Dropping the Program Everyone Loves
How to Sunset Work That Drains You and Fund What Works
I ended our tennis program.
It wasn’t failing. It just wasn’t growing. Tennis was the sport our organization was founded on, the founder’s passion, the story we loved to tell. Saying “this no longer works the way we hoped” was hard.
But it was the right call.
Letting go of something beloved is one of the hardest parts of leadership. You can feel the weight of tradition, loyalty, and nostalgia pressing against progress.
Have you ever faced that kind of decision?
When something still has heart but no longer has impact?
Here’s what I learned.
Lesson 1: Build Your Case Before You Build Consensus
The loudest opinions are often emotional. The clearest decisions are grounded in facts.
Start by naming the reality:
What outcome did you expect this year?
How does this program move that outcome now?
What is the true cost in staff time, cash, and attention?
When I wrote it all down, it became clear. We were spending more to preserve a memory than to advance a mission.
That realization brought peace and gave me language to explain the decision with integrity.
Lesson 2: Decide the Rule Before the Vote
Hard choices get easier when everyone follows the same rule.
We created three criteria to assess every program:
Does it directly advance our core outcome?
How does its cost per result compare to others?
Does it fit our three-year direction?
Using one shared lens changed the tone of our conversations.
This was not personal. It was pattern.
Lesson 3: Give the Board Real Choices
Boards do not need drama. They need data and direction.
We brought them three paths:
Keep and improve with new resources
Pause and redesign within six months
Sunset now and reallocate people and dollars
When they saw the options side by side, the decision became clear.
Clarity always earns more trust than persuasion.
Lesson 4: Honor People as You Transition
Change without care breaks trust.
We told staff first, directly and respectfully.
We thanked long-time champions by name.
We informed families with clear dates, reasons, and options.
And we ended with dignity: one final session, photos, and a note that told the truth.
That closing moment mattered.
It reminded everyone this was not failure. It was faithfulness to purpose.
Lesson 5: Reinvest and Show Early Wins
You cannot just end something. You have to begin something better.
We redirected time and money to programs already producing strong outcomes.
Within a quarter, we expanded services with waitlists into the former tennis space and began serving more families.
That early success helped people see the reason behind the change.
Your Turn
Leadership often means ending what you once celebrated.
The real work of stewardship is knowing when to release something so you can grow something else.
So, ask yourself:
What program in your world is quietly asking to be released?
If you are facing that kind of crossroads, I would be glad to help you think it through.