KPIs vs. Vision

In my business life running hotels and restaurants, numbers ruled my world. Strategic and marketing plans guided everything. Occupancy rates, food costs, staff productivity – these metrics were my daily guideposts. Success came from mastering these figures and the systems behind them.

When I shifted to freelance graphic production as a solo entrepreneur, my focus changed. Every project brought tight deadlines and high standards. If I did work poorly, it cost me money to fix it. I quickly learned to deliver value for ad agencies, design studios, and corporate art departments.

I joined Rotary in 2003 and became club president in 2006. At President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS), they introduced planning tools with fancy names – Action Plans and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Rotary hoped using these business methods would alleviate the decline in membership. They were attempting to introduce a top-down, process-driven methodology to an organization that had grown organically for more than a century.

But that year taught me something life-changing.

Our club was one of three that joined forces to create a project called "Snowball Express." Our goal was to bring families of veterans lost in Iraq and Afghanistan for an all-expenses paid trip to Southern California – a "Thank You" and remembrance of their sacrifice.

We didn't have a Strategic Plan. We were making it up as we went. Each day we found new opportunities, new ideas and new partners. Things were changing too rapidly to develop KPIs. The project was growing organically and exponentially. All due to painting a mental picture that was so powerful that everyone wanted to help. They volunteered, raised money, and planned the three-day event.

Hotels donated rooms. A bus company donated transporatation. Major sponsors like Oakley, Quiksilver, and Panda Express joined in and donated experiences as well as products. UPS shipped all the gifts to their homes free of charge. Disneyland made the largest donation of free passes they'd ever made. All because of a vision.

We flew in more than 900 family members from all across the U.S. and as far away as Europe, Australia and Japan. Rotary clubs in other cities helped the departing families and gave them send-offs. Club members in Southern California met each flight and directed familes to buses that took them to their hotels. Other clubs staffed help desks in each hotel to handle any problems.

Oakley held a huge party/event at their headquarters with celebrities such as Tony Hawk and other major star athletes. Rotarians, Interactors, Rotaractors and kids from local schools lined the streets with American flags as buses drove by.

One mother's words hit me hard: "When we were on the bus and saw people waving, I cried. Only then, I knew we hadn't been forgotten. And my kids were able to meet other kids who had lost their dad. We weren't alone."

That project sparked many others – from 1,100 fuel-efficient stoves in Central America; a prosthetic clinic in Bolivia that helped more than 100 patients walk again; to twice-a-year dental and vision clinics in Mexico which we've been doing now since 2004.

With each project, I collect stories. These aren't just nice additions to our reports – they are the beating heart of our purpose as Rotarians.

I learned to start with vision rather than numbers. What I saw as my desired end result. I ask myself "What will success look like":

"Watch a woman's face light up when she puts on a pair of glasses and can see her kids clearly for the first time."

"Picture the delight on a man's face when he can once again ride a bike using his new prosthetic leg."

"Imagine walking into a village in Mozambique and seeing children who can now go to school each day because they don't have to walk two hours each way to fetch water. Think about what it means when clean water flows in a village for the first time."

This is the "WHY" of what we do.

Our true product isn't numbers – it's human dignity restored, hope rekindled, and lives transformed.

Strategic planning is nice, but it’s impossible to measure and assign a number to the feeling and satisfaction you get when you help a child.

After forty-plus service projects as a Rotary leader, here's what I now know: a compelling vision is the key reason a person chooses to join the journey.

Share the stories. Paint the picture. Help members see not just what we're doing, but why it matters.

Because no one ever joined Rotary to improve a KPI. They joined to make a difference you can see in someone's eyes.