by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network
In our last chapter, a crucial meeting with a mentor reignited my faith in our mission. After the previous collapse of a statewide coalition, the plan to pivot Momentum Nonprofit Partners into the state’s first nonprofit association felt like a fragile, high-stakes gamble. We had spent months traveling Tennessee, gathering feedback, and assembling a robust strategic plan. Now, it was finally time to present this vision to the people who had the final say: our board of directors.
Selling the Vision to the Board of Directors
We were a little over a year into this crazy idea, and now it was time to sell the vision to the people who held the future of our organization in their hands: our board of directors. The expansion plan, which Elle Benson and Sara Baker had meticulously crafted, looked very different from my original concept. It was no longer just the “Kevin Dean” version; it had been shaped by feedback from across the state. This was crucial, because we had to account for the fact that Tennessee is not one state, but three distinct regions, each with its own cultural context and nuances. What worked for Memphis in West Tennessee would not necessarily work for Knoxville in East Tennessee or even our neighbors in Nashville.
The plan was robust, but a huge piece was still missing: money. Funders outside of Memphis were still tentative. They were “supportive,” which, as I had come to learn, was a code word for “we think it’s a good idea, but we’re not cutting a check.” I understood their hesitation. This was a massive task, and there’s a graveyard of failed initiatives all across the state. Funders can be risk-averse, and playing the “wait-and-see” game is a huge reason why nonprofits can’t make big changes when they need to. I understand their hesitation, but we need less risk averse funders if we want to make big changes in this state! But I was determined that we wouldn’t be one of those failures.
With the final plan in place, we took it back to our advisory council—the incredible group of nonprofit leaders we had created from across Tennessee specifically for this purpose. As expected, they had a lot to say, and the feedback was invaluable. We had voices from every corner of the state, and the context they provided was so valuable. People don’t show up to what they don’t help build, and this is probably why we have grown to over 2,000 members in two years—because we had so many people helping us build it from the very beginning. If we had taken the easy road and designed the organization in a vacuum, I honestly believe TNN would already be dead.
The Big Presentation
The day of the big presentation arrived. Elle and Sara had revised the plan based on the council’s feedback. Before the meeting, I held a special conversation with our staff. This change was going to impact them, too. It was a big risk, and if it didn’t work, we could all be out of a job. While I had seen genuine enthusiasm from them so far, I had to ensure we were all aligned. I reassured them that we would remain true to our values and our identity, even as we grew. I also gave them a warning: I’ve seen moments in previous board meetings where a “concern” is raised that isn’t a huge one, but the minute that word is said, board members can panic. I told them not to bring up any “concerns” unless they were big ones.
I also prepped our board chair, Mark Jordan. If we didn’t have his buy-in, we were sunk. While he had been 100% supportive, that could change on a dime. We went over the plan again and again to make sure he fully understood it. We also prepped the staff to be ready for any specific programmatic questions. I knew that at least one board member was planning to vote no. She had seen statewide expansions fail in the past, and we were doing a few controversial things, like sunsetting the Mid-South Philanthropy Network, a program specifically for funders that was a strain on our capacity. I knew the board wouldn’t love that decision, but it didn’t fit our path forward.
On the day of the meeting, Elle drove into town, and all of our staff and board congregated in a meeting room at our offices at Playhouse on the Square. I’ll never forget it. We also had a new name. After several attempts—including one whose initials were NSFW and would have elicited laughter every time someone said it (ask me offline sometime!)—we had landed on Tennessee Nonprofit Network. It was exciting! We would be TNN!
Elle, who has as much enthusiasm and energy as I do, gave a spectacular presentation to the board. I spent most of my time trying to contain my smiles. This was really happening! As I surveyed the room, I realized that what was happening in that moment was special. After years of trying to find the perfect staff and board, we were in the right moment where everything was aligning. The right people were on board with this plan.
The Unanimous Vote
After Elle finished, you could see the wheels turning in the room. A staff member raised her hand and said, “I have a concern, and…” I almost died! DOH! Fortunately, it wasn’t a profound concern, nor did it throw off the meeting. I was ready for anything, but not that! The board asked solid, thoughtful questions. I was proud of them, honestly. I don’t want a rubber-stamp board or a micromanaging board. I liked that they asked thoughtful questions. I even appreciated the tough ones because they were asking not to tear this plan down but to make sure they understood it.
Then the moment of truth came. A motion was called to vote on the expansion plan. The vote was unanimous. We had even changed the mind of the board member who had planned to vote no! It was official! We were going to be Tennessee Nonprofit Network! HOORAY!
But then the real work would start. We had a limited time to expand, and overhauling the organization to hit our goal of launching by January 1, 2024, was going to be a monumental task. But we will save that story for the next chapter.