Where’s Your Head At?

Once upon a time I received a free song at Starbucks, called “Where’s your Head at?” At the time, my latte came with an optional little card that gave a free Apple music song code. I don’t even know if I liked the song, but it was played on my Apple rotation for years. And my kids and their cousins did a VideoStar routine to the song, so it is permanently stuck in my head.

If you read that paragraph, and consider today’s context, much has changed. I rarely get coffee at Starbucks when my home coffee maker and grinder are such high quality. Starbucks and Apple no longer give free songs. And both companies would discourage a card that would end up in landfill as often as it is recycled. I don’t use Apple to listen to the majority of my music – we have a family Spotify account. And VideoStar, has long ago stopped being popular and probably doesn’t even work anymore. Times change. And we evolve – whether we want to or not.

This past year has pushed us to make changes faster than ever. Many nonprofits forbid the word “pivot” from being uttered as it only ignites PTSD from early pandemic days. But, as we slowly emerge from crisis in the US, we should take some time to look back.

Ask yourself, where’s your head at?  That means, for your nonprofit, what

  • did you learn from the past 18 months working/volunteering?
  • was a change that you never would have thought of, or had the guts to do, but are so glad happened?
  • changes have had really good results for your organization’s beneficiaries?
  • did you prove will not work at your organization?
  • else would you like to take a chance to do?
  • new or different resources will you need this year to achieve your mission?
  • are your post-pandemic goals? And is your strategic plan the same?

And once you know where your head is at, make sure you have a communications plan. How will you talk to your members, staff, volunteers, and donors? What you are you saying to your donors about all of the above when you don’t know where their head is at?

The song always made me stop and consider – where is my head at – and I hope you will use some time this summer to do the same.

Want to hear the song? Click here Sorry if it is running through your head all day. Know that you won’t be alone.