Strategic planning helps you Look before you leap...
What is Strategic Planning?
A great strategic plan or framework is a living document that aligns the organization and the board around a compelling mission and vision and lays out goals that are both achievable and measurable.
How does an organization create a strategic plan?
There are seven critical steps in the strategic planning process:
Why is Strategic Planning particularly important for nonprofits?
Nonprofits have a board, usually unpaid, that is charged with setting the overall direction of the organization. Both the nonprofit leadership and the board must be continually focused on the powerful ideas that will advance the mission in a significant way.
How is a Strategic Plan different from an Operating Plan?
A Strategic Plan is a roadmap, aligned with the mission and vision of the organization, that sets the course for the next few years. An operating plan lays out specific tactics and deliverables that will be accomplished in the next year. Ideally, the board will develop an annual work plan of goals and measurements that they will accomplish that year as well.
A great strategic plan or framework is a living document that aligns the organization and the board around a compelling mission and vision and lays out goals that are both achievable and measurable.
How does an organization create a strategic plan?
There are seven critical steps in the strategic planning process:
- Create a planning team: Identify a few key board and staff members to champion the planning process, remove barriers, and keep it on track!
- Get outside input: Engage in a thorough Environmental Scan to gain valuable outside perspectives. Don’t skimp on this critical step! You may be blinded to some key issues that people outside your organization can see clearly.
- Get inside input: Your staff has wisdom than can be invaluable to the planning process. Be sure to engage your staff, at all levels, in the process.
- Keep it short: Condense your new Strategic Plan down to 3-5 main strategies. The document should not be longer than 8 – 10 pages. Everyone in your organization should be able to remember and communicate the main points of the Plan.
- Make it meaningful: Great strategic plans don’t just engage your brain – they capture your heart. Think about the “why” and not just the “what.”
- Embed the plan in your organization: Make sure your staff understand how their work relates to the plan. Embed key strategies in your organization’s culture and practice.
- Revisit annually: A great strategic plan is a living document that needs to accommodate new information and circumstances. Be sure to celebrate your successes along the way!
Why is Strategic Planning particularly important for nonprofits?
Nonprofits have a board, usually unpaid, that is charged with setting the overall direction of the organization. Both the nonprofit leadership and the board must be continually focused on the powerful ideas that will advance the mission in a significant way.
How is a Strategic Plan different from an Operating Plan?
A Strategic Plan is a roadmap, aligned with the mission and vision of the organization, that sets the course for the next few years. An operating plan lays out specific tactics and deliverables that will be accomplished in the next year. Ideally, the board will develop an annual work plan of goals and measurements that they will accomplish that year as well.
