DIY Strategic Planning

With state and federal governments preparing to distribute grant money for 2025, many creatives and cultural orgs are creating (or updating) their strategic plans. Some are developing business plans as well, or merging the two concepts to create a practical and newer model of future planning that looks at inspiring vision and values as well as income diversification and practical action plans.?

There are lots of templates around to support this work, including our One Page Business Plan, and Creative Plus Business has many advisory programs designed to support creatives through future planning. Asana also has a great, and simple, toolkit to strategic planning that you can access here.?

For those of you taking a DIY approach to future plans, here are some of the lesser-known tips I’ve learned when facilitating business and strategic plans for clients.

Tip 1: Brainstorm a Quantity of Ideas

Collaborating on a strategic plan is essential, even when you’re an overworked Executive Director or freelancer doing the whole thing on your own. Sounds counterintuitive, but the best way to start a future planning process is to remove your critical faculties and play with the most random and stupid ideas possible. That’s very difficult to do on your own.?

See if you can find a stakeholder, board member, professional peer or someone else who has a vested interest in your future plans. Find a place where you feel comfortable to get noisy, and generate as many ideas as you can. Write them on post-its, collaborate on a Google doc, collect them in some sort of chaotic way, and have fun. Brilliance comes from quantity, not quality – start critiquing and editing too soon, and you risk stifling your creative flow. The more ridiculous ideas you can come up with, the more you’ll be able to sift through and find the brilliance for your future plans.?

Tip 2: Purpose is more important than Mission.?

Mission statements are standard for most strategic plans, but increasingly we’re finding that our creative clients are moving more into a Purpose mindset. The difference might be slight, but important. A mission statement is a broad – and sometimes vague – declaration of your overall goals that outlines why you exist, but not always in a measurable way. A purpose statement is a more focused declaration that outlines both your reason for existence AND the specific outcomes that can help others measure your impact. Done well, a purpose statement can be both inspirational and action-oriented, which means you’ll have a blueprint that also outlines your next steps.

Tip 3: Values are vital, and so are the House Rules.?

Your values are the bedrock of any creative or cultural work. These non-negotiable beliefs guide your philosophy and give other people an insight into what you stand for. They will help to guide you to the kind of future plans, work, clients, funding bodies and other stakeholders that support your principles and align with your ideology. Find 3-5 values that are important to you, and use them to guide each stage of the process. Don’t forget to also include some House Rules – what are the real and practical actions that you will undertake to ensure that you abide by this value and take it seriously? For example, if your core value is Sustainability, what will your organisation do to ensure that the environment is front and centre in every decision made?

For more insight about values, check out our fabulous Value of Values webinar here.?

Tip 4: A goal without a plan is just a wish.?

Thank you Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for this quote. Simply having a desire or aspiration for your organisation is not enough. To make progress and turn a goal into reality, you need to be very clear about what your versions of success are, across different areas of your practice, and also outline the specific steps, actions, and resources needed to reach those desired outcomes. The SMART goals approach can be super helpful in working this through. Always ask yourself ー how will I measure success? How will I know that I have achieved what I set out to do?

Tip 5: Branding is the key to finding your audience.?

Branding is more than just a logo or a slogan. A good brand, even for a solo creative, defines who you are, what you stand for, and who you want to reach. A compelling brand story can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level through your choice of words, colours, typography and logo. If your voice and personality comes through consistently across your marketing, it will act as a beacon, attracting the right audience and building lasting relationships. It will also enhance your trustworthiness and credibility.

One final tip ー strategic planning is a perennial process, not a start-up or funding activity. Imagining all your possible futures, devising where you’d like to go, and making a map of how to get there has ongoing benefits. It works whether you’re a solo creative or the Executive Director of a cultural organisation, leading a partnership or just starting out. There’s no need to flounder in the dark. Take the time to plan your future and see just how rewarding this process can be.

Do you need some help with your planning process? We can support you through one-to-one advice, or we can take care of the whole planning process for you.?

We also run a fabulous workshop called Future Planning for Creatives. Check out the overview here and let us know if you’d like to bring the workshop to your organisation.

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