Decision-Making Process for Chapters

Our Assumptions:
1 A comprehensive Chapter vision exists
2 Comprehensive Impact Chains have been completed (with resource needs)
for each project
3 Decision making is being applied @turnover/resource allocation for the year
4 Roles for new exec members are not clearly defined (this depends on your
chapters resource allocations structure ideally no roles are decided BUT it is
definitely possible to use the process/model we have developed if people are
already allocated to a position or area)
Purpose:
This decision making process is a guide for Chapters to allocate resources (money,
people, and support) strategically and effectively. It is intended to be flexible in
order to remain applicable to chapters at different levels/stages in their
development. Different tools/methods are given to be used in different steps of the
project
Foreseen Challenges:
Managing multiple goals
Motivation of individuals
Team continuity (members around with knowledge/experience to do the
evaluation portion)
Balancing probability of success of a project with the change potential
Objective decision making
Creating divides within a team
Familiarity/Traditional projects/areas that always receive funding/people
etc. (ie. # of JFs you send overseas, school outreach presentations etc.)
[our list was more comprehensive and longer but we didnt take a picture/write it
down! sorry]

Our Approach

1 Identify all possibilities

Can be done as impact and enabling branches

2 Filter/transform into possible options

a) Vision Filer

Which possibilities are not in line with your Chapters stated vision/BLAM?
b) Evaluation Filter
What hasnt worked in the past? Is not innovative?
c) Existence Filter
Which possibilities threaten your Chapters livelihood?

Use a scale if desired

3 Identify Chapter resources

a) People
Chapter members time, years left, commitment level, strengths/weaknesses
(Presidents job)
b) Money
Define income time (when?), conditions (tied?)
c) Support
NO management, distributed teams, exec members

4 Define options
People involved: Sector leaders/inputs from the exec team
Simplified impact chain
IN ACT RESULTS OUT GOAL

5 Define/weight criteria with exec

Examples:
a) Amount of time, number of people required for this venture
b) The potential for change and the risk potential
c) Adaptability and potential to succeed
d) Motivation level
Rate options against criteria

6 Map and compare

Represent visually and practically the available options to assess them. What is the
relevance and ease of these options? Based on criteria, assess challenges, potential
and passion. Place options of graph based on conversations with the executive
team.
Note: If any people or funding is tied to a particular project/venture/area you must
allocate it to that option before making the rest of your resource allocation. For
instance, if you receive funding for a JF placement from your faculty (ex. $1000 tied)
then that money will be lost if you do not allocate the rest of the resource needed to

send you JF.

GREEN = Money
7

YELLOW = People

BLUE = Support

Continuous evaluation

Options
Resource Breakdown
We did not get to expanding on this section of the process, although it is vital to
maximizing the capacity of the chapter, evaluating the decisions made and projects
throughout the year as well as refining this decision making tool!

Possible improvements:

Map resources over time

Include probability and potential for acquiring (certain, likely, dreamy)
Introduce checks along the year-long process to update/correct
Refine assumptions, or allow explicitly different starting points

THE CONTEXT OF OUR MISSION

Project Brief D is for Decision
Mission:
With the EWBs new vision, we strive to see all parts of our network adopting smart, intentional
approaches to how they invest their time, energy, and resources. This will enable us to become
more effective and strategic about the change we pursue, setting a firm foundation for future
impact.

Your goal is to see 80% of our chapters applying this lens to their chapter investments and
decisions, with the aim of visible improvements in performance within the next year.
Your teams mission is to design a tool (or tools) that would help enable a
chapters executive team to allocate their resources in a more strategic and
effective way. (ex. workshop, series of exec meetings, visual aid or video)
Context:
Over the past 8 months, we have set a priority of continually improving decision-making
processes. A key hypothesis behind this goal is as follows:
A good decision-making and resource allocation process can drive performance
throughout the entire organization.

Ventures/teams get what they need (clear goals/evaluation of progress,

resources, etc)
Enabling parts of the organization have visibility over their impact, and also what
is needed from them (growth in people, management support, $, etc).

In action, what has this looked like? Well, back in November the organizational budget process
made initial decisions about the level of resources (people/$$/support) for each team - African
Programs, Canadian Programs, People, Fundraising, Communications, and Operations. Based
on consultation, the Executive Team made a decision to focus on investing in the core: people
development/HR, fundraising, and operational capacity.
From there, each team went through their own process of determining which areas/ventures
would be receive what level of funding/people/support moving forward, and created prioritized
lists for future investments, for funding above our baseline revenue estimate. Each team
considered different types of factors when weighing the level of investment each team or priority
area within would receive (ex. progress towards their theory of change; uptake in the sector;
projected impact, leadership development, etc)
This led to a lot of learning, and is leading to improved processes for monitoring, evaluating,
and sharing the progress and learning of each team, anticipating that they will be reviewed again
in the next budgetary cycle.
With this, there are very real implications and tradeoffs - for example, determining how many
SCFs we can hire, and for which teams, or how many APS we hire for Wat/San. These decisions
involved many people with a variety of perspectives and visions, who believe strongly in what
they are aiming to achieve. As a president, your team will make similar choices throughout the
year that also have very real implications - for example, deciding how many JFs to send, and
how much money will be fundraised for that JF.
Questions to consider:
- What are your reactions to the goal? What are the tensions or dilemmas you see at first glance?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of chapter decision-making currently?
- What opportunities and threats exist when it comes to more intentional investment decisions?
- Who are the key stakeholders at a chapter?
- Who should hold the ultimate decision-making?

- What kinds of decisions should you be thinking most intentionally about?

- When do these kinds of decisions need to be made?