Thomas The Tank Engines Teaches Nonprofit Strategy

When my son Elijah was around three years old, he was obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine?.  (For those of you who don't know - or don't remember - Thomas is a cheeky steam train engine that gets into a lot of trouble while working with a team of fellow engines and other cars with characteristically British names).  As a result, I read a lot of Thomas books.  And, of course, we also had a large collection of Thomas the Tank Engine? wooden model trains (engines, coal cars, passenger cars, etc.), train tracks of every sort, various towers, bridges, switching stations and carousels.

One day Elijah held up the green coal car and said, "Daddy, Daddy - where is Henry?"  I said, "Well, I don't know - but you have his coal tender in your hand.  Why don't you play with that?"  My son then replied, "Noooooo…. Daddy, a coal car's no good without an engine!"  I thought for a second and said, "You're right.  An engine ISN'T any good without a coal car." Later that same night, we read a Thomas book called "A Crack in the Track." In this story, Thomas offers to help a fellow engine who is "feeling under the weather" by taking his passengers to their destination.  As Thomas sets out on his journey, a storm brings heavy rain and hail, breaking the track and preventing him from getting to the station.  Soon, other trains become backed up behind Thomas.  As they stubbornly refused to turn around and go to a switching station, all of the trains end up stuck at the obstacle. The book ends with the line: "Thomas realized that as strong as he is, an engine is only as good as its track."

As I reflected on these two bits of Thomas the Tank Engine? lore, I realized that they could easily describe many nonprofit organizations.  A train (organization) is useless without fuel - in this case, coal in the coupled tender car (financial resources and human capital).  But neither train nor coal car is any good if the track (strategic plan) is broken or leads you in the wrong direction.  In other words, you can raise all the money you want, but without a good engineer (strong leadership), forward momentum and a clear purpose, the resources are burned up without moving the organization forward.

In my work with nonprofits through the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, we recognized that it was important to not only provide "fuel," (funding) but also a clear destination and the organizational infrastructure to effectively light the fires and keep them burning. Some groups were able to easily fill their coffers with their fundraising efforts.  But a few of these same organizations didn't always have strong engineers, a well-oiled engine or a clear path forward. So HGH’s mentoring program provided training and counsel to the organizations' lay leadership to strengthen governance, and help them create a strong strategic plan to define a well-mapped path.  We also added technology tools to increase efficiency, improve traction and speed and keep clear the communication among the entire crew.  The HGH mentors also helped (and continue to help) the Grinspoon grantees manage the "cracks in their tracks" and the detours that they inevitably encounter along the way.

In my current work with RAINMAKER clients on fundraising, they sometimes ask why I am also asking them about governance, strategic planning, the decision-making process staff and board relations and other organizational concerns. My oft-heard answer is, "If money can fix it, it's not the problem."  Their puzzled look is often followed by a request for additional clarification (as everyone knows that you can do a LOT more with money than without it).  I remind them that numerous systemic problems remain unresolved despite massive amounts of money and resources. One can find examples of this in nearly every sector of for-profit business, government, world relief efforts, and certainly in the nonprofit sector. The reason is that a coal car is no good without an engine and an engine is no good without a coal car.  Neither the train nor the cars are any use without a sure track that takes them to their desired destination.  But if all of those things are working effectively in tandem and the organization is on track, it can have the unstoppable momentum of a freight train.

If you don't believe me, just ask a three year old.