This bundle brings together Mike Chae’s complete decision-making toolkit — from the filter that helps anyone map out what they’re actually deciding to the equitable decision-making guide that Playworks’ Equity committee built with him to make sure the process was as fair as the outcome. Mike built these tools as COO, used them himself, and designed them so anyone in the org could pick them up — not just the people at the top.
From the Helia Library — based on the article Better Decision-Making, from our Coffee Chat with Mike Chae.
What’s Inside
Three resources, meant to be used together. Start with the Filter — it’s the backbone of everything else.
01 — The Filter
Mike’s core decision-making tool — covering problem statement, scope, team health, financial and program impact, equity considerations, precedents, and who actually needs to be involved. Includes a filled-in example so you can see what it looks like in practice. Use this before you bring anything forward, or any time you’re trying to figure out what you’re actually deciding.
02 — Steps Toward Equitable Decision-Making
The step-by-step guide Playworks’ Equity committee built with Mike — covering how to communicate throughout the process, identify who’s most affected, understand scope and impact, find the right decision-maker, and evaluate what actually happened after. Use this when you want to make sure your process is as equitable as your outcome, and when you want to build shared language across your org.
03 — The Decision Proposal Spreadsheet
The actual spreadsheet Mike built and used at Playworks for anyone to fill out and bring to senior leadership — with a real example already filled in so you can see what it looks like. Use this when you’re ready to bring something forward and want to make sure leadership has the full picture before the conversation starts.
When Resources and Templates Aren’t Enough
These tools will help you think through decisions more clearly and build a shared process across your org. What they can’t do is help you navigate a decision when trust is already low, get buy-in from people who feel excluded from the process, or work through the deeper patterns — like why decisions keep getting relitigated, or why the framework you rolled out six months ago isn’t sticking. If you’ve tried a process before and it hasn’t landed, that’s usually where having a thought partner makes a real difference.
If you want help with decision-making
Mike Chae is a nonprofit lifer who has held almost every job there is — fundraising, operations, culture, people. He brings a generalist’s range and a COO’s eye to decision-making, culture, and org health.
He’s a good fit if:
- Decision-making as a whole is feeling hard — and you want to change it but aren’t sure where to start
- You’re a new or growing leadership team trying to figure out how you want to make decisions together before things get complicated
- You’ve got a high-stakes decision coming up and want a thought partner to help you think through the full picture
- There’s an opportunity to build trust and having a third party can help you leverage the moment
Connect with Mike!
About Mike
Mike Chae is a nonprofit lifer who has held or overseen almost every job there is — fundraising, operations, culture, people, finance, innovation. He goes into every role knowing he won’t be there forever, and with the intent to build enduring systems and people. Somehow both the most logical person in the room AND genuinely, deeply funny — which makes even the hardest things feel more possible.
If you’re looking for someone to help your org think through decision-making, culture, or operations, or look further down the road, reach out to Mike.
