The president-elect tentatively raised her hand and said, “ I’m getting nervous about time. I don’t have much of it these days, and all this sounds like a lot of time.”

We were talking about engagement at a board retreat. The whole group came up with many great ideas for engaging members, and small groups presented details of high-potential concepts. With the annual convention coming up in just a few short months, most teams wanted to debut their ideas there. These were GREAT ideas. Some were small and could be quickly done; some were time-intensive and too much work for a tiny staff and a small but mighty volunteer leadership.

One common research thread I often heard while interviewing members revolves around why people don’t volunteer for the board, especially the presidency. Potential volunteers see when the president is noticeably overworked, or the board members spend too much time on board duties, which scares them away. So, this research finding was clinking around in my mind.

At the same time, the board retreat attendees were SO ENGAGED! They were so excited about moving their ideas forward; I didn’t want to dampen that enthusiasm. I started thinking about how there’s always a way to get to the outcome you want, and the way might be different from the original concept.

When your staff, your board, or you have a great new idea that’s a heavy lift, you can shift your thinking and still make headway while being mindful of everyone’s workload. Try:

Gauging Interest

Talk to people about your idea. What do they think? Is it a resounding “YES! Sign me up!!!?” Or do they say, “That’s interesting,” and change the subject? Unofficial research can help you gauge interest and hone the direction of your new idea.

Micro-Volunteering

Recently, we talked about big “V” and little “v” volunteers. Little “v” volunteering opportunities can help fill your volunteer pipeline. When thinking about new concepts, what can the board delegate to other members who are super excited about stepping into some little “v” projects?

Minimum Viable Products

I’m a massive fan of minimum-viable products. Let’s say the original idea is a multi-day hot topic-focused in-person conference, but the minimum viable product could be a half-hour online event. Sometimes, a concept is so wonderful but so big that it can never get off the ground. Scale back to the minimum viable product to create action in the right direction.

Have a great idea, but the time burden is high? How else can you take baby steps to get your idea moving forward?