What do you do if your non-profit organization needs to develop a strategic plan?

Consider hiring an external person or organization to assess needs. Often those closest to your organization carry unknown bias and blind spots. To truly develop a strategic plan, you need a fully honest and unbiased assessment.

Get the perspective of the "lowest" level people in the organization, from jr. staff to the part time volunteer. The "ANT eye" perspective from the ground up is often very different from the top down view of Sr. Leadership and Board... Make sure you get this perspective in a "safe space" for honest and unfiltered feedback. And be open to what you hear, it's someone's truth.

Strategic planning is a critical process for nonprofit organizations seeking to chart a clear path forward and achieve their mission effectively. At the heart of this process lies the need to assess the organization's current state, identify challenges and opportunities, and define strategic priorities. By assessing the needs of the organization the identification of strategic priorities are then identified. These priorities represent the areas where the organization should focus its resources and efforts to achieve its mission effectively. By defining clear strategic priorities, nonprofits can align their activities and resources to maximize impact and achieve measurable results.

It is important to understand the mission and the vision of an organisation before we start working on a strategic plan. We should conduct consultations with the founders, trustees, senior leadership and all other stakeholders to understand what would we like to achieve and what problem we would like to address and at what scale? After which we should make an assessment of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges including the assessment of resources available with us. The mission should be further broken into smart objectives - long term and short term and make strategies and implementation plan to achieve these short terms objectives and keep reviewing, monitoring and updating the strategic plan every 3 years.

Before hiring a facilitator and starting a strategic planning process, poll your leadership and key constituents to identify shared goals and vision for the organization. Communicate the results. Early alignment around areas of focus will help your facilitator assist you in defining your strategic planning goals and the quantifiable activity needed to achieve them.

"Strategic planning" has become a generic term for a wide range of organizational needs. When an organization talks to me about strategic planning, I ask them two questions: 1) what are the most pressing questions facing you organization? 2) why are those questions important now? This helps break through the ambiguity that accompanies the term "strategic planning" and gives them (and me) a more specific idea of what they actually need. Sometimes they need to revisit the fundamentals of the organization (mission, vision, etc.); sometimes they need to review and refresh and existing strategic plan; and sometimes they need to set prioritize and organize their work. All important, but not the same thing.

In my experience, we “hired” an expert in strategic planning and it was the best decision we ever made. Assessing needs involves conducting a comprehensive analysis of the organization’s current state, engaging stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives, reviewing relevant data, and identifying gaps between current capabilities and desired outcomes.

Here's how your organization set your North Star: 1. Envision the Future: Start by imagining the ideal state of the community your nonprofit aims to create. 2. Align with Mission & Values: Ensure the vision aligns with your nonprofit's mission and core values. 3. Engage Stakeholders: Involve key stakeholders in the vision-setting process. 4. Craft a Clear & Compelling Statement: The vision should be articulated clearly, concisely, and compellingly. 5. Communicate & Embed the Vision: Once defined, communicate the vision effectively across all levels of the organization and to all stakeholders. 6. Use the Vision to Guide Decision-Making: The vision should be a critical tool in strategic planning, guiding decision-making and priorities.

To address the need for a strategic plan, start with clarifying the mission and vision of the organization. Engage all stakeholders in the process for a more comprehensive and inclusive plan. Conduct a SWOT analysis to understand internal and external factors affecting the organization, then establish clear, quantifiable goals. Finally, develop strategies for achieving these goals and measures for monitoring progress. Keep the plan flexible to adapt to changes and review regularly for continuous improvement.

Setting the vision is arguably the most important step in the strategic planning process. Getting the vision right will ensure goals, strategies, and the overall plan will get to the desired outcome. This works best with an outside facilitator guiding the conversation. I don't just say this as a strategic planning facilitator, having someone outside of the organization and future work of the plan leads to be vision that is free of bias.

Strategy should be an ongoing cycle, not linear. So I prefer to add E for evaluate and R for review and revise, to give you SMARTER goals. Your strategy should evolve in response to new factors and this approach allows for that.

In the strategic planning saga of a nonprofit, defining SMART goals is a pivotal moment where vision transforms into actionable steps. This process aligns each goal with the overarching vision, turning broad aspirations into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives. Stakeholder involvement enriches this journey, weaving diverse insights into the fabric of the plan and ensuring goals resonate across the organization. This goal-setting process in nonprofit strategic planning is not merely procedural but crafting a living blueprint that directs the organization towards its vision, embodying a methodical yet flexible approach to creating lasting impact.

When setting goals for your strategic plan, it's critical to consider your organization's capacity (i.e., how many things can we focus on/work toward at once?), identifying goals that multiple parts of the organization can work toward, and how the goals align or interact with one another. A focused list of 3-5 big goals is the aim here - and at least one of those goals should focus on operations/culture/improving ways of working. It's also important to note that SMART goals can actually hinder an organization's strategic success because of their rigidity - and they can cause organizations to pursue only what can be measured instead of thinking more holistically.

Your goal is a step to your vision that can be achieved within your current and potential resources. Keep that in mind! You wouldn't be able to achieve all aspects of your vision at the moment, so don't get disappointed if your potential goals look small, as long as they lead to your vision.

Goals should be limited to the key growth engines of your organization. Keeping in mind who the customer is and what they need each goal should help answer the one thing that if you did this, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary.

Developing a strategic plan is like embarking on a carefully mapped journey. It starts with assessing the nonprofit's landscape, scrutinizing internal operations, financial status, and program effectiveness to understand the current state. This foundation supports setting a clear, attainable North Star—guiding the organization's long-term vision. Then, SMART goals are established, translating the vision into precise, actionable objectives that chart the course for achieving meaningful impact. The process culminates in crafting strategic pathways, formulating innovative strategies to meet these goals. This approach ensures a strategic plan that directs the nonprofit towards its envisioned future while navigating the sector's dynamic changes.

As part of a strategic plan you need to set goals. There are many anchors and books on goal setting processes from smart to quadrant. I have the view do a few things great, versus many things well." What I like to see is two to three goals that align with the vision rather than ten. From those goals, the CEO and his leadership team can design operating tactics that align with the Strategic goals and they own the outcomes.

Bloomerang.com identifies 5 models for nonprofits planning each tailoring to specific needs,from navigating stable conditions to adapting during crises: 1. Standard Model: For stable environments; focuses on setting a mission, defining and achieving short-term goals. 2. Issues-Based Model: Addresses internal challenges like staff turnover; involves identifying issues and adjusting strategies. 3. Organic Model: Suitable for uncertain external factors; emphasizes personal actionable goals based on team strengths. 4. Real-Time Model: For crisis situations; concentrates on short-term goals with frequent progress reviews. 5. Alignment Model: Improves communication in organizations with strong departments but weak interdepartmental coordination.

In the non profit sector you theory of change is the equivalent of the Business Canvas model. You can use both to test the strength of you strategy. However, a well developed strategy point you in the direction of the resources need to work through your stages of self sustainance.

Developing strategies getting help. Reaching out even if they ignore me which they do. Just keep pushing keep asking for help. Find solutions no matter what. I’m pushing for a population that’s ignored and treated poorly in the world as a whole.

Create regular, meaningful opportunities for teams throughout the organization to talk through the strategies, work together to develop an implementation plan, negotiate (as needed) to arrive at realistic and effective approaches, report on progress, and modify as new information or learnings become available.

Implementing a strategic plan is the critical phase where strategy transforms into action. A timeline is needed to actualize the vision and delineate milestones. Responsibilities are assigned, ensuring each team member knows their role in the execution process. Clear communication is key, sharing the strategic plan with the team and fostering a unified commitment to the collective goals. The implementation journey is marked by disciplined execution, underscored by the agility to adapt strategies in response to evolving circumstances. Regular check-ins and progress evaluations are integral in maintaining alignment, fostering accountability, and facilitating timely adjustments to stay on course toward achieving the strategic objectives.

Unless you have a plan to implement all the relevant of this is a waste of time. The elements of the SP should be built into job descriptions and therefore accountability.

See - Measure - Grow. What you see, you can measure; what you measure, you can grow, but you can't grow what you can't measure, and you can't measure what you can't see. Getting frontline feedback from segmented voices opens the feedback loop while allowing you to hear precise and crucial reports that will help with incremental and timed adjustments.

If you don't set a goal, people won't know where to aim! You'll also kill productivity as people work at different paces and fail to integrate and synergize their efforts.

La correcta medición de los datos, nos evidencia el avance en el alcance de los objetivos planteados. Debemos establecer las métricas de las cuales nos guiaremos en el proceso. éstas pueden ser objetivos como cumplimiento de tareas, finalización de proyectos o acciones. También pueden ser de rendimiento, como incremento de fondos recaudados, número de beneficiarios asistidos, captación de nuevos voluntarios o donantes.

Checking if the strategies and plans that have already been implemented are covering your current set of needs is pertinent. Re-evaluating and being able reset or shift is a thing to remain ready for. Consistently checking, shifting and updating is helpful to do to be prepared for upcoming months/years to come.

When developing a strategic plan, consider this: 1. Assess Your Current Situation-SWOT Analysis: Analyze internal Strengths, Weaknesses & external Opportunities & Threats. 2. Set Clear Objectives-SMART Goals: Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant & time-bound goals. 3. Develop Strategies-Logic Model: Create a roadmap for achieving measurable objectives. 4. Allocate Resources: Prioritize resource allocation based on strategic priorities. 5. Implement & Monitor: Establish KPIs to measure progress. 6. Evaluate Progress: Foster a culture of improvement within your organization. Remember, a well-crafted strategic plan provides direction, aligns efforts, and ensures your non-profit remains effective in fulfilling its mission.

Evaluating progress is crucial for keeping your strategic plan on track. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be established as measurable success benchmarks. Regularly reviewing these KPIs helps pinpoint successes and areas needing improvement. This process isn't just about accountability; it's a chance to recognize achievements and reflect on challenges, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Regular evaluation ensures your efforts align with your non-profit's mission, encouraging adjustments that keep strategies relevant and impactful. Embracing this iterative evaluation process keeps your organization agile, responsive, and focused on long-term goals.

Evaluation should be the lifeblood of your organization. It ensures flexibility and adaptability. Constantly evaluate your plan during implementation to adapt it to changes and correct issues and after implementation to learn from your former fault.

If you've got the budget/resources, I'd recommend an external facilitator to help in strategic plan development. Sometimes we can lose perspective and need someone objective to untangle the ball of yarn for us.

Here are four 'readiness' questions you should discuss before diving into a new strat plan process: Is our purpose clearly articulated and widely understood? Without a clear purpose, you will struggle to create meaningful strategy. Are we ready to make tough decisions about how to prioritize our resources? If your org can't (or won't) change your annual budget, a new strategy is likely going to be ineffective. Do our staff have the capacity to implement a new strategy? A bold vision is not a strategy. A strategy needs to be rooted in your current capacity. Does our organization (really) need a new strategic plan? A strategy doesn't automatically become 'void' when the date on its cover passes. If it's still relevant, stick with it.

In my experience, making a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (S.W.O.T) analysis of your organization before jumping into the previous steps is helpful. It gives you an overview of the organization before diving into too many details.

Get all leaders of various functions together and map out what does strategic success look like for the non profit with the customer you are serving at the centre of it. Not your organisation’s perspective but the perspective of the customer. When you take a customer driven approach through a collaborative lens, you are more likely to drive the impact you seek with the execution of the strategic plan vs. when you you build it in isolation only from a business standpoint.

We hired a coach to help through the process. The coach can help us with an outside view of the organization. The survey helped to identify key issues that we may not see.