Purpose: Enable fast, high-quality decisions by writing them down. This template is inspired by Amazon’s PR/FAQ (“Press Release and Frequently Asked Questions”) method and GitLab’s handbook-first, asynchronous decision-making style. It guides employees to propose ideas or make significant decisions through a written narrative, forcing clarity and a customer-first rationale before spending resources. By standardizing this in Notion, decisions become transparent records that others can learn from.
Anyone in the organization (even frontline staff) can use this template to propose a big idea (e.g. a new fundraising campaign approach, a policy change, a major software tool purchase) asynchronously. They fill out the PR/FAQ page and share it with stakeholders. Instead of endless meetings, stakeholders will comment directly on the Notion page with questions or suggestions. This encourages deep work and critical thinking through writing.
This approach increases decision velocity (more decisions made faster) by avoiding bottlenecks like scheduling meetings, and by empowering individuals to make proposals. Each PR/FAQ has a “DRI” (Directly Responsible Individual) field – often the author – who will drive it.
The FAQ should address tough criticisms. Amazon mandates that a PR/FAQ covers all likely questions so that by the end of reading it, approvers have everything they need. Keep answers crisp and factual.
- Press Release (Future State Vision): Written as if the proposed initiative or decision has already been implemented and is delivering value to customers (donors). It includes:
- Headline: A one-sentence summary of the outcome or product (e.g. “New Donor Portal Increases Transparency and Boosts Donations by 15%”).
- Date: A future date as if launching or implementing on that day.
- Intro Paragraph: Describes the customer problem and the solution in an exciting but factual tone. For a non-profit context, the “customer” is the donor or beneficiary – explain how this decision delights them or addresses their need. Example: “Today, XYZ Nonprofit unveiled a personalized donor dashboard that lets supporters see exactly how their contributions are used, increasing trust and engagement.”
- Quote: (Optional) A quote from a leader or user in this imagined future praising the decision’s impact. This makes the proposal feel real and focused on human benefit.
- How it Works/Features: A brief explanation of what was implemented or changed.
- Why this is valuable: Writing a press-release style summary forces the proposer to “start with the customer and work backwards,” a core Amazon principle. By envisioning the end result that wows the customer, it ensures the idea is rooted in customer obsession and clearly.
- FAQ Section: A list of questions and answers anticipating what stakeholders might ask:
- Customer Questions: e.g. “How will this new donor dashboard protect my data?” with a well-considered answer. This proves you’ve thought about the customers’ concerns.
- Operational Questions: e.g. “What resources are needed to implement this?” or “How does this decision impact current workflows?”
- Risks and Mitigations: e.g. “What if donors don’t use the new portal?” answered by planned outreach and training.
- Metrics: “How will we measure success?” define KPIs or OKRs tied to this decision (e.g. increase in repeat donations, faster campaign launch times, etc.).
- Decision Approval and Tasks: A section at the bottom where relevant leaders sign off (could just be a checkbox or @mention confirmation in Notion) and where implementation tasks or next steps are listed if the decision is approved.
- Once decided, these PR/FAQ pages are kept in a database in Notion, searchable for anyone. That means anyone can see why a decision was made, not just what it was – supporting a culture where context is shared. (Leaders should articulate their reasoning in writing).