Is your Organization Utilizing Strategic Planning?

Unfortunately, many hard-working small nonprofits don�t think they have time to develop a strategic plan. They couldn�t be more wrong. A strategic plan is, at its best, the articulation of an organization�s specific and measurable goals for itself and the related benchmarks for accountability over a specific period of time. This is typically 3-5 years. With board rotation and loss (or addition) of employees, it can be a fundamental mechanism for ensuring that an organization is achieving its mission. Essentially, a strategic plan is a unifier and can be a navigational tool for doing business as a nonprofit. It is particularly useful for allocating resources and implementing programs. Strategic plans can also be powerful mechanisms for bringing new stakeholders to the table and for helping donors see the alignment of their desire to give and a nonprofit�s ability to be a vehicle for that need.

Critical distinctions�Strategic plans are global or macro-level visions of what the nonprofit wants to be.

Who should be involved in the development of a nonprofit�s strategic plan? Ideally, as many stakeholders would be able to provide input about what the priorities of an organization should be in relation to the people it serves.

What are the components of a strategic plan?

  • First and foremost...VISION!
  • Where?
  • How?