More For Many

02/17/2026

Over the last few months, we've been writing about nonprofit strategic planning, exploring what works, what doesn't, and the gap that most plans leave between vision and ex*****on.

As we wrote, and thanks to some wonderful clients who were patient with our tinkering, the posts turned into a framework.

Today we're sharing "Setting Better Strategy," a free guide to the Ariadne Strategy Framework. It's 27 pages, built on 30 years of working with nonprofits, and it walks through the three layers of strategy that connect who you are to what you're actually doing.

We published it because we think more organizations need better planning frameworks, and because we're often working on strategic plans that have a lot of vision and a lot of tasks, but no real strategy connecting the two.

Most of all, we published it because the purpose-driven sector needs tools specifically designed for mission-driven work, not business frameworks retrofitted to philanthropy.

If your strategic plan has a vision statement and a list of quarterly goals but nothing connecting them, this might help you find the thread.

Link in the comments, and:

https://moreformany.com/ariadne-strategy-framework?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ariadne-launch&utm_content=ebook-announce

12/19/2025

Do you know the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur?

In the story, the hero Theseus sails to Crete, enters the labyrinth, slays the Minotaur, and escapes. That's the story that most of us know.

Few know the part about Ariadne.

Ariadne (pronounced eh·ree·AD·nee) was a princess trapped in her father's kingdom, a place built on human sacrifice, with a monster in the basement she didn't create.

When Theseus arrived, it was Ariadne who picked him out from the crowd. And, it was Ariadne who gave him the way to survive.

She handed him a ball of thread with a simple instruction: tie it at the entrance, unwind it as you go, and follow it back out.

As we tell the story now, Theseus is the hero, and the sword was the tool. But the thread, not the sword, was the solution. And Ariadne was the actual hero, for when Theseus escaped, so did she. (Later Theseus abandons her, but she has the last laugh when she marries the god Dionysus.)

We share the story for two reasons. One, whether we're planning for our long-term strategy or our holiday shopping, we often think we have to brute-force our way through when we get stuck. But usually, the smarter approach is to pause, hold on to what we know is true, and back up to the spot where we lost our way.

And two, we're happy to share that after several fits and starts, More For Many's new strategy framework is here, and it's named after Ariadne. Read more below!



https://moreformany.com/blog/why-strategic-plans-fail

11/25/2025

Most organizations don’t stagnate because they lack good ideas.
They stay stuck because they keep investing in things that aren’t working. New priorities get added. Old ones never get removed. Everyone wonders why nothing moves forward.

You can’t add what matters until you remove what doesn’t.

In this week’s post, we share a simple framework—the Investment-Impact Matrix—to help you figure out what to stop doing in 2026.

Three places to look:
→ The thing that used to work but doesn’t anymore
→ The thing you’re doing because someone else thinks you should
→ The thing that sounds impressive but doesn’t create impact

Clear the decks and make room for what matters!

https://moreformany.com/blog/three-things-to-stop-doing-in-2026

11/19/2025

Most leaders say 2025 was hard. But the ones who made progress didn’t just work harder—they got clearer about what mattered most.

Before you jump into 2026 planning, take stock of what this year taught you:

✓ What actually moved the needle? (Often not the same as what took the most time!)
✓ What drained energy without results? (Time to let it go)
✓ Where did you see real momentum—and why?

Strategic planning starts with honest assessment. This doesn’t mean self-criticism or self-congratulation. It just means taking stock.

You already learned what you need to apply to next year!

Read more at https://moreformany.com/blog/before-you-plan-2026-make-sense-of-2025

11/17/2025

Dreaming and doing aren’t opposites; they’re partners. You can’t reach the sky without the scaffolding, but you don’t build the scaffolding for its own sake.

As we head full into the fall and, incredibly, the holidays, two questions to jump-start your autumn thinking:

* What piece of your dream is ready for a blueprint?
* And what piece of your blueprint still needs a dream?

10/16/2025

"We need you." It's simple to say but profound to hear. It's pretty wild that in a world of billions, so many don't hear those words at all, let alone regularly from people who love them.

We want to live in a world where everyone knows they matter – that they are valued and needed. And so it was with a touch of pride and a huge amount of gratitude that More For Many shared the stage this morning with leaders in the mental health space at the Mental Health Awareness of Michiana Fall Summit.

The caregivers, leaders, and change agents in the MHAM membership create spaces that help people connect, share, heal, and, most of all, feel and experience value.

It’s never easy to be a mental health practitioner, but throw in funding cuts, political division, and economic uncertainty, and it’s been a heck of a year. How grateful we were to be on stage and say to these people what they say to so many: “We need you.”

10/13/2025

Thanks to the wonderful students and leaders at Holy Cross College, Notre Dame, IN for the chance to present on "Leading the Holy Cross Way."

More For Many president Jeff Shuck applied his work on purpose-driven leadership to the mission of Holy Cross: "Building the Competence to See, Finding the Courage to Act."

It sounds like "seeing" means noticing what’s in front of us. But seeing begins when we stop talking long enough to hear what’s being said.

The best leaders start by listening. What if your next team meeting or strategic plan began with silence instead of a spreadsheet?

More reflections here: https://moreformany.com/blog/building-the-competence-to-see-reflections-from-holy-cross-college

Recently, I talked with the leaders of Holy Cross College about how seeing starts with listening -- to others, to our intuition, and most of all, to God.

10/03/2025

Let’s go

09/26/2025

👉 This is the last of six posts to introduce More For Many's values. Last one, best one.
---
🐾 PET ALL THE DOGS. Enjoy it. The day is the pay; the work is the reward. Be grateful.

Take time to take it all in. Gratitude and fulfillment aren’t distractions from the work — they are the PURPOSE of the work. (And yes, we love to pet dogs – being respectful of what the dogs and their people want, of course.)

More at https://moreformany.com/about-more-for-many.

09/24/2025

👉 This post is part of our “Meet MFM” series, introducing our six values. Let's do it.
---
🏔️ LEAD FROM THE FRONT, SUPPORT FROM THE BACK. Go first along the tough paths and help others to the top when you get there. Then, make room. Know when to stand up and when to make space.

Real leadership isn’t getting the spotlight; it’s about shining it. Sometimes you need to say it loud and proud -- other times, you need to pass the mic. Know when to step up and when to step aside.

09/22/2025

👉 Let's go! This post is part of our “Meet MFM” series, introducing the six values guiding how we help purpose multiply.
---
💪 PUT THE REPS IN. Do the work. Don’t ask for credibility, earn it. Surpass the past. If better is possible, good is not enough.

Change doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from showing up, staying consistent, and working for better every time. The work itself is part of the reward!