Five steps to successful nonprofit strategic planning with Carol Hamilton
1/29/2024
“Strategic planning is not about predicting or controlling the future. It is about creating greater alignment across your team and board volunteers and all of those who support the mission of your organization, creating a shared understanding and agreement about. Where you’re headed and as you’re doing so at each stage, considering how equity factors into who you’re including, whose voices are being heard, and how decisions are being made.
With this shared agreement on direction, you’ll be better prepared to make informed decisions about where to focus your energy and what your priorities are.”
In episode 90 of Nonprofit Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton goes solo and talks about:
What nonprofit strategic planning is and is not
the five steps to a comprehensive nonprofit strategic planning process
Keys to ensuring your plan gets put into action and stays relevant
The five steps are 1. kick off, 2. discovery or listening tour, 3. explore, 4. decide, 5. plan & act
Strategic planning:
Strategic planning is a structured process for setting priorities for the medium term (3-5 years).
It involves gathering insights from stakeholders, identifying themes, exploring futures, and making decisions to focus the organization’s future in service of its mission.
What it is NOT
It’s not about predicting or controlling the future.
Just the document, it's about conversations that build alignment and shared understanding.
It is not just a retreat
Kick Off
Setting yourself up for success
Let everyone know what is happening and what is coming
Pull together a team
Equity considerations
Discover
Go on a listening tour
Interviews, focus groups, surveys – what will work for you.
How are you making participation accessible?
Explore
Share the current state as well as hopes and aspirations
Explore the wider landscape and ecosystem for trends
imagine new futures for the organization
Decide
Prioritize and decide on the future directions and goals: Where will you put your energy?
Revisit your mission and vision – are they aligned with where you are going?
Plan & Act
Define action steps, success indicators, and feedback mechanisms.
Keeping the Plan Fresh
Agree on a process for reviewing and updating the plan
Important Links and Resources:
Common Mistakes Organizations Make in Strategic planning
Related posts:
Comprehensive nonprofit strategic planning process in 5 steps
Why a strategic planning process is not just about the retreat
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