organization can find itself struggling to let things go to make room for something new. We are in the relationship industry first and foremost, so balancing all the different people who have contributed to the current offerings can be a delicate balancing act.
But if we don’t take the time to sunset things that don’t work any longer, we tie up resources like time and money that end up not doing much good for anyone. If we release those resources, we find that we have more energy and options to move the organization’s mission forward.
A term that is more descriptive is “purposeful abandonment” – I like this term better because it is thoughtful. Reviewing an organization’s offerings should be a process that is taken seriously and includes a well-planned process that is conducted on a regular basis. Purposeful reminds us that we are doing this with a good deal of consideration and not just letting things go for the heck of it. If it works, we’ll keep it. If it’s not delivering any value any longer, then let’s give it a good send off and let it rest in peace.
Purposeful abandonment should consider the following:
Is this a benefit (comes with member dues) or is it a program or service (need to pay additional money to access it)?
Why was this benefit or program added? Did it solve a problem at the time?
How many resources is this benefit or program using? Is it giving us a return on investment?
Who do I have to convince that it is a good idea to let this go?
Do I need to replace this benefit or service with a new one for today’s environment?
There’s an old song lyric from “Fiddler on the Roof”: “Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset.” Everything has its day in the sun. It’s okay to say good night to the programs that done their service.
