One of the first questions we ask clients when they approach us about a project is, “What’s your goal?”

At times, they have an answer right away; other times, we hear, “It’s complicated.”

In some cases, the client is attempting to solve and reach multiple goals simultaneously through one initiative. This is frequently the case with nonprofits.

We get it. Scarce resources—from budgets to people—have given us all a tendency to combine and adjust and throw too much into one suitcase hoping it’ll take us around the world. Most of the time, though, this doesn’t equal success. That’s usually because expectations are set too high given the resources, and the amount of time it takes is underestimated and undervalued.

It’s wishful thinking to expect one project or initiative to meet every goal and check off every objective. So, how do you solve for that, and how do you assess what’s in your organization’s best interest?

Think of it like the cliche about eating an elephant. Take it one bite at a time.

1. List your goals for the next year. Then outline your goals for the next five years.

Examples of goals:
Increasing awareness about what you do/who you are
Promoting a new initiative
Increasing funding/donors/support

2. Organize.
Consider your timeline, budget, human power, capacity, target audiences, immediate needs.

I cannot tell you how many times we’ve had clients approach us about strategic planning and campaign development, and when we asked, “Who’s running it?” you could hear that lone tree fall in the forest because it was so quiet.

Always, always outline who’s in charge of pushing the project through from start to finish to continued growth.

3. Marry your goals.
Some goals go hand in hand and truly work best as a unit. Consider these pairs:
Increasing brand awareness and increasing visibility in the community.
Standardization of visuals and reorganization of tool content and data for user consumption.
Attract a wider audience and positioning oneself as a leader in X industry.

4. Note the outlier.
Is there a goal on your list simply because the people down the street have it on their list? If the goal is something like “save the planet” and you’re not the Sierra Club or Al Gore, rethink why you have it listed.

5. Who’s on first?
Your goals and target audiences should have some relation to one another, as they work hand in hand. Think through that and adjust accordingly.

Now that you’ve played the organization game, set your priorities. You should be able to pinpoint your gaps, which in turn helps you ascertain if you’ve prioritized your goals appropriately, and then you can adjust as needed.

Once that’s set, your needs are a lot clearer; if they’re not, at least the goals are clear. A good marketing agency is then able to outline and brainstorm initiatives and projects that help you reach your goals. A red flag about a marketing agency: if they get you a proposal and an estimate without having a conversation and asking you questions about your goals and dreams, rethink that relationship.

Before you know it, you’ll have consumed the whole elephant.