Ahh, the allure of “new.”
I see it all the time: people get excited about starting something and become enamored of the next new thing. Maybe it’s proposing a new initiative, jumping on the latest bandwagon, or creating another committee to address an issue. Everyone is gung-ho at the start, but rather than digging in when things get mundane, initiatives are abandoned in favor of another shiny new idea. Organizations are then left with a host of projects that fizzled out due to a lack of continued resources or enthusiasm.
Donors love to fund innovation, and people like to work in energizing start-up environments, but impact often occurs in the more routine, sustaining phases, where ongoing effort produces lasting results. There is only so much money and energy to go around, and “new” requires a disproportionate infusion of both.
Take a hard look at what exists that is worthy of further investment. It may not be sexy to focus on sustaining something, but it may be where the greatest value lies.
