Strategic Planning for Nonprofits...What's Your Strategic Plan?

Perhaps we should start with, “Do you have a strategic plan?” If the answer is no, now may be the ideal time to create one. If you answered yes, when was the plan last updated? Has it been useful or has it sat on the shelf collecting dust?

A strategic plan can “help an organization to focus its vision and priorities in response to a changing environment and to ensure that members of the organization are working toward the same goals (Allison, M. and Kaye, J., pg 1). Given the state of the world, seems like having a strategic plan might be a good idea, right?

There are several types of strategic plans (long-term, short-term, operational, issues-based, etc.) and there is no perfect strategic planning process, but almost all of them include the following steps:

1. Identify the mission
2. Conduct research on the environment in which the organization operates
3. Agree on the priorities and goals
4. Identify the tactics and strategies
5. Conduct a S.W.O.T analysis (discussed in our next blog entry)
6. Create measurement tools
7. Assign responsibilities and due dates
8. Develop budget
9. Draft, review, and adopt the strategic plan
10. Implement the plan
11. Monitor, evaluate, and update the plan

We like the book Strategic Planning for Nonprofits and suggest you pick up a copy if you want to learn more about strategic planning. When you’re ready to give it a go, we also suggest that you call MissionWise. We’re great at helping organizations develop strategic plans. Really. [End sales pitch.]

Resources
Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition
Basic Overview of Various Strategic Planning Models
MissionWise