What is strategic planning?

In our challenging times, it may feel hard to talk about strategic planning.

Between gun violence, racial injustice, climate change, an ongoing pandemic, mental health struggles, and threats to democracy, it may be a struggle to get out of bed, much less work towards strategic planning!

And yet…

At the simplest level, strategic planning is looking inward and outward in order to figure out together how to move forward and what to do next.

For any nonprofit organization, failing to look outward – to see the changes that are coming and align on how to respond to them – can be risky, dangerous, and even lead to the decline of the organization. Without looking outward, organizations may lose relevance.

So strategic planning is figuring out, together, what is important and what to do about it.

In that sense, strategic planning, in the way that The Ross Collective leads these processes, is empowering: Leaders reflect together, listen to one another, and emerge more connected, with a way forward.

So, what is nonprofit strategic planning, exactly?

Strategic planning means a lot of different things – everything from a one-day meeting to set shorter-term priorities to a six- to nine-month process to build three- to five-year goals and an implementation plan.

Strategic planning is a process in which staff, board, and community members come together to work through and discover answers to the following questions:

1.  Who needs a seat at the table in planning?

2.  Who are we in the context of our community and environment?

3.  What do we do best and feel pulled towards?

4.  Given the questions above, what will we do now?

Nonprofit strategic planning is process and product

Not long ago, we facilitated a series of conversations for an organization that is preparing to embark on a strategic plan.

This organization has made many shifts over the past two years, in terms of staffing and the focus of their work.

Staff members were confused about how the board and staff would find clarity about next steps.

One senior leader wondered whether the strategic planning consultant would define the organization’s new direction and program.

We heard this question and squirmed a little bit. Our role is to guide the process, but we do not define the direction:

When we meet with prospective clients, they ask about the strategic plan itself – a document that includes organizational values, vision, mission, and strategies for an agreed-upon time period. Will it be two pages? Ten pages? How detailed?

At the end of the planning process, organizations have a strategic plan – a document that the organization can refer to in the future and use to guide fundraising and organizational priorities.

But the process is equally important. Through reflecting on important data, listening to one another’s vision for the organization and community served, and building strategies together, participants become more invested in the organization’s shared future and connected to one another. In participatory processes like the ones that The Ross Collective leads, the wisdom and perceptions of board, staff, and community are all central to what emerges in the final plan.

In that sense, the consultant guides the process – and the plan is a reflection of the knowledge, experience, perception, and desires of the participants – who will be doing the work described in the plan in the future.

How might strategic planning help you?

Clients seeking strategic planning bring up many of the same concerns to explain why they are doing planning. We often hear these themes:

1.  No clear idea of organizational priorities

2.  Vague ideas about the direction the organization is headed

3.  Leaders are not positive they’re responsive to changes in the environment or needs

And here’s some of the feedback we hear after strategic planning:

4.  The organization is better positioned for funding; the strategic plan makes it much easier to create case statements or grant proposals

5.  Board and staff members feel clarity about priorities and investment in future strategies

6.  Board and staff members that have worked through the process have a greater sense of calm

7.  There are stronger relationships among staff and board members that have worked through the process

8.  Staff or board team are aligned on prioriries

9.  Organizational leaders can eliminate programs or work that is not mission-aligned

If you’re considering strategic planning, here’s an exercise to do as a group:

• What challenges above (1-3) is the organization having that strategic planning might alleviate? What other challenges are you encountering now?

• Which positive outcomes (4-9) do you anticipate from strategic planning?

Successful organizations need to reflect and refresh their strategic vision throughout the year, especially in times of uncertainty and change. This can be a painful process, tearing away from the urgencies that we feel every day. It might feel like you’re treading water, and it’s hard to pull your head up to take a breath and evaluate your next move.

Those issues are usually the ones that cause mission creep. Often as an organization grows in size, board and staff members have different ideas of what the vision is. Strategic planning addresses those issues, bringing everyone to a new shared path forward.

Again and again, we hear from our clients that strategic planning sessions alleviate much of the stress of pulling the organization into different directions. Participants also evaluate how the values, vision and mission are relevant today – not necessarily when the organization was launched.

Let’s face it, mission creep is very real. As we continue to seek the positive intended results in our communities, then we are able to forge on. With a general understanding and purpose, we’re able to do it with less stress.

The process to get there might be fraught, but the results are always rewarding. We’re here to help; if you need someone to help you and your organization through strategic planning, please get in touch! We’re happy to have that conversation with you and get things started.

This post is the first of a series on the steps of strategic planning. Want to learn more about how these steps can support your nonprofit organization? In addition to working directly with organizations, we on strategic and present on this topic frequently. Subscribe to our newsletter to learn about upcoming opportunities.