“If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.” 

Yogi Berra

 

“People often complain about lack of time when the lack of direction is the real problem."

Zig Ziglar

 

“I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.”

E. B. White

Strategic Planning for Nonprofits

Too often, executives and boards of small to midsize nonprofits assume that long-range planning is a luxury they can’t fit into their packed schedules. That’s a mistake. Given the community benefits these organizations strive for, no effort is more central than building operational decision making that is informed by values choices at the highest level. Especially for organizations with limited financial and human resources, strategic planning is vital in setting priorities and articulating realistic choices.

Unlike a business plan that deals with the here and now, a strategic plan lays out a map for the future of the organization over a given time span, by asking and answering three questions: Where are we going? How will we get there? And at the end of the chosen time frame, how will we know if we’re there?

My Dutch Uncle’s principals have done strategic planning with boards of nonprofits whose annual budgets range from $100,000 to $23 billion. Regardless of budget or staff size, we can help your organization develop a strategic plan—from a bare-bones sketch of ideas and guidelines to a detailed plan spanning three to five years. Using proven techniques, we’ll coach your board and staff through the steps that enable your nonprofit to make mission-driven decisions that involve all stakeholders. Issues may include mission expansion, new program ideas, physical plant improvements, and capital campaigns. The work can take place in conjunction with regular board meetings, during a full-day retreat off site, or combining the two models.

  • Just starting a nonprofit?  
    It’s the most critical period to make time for strategic planning. We can help clearly define your organization’s purpose and establish realistic goals consistent with that mission.
  • Planning for the plan
    A strategic planning primer that enables board and staff to discern if a strategic plan is merited, what shape it should take, who will do the actual work, and a suitable timeline.
  • Committee structure for strategic planning
    Getting the planning team on board to tackle the basic questions developed in planning for the plan.
  • SWOT analysis
    An effective tool to determine your nonprofit’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
  • Implementation and ongoing analysis of the strategic plan
    Too many strategic plans gather dust on a shelf. We’ll make sure you have a set of action plans and checkpoints to accomplish concrete tasks, track how well your organization is following the plan, and determine if it is working.
  • Strategic planning around turning points
    Most organizations should do an annual review, but planning is most important when your nonprofit faces major turning points in its mission, roles, or community context. We can help identify those occasions and how they should affect your planning.