Right Now, Systems are Better than Goals

We are entering Strategic Planning season for 2026. Across the sector, boards and leadership teams are beginning to sketch out new visions, set timelines, and name the goals that will define the next two, three, or even five years (if they are bold enough to think that far).

But here is the hard truth: if your goal is to survive the next few years, stop stacking more on top. Goals can certainly motivate, but they rarely sustain. They build energy, but not endurance.

Systems are what carry us forward. Systems are the habits and practices that turn intention into muscle memory. They create space to reflect and adjust, to learn from mistakes, and to keep momentum when conditions change. With systems in place, progress becomes steady, not fragile.

Why systems matter now:

• They hold organizations steady when the political landscape destabilizes everything else.
• They help missions recover faster when the fight gets harder.
• They make progress visible so boards, staff, and funders stay connected even in tough times.
• They give leaders adaptability instead of panic when the rules change.

We are navigating a moment defined by deliberate efforts to erode democratic norms and roll back hard-won protections. For nonprofits and foundations committed to advancing justice, the stakes could not be higher. It is no longer sufficient to move from one goal to the next, reacting to each shift as it comes. That cycle leaves our sector perpetually behind. What is needed now are durable systems. The structures that provide resilience in moments of disruption, the discipline to sustain missions under pressure, and the foundation to rebuild and lead when opportunities for progress reemerge.

What systems organizations should be building right now:

• Decision-making systems. Clear processes for who makes calls, how input is gathered, and how accountability is shared across leadership, staff, and community.
• Feedback systems. Regular ways to hear from grantees, partners, and communities so adaptation is rooted in lived experience.
• Financial systems. Transparent tracking, diversified revenue, and reserves that protect missions from external shocks.
• Communication systems. Consistent rhythms for internal updates, external messaging, and honest funder-grantee dialogue.
• Leadership systems. Structures for mentoring, succession, and distributed authority so strength is not concentrated in one person or one funder relationship.

Strategic Planning is not only about naming where you want to go. It is about preparing the foundation you will need to stand on when conditions shift. The organizations that treat systems as central to their 2026 strategies will be the ones ready to act with clarity, rebuild what has been broken, and move their missions forward no matter what political landscape we inherit.

The reflection is simple. Goals come and go. Systems carry us through. Build them now, because they are the only plans durable enough to stand when the tide turns. And it will.

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