Unsung Heroes of Social Change: the Critical Role of Expeditioners in Today's Nonprofit Landscape

Nonprofit ManagementCareer
Written By Michelle Flores Vryn

An increasing number of professionals are transitioning from in-house roles to positions 'adjacent to' the nonprofit sector, such as consultants and freelancers. Inherently, this is neither good nor bad.

However, a significant, yet under discussed, repercussion of this trend is the emerging shortage of dedicated and willing Expeditioners. In the context of social change, I define three key roles: The Visionary, The Strategist, and The Expeditioner. Let's delve into these roles through the analogy of mountain climbing, where each role plays a critical part in reaching the summit.

The Roles

🟨 The Visionary is akin to the person who chooses the mountain to climb, like Mt. Rainier, for its technical challenges and glacial traversing. It is highlighted as a  thrilling and rewarding experience. In a nonprofit context, the Visionary is the individual who identifies a compelling mission or goal. They are the source of inspiration, offering a compelling direction and  ambitious vision, such as initiating a community development program for sustainable housing. The Visionary's role is critical in setting the direction and motivating others towards a shared goal.

🟨 The Strategist, on the other hand, translates this vision into a practical plan. This role involves meticulous planning, akin to mapping out the route for the mountain climb, including considerations for food, collection of gear, and overnight camp sites. In nonprofit work, the Strategist determines the necessary resources, timelines, and milestones. They develop strategies for fundraising, engagement, and partnerships, ensuring that the vision is grounded in a realistic and executable plan.

🟨 The Expeditioner represents those who are on the front lines, implementing the strategy. Much like a climber who navigates the actual ascent, adapting to changing conditions and unexpected challenges, the Expeditioner in a nonprofit setting is responsible for executing the plan. They tackle day-to-day tasks, respond to unforeseen issues, and adapt strategies as needed to ensure the effectiveness and success of the program.

Staff can and often do assume multiple roles! For example, a Visionary might engage in strategic planning and take part in on-the-ground implementation. Similarly, Strategists and Expeditioners might contribute ideas that shape or refine the organizational vision. To be clear, both staff and consultants can play all three types. Do not think of this as a clear dividing line in the model.

-TLDR-

To summarize the roles concisely, as described by Robin Neidorf :

  • Visionary: Where are all the mountains? Where is OUR mountain?

  • Strategist: How do we make our expedition up the mountain successful, effective, and possibly even fun for everyone on the trek?

  • Expeditioners: Shoulder your pack, get out the compass, confer with your fellow Expeditioners, and let's go already!

Why Is This Important?

With the rise of consultants and, even more important, unhealthy nonprofit work culture, I see a significant influx of Strategists and less Expeditioners. David Song insightfully notes that:

“one reason we need so many Strategists at the consultant level is that we're losing our best Expeditioners constantly. Some of our Expeditioners (especially talented, young, diverse people who know the mountain best) don't think it's worth it anymore to guide people up the mountain when there are more well-worn paths with more reward and less risk than nonprofit work, especially when the conditions are increasingly treacherous and they're risking their own well-being trying to navigate new paths charted by unexperienced tourist mountaineers wearing brand new Cotopaxi gear they bought at lower altitude.”

In the most recent report by the National Council of Nonprofits on the workforce shortage it shows that the jobs hardest to fill are entry level and community-facing. Why should we care? As eloquently summed up by Brian Browne, “ … we need to avoid Expeditioners who love the work and are abandoning it to become Strategists because they become disenchanted with the way they're empowered and supported."

I know many of these people and you likely do, as well.

As we stand at this pivotal juncture in the nonprofit landscape, the call to action is clear: we must reinvigorate our commitment to the Expeditioners—the heart and soul of our work. As we navigate this critical juncture, it's imperative that we renew our focus on supporting and valuing the Expeditioners, ensuring the enduring impact of our collective and community-focused efforts in social change.

Note: direct quotes were provided in the original LinkedIn post covering this topic.

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Additional resources on nonprofit workforce pressures:

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Michelle Flores Vryn, CFRE is a nonprofit leader, fundraiser and consultant. She is recognized as an engaging speaker, teacher and writer on how to accelerate nonprofit impact through sustainable growth. You can reach out to her for speaking engagements and trainings.

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn and routinely check out her [re]generative nonprofit blog for more insights on the social sector.

Michelle Flores Vryn
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