One year into my role as CEO of the McGrath Foundation I have my eyes set clearly on the future vision of the organisation. But milestones are also good opportunities to look back, be grateful and reflect on lessons learned.
I joined the Foundation as it approached its tenth anniversary to help build the future strategy and bring commercial best practice to strongly position the Foundation for growth going into the next decade.
Every day I feel privileged to be working with talented, passionate people to achieve the Foundation’s mission of raising money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia, as well as raising breast awareness in young people.
Having witnessed my mother’s experience with breast cancer I know only too well how invaluable the support is that breast care nurses provide to patients, families and carers.
Working in the not-for-profit space is rewarding, dynamic and at times challenging. Twelve months into the role I’ve learned a number of lessons that are as relevant in the corporate world as they are in the not-for-profit space.
Be a storyteller
I started my career in journalism so storytelling has always been a major part of my approach and I’ve found this is especially important at the McGrath Foundation.
Every day we hear about breast cancer statistics and diagnosis. And while these are important they can be overwhelming. When we share genuine stories we take people on a journey and clearly communicate our vision in meaningful ways.
Hence one of my first ideas when I started at the Foundation and which will come to fruition next month, was to publish a book with Penguin about the many amazing stories of our McGrath Breast Care Nurses and the unique relationships they have with their patients across the country.
Keep it personal
As with most businesses our growth relies on our ability to embrace technology to improve efficiencies. However, maintaining a genuine personal touch where you can is important. The McGrath Foundation started in Ambassador and Director, Tracy Bevan’s home, where she and her best friend Jane McGrath would hand write receipts and thank you cards. The supporter database was an Excel file.
Fast forward ten years and while we have embraced technology through the rollout of a new Supporter Relationship Management system, which is fundamentally changing how we run the organisation, we have maintained our personal touch with hand written thank you cards. Tracy and the team still send thank you cards or make calls to people who carry out fundraising events for us and this requires a holistic view of our supporter data. The positive response to this is phenomenal.
Question the status quo but don’t lose sight of your values
Just because ‘that’s the way it’s always been done’ doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best way to do things. Constant evolution, bringing fresh eyes to what and how you do things is always important. However, balancing change with preserving values that are central to the organisation, ensures your culture. In our case our values include fun, friendship and mutual benefits – understanding that true friendship is never one sided – so our relationships with partners, supporters and the broad community only reach their full potential when both work towards the same goal.
Build a culture of high performance
It seems obvious, but to build a highly functioning organisation, it’s important to surround yourself with motivated, committed team members all working towards a common goal. In leading this great organisation I know it’s up to me to put the building blocks in place for the team to strive, achieve and fulfil on their individual career goals, as well as the organisation’s.
Prioritise ruthlessly
Everyone’s busy and there is always more to be done so it’s important to be clear about what the priorities are. We have our ‘strategy on a page’ and this guides everything we do. It sets out our five year plan, our growth targets and how we deliver on our mission. This keeps us on track for my own sanity and the sanity of the team!
For example, at the beginning of this year we set the ambitious goal to increase the number of McGrath Breast Care Nurses to 110 to support 10,000 families through breast cancer in our tenth anniversary year. This remains our priority and is guiding our activities for the year. I’m thrilled that halfway through the year we are now halfway towards that goal, recently funding our 105th nurse.
Collaboration is key
Whether it’s with industry colleagues, corporate partners, pro bono suppliers, government or local area health departments – knowledge sharing is vital for both professional development and organisational success.
In my first 30 days as CEO, I reached out to more than 30 CEOs and leaders of other not-for-profit organisations and was absolutely blown away by the generosity people have shown with their time and how they have embraced me as part of the industry. I spent the next several months meeting people for coffee, sharing ideas, learnings, challenges and building relationships with some of the best leaders this country has seen.
Seize opportunities
Embracing new technology and innovative ideas is important to test new concepts, trial new ways to reach people and engage audiences. I actively encourage people to view the McGrath Foundation as a great testing partner – we are keen to learn, create new blueprints or benchmark for future programs.
Be kind to yourself and to each other
Lastly, and many would argue most importantly, be kind to yourself and ensure your team is being kind to themselves and each other. Everyone at the McGrath Foundation works hard to ensure we can support as many families going through breast cancer as possible, but the most effective, not to mention enjoyable work, is done when we can all take a step back, take a breath and smile at one another as we’re working towards something we all believe in.