Monthly Archives: April 2008

Strategic Planning – What is it?

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Over and over I hear the words “strategic planning” tossed around like candy – in fact, I am one of those people that use, perhaps even over use, the term to describe the “plan” for a particular “direction” that will be taken; as in “let’s develop a strategy”, or “what’s the strategy”. But do we stop to really think what this means or what it means to develop a strategy? And most importantly, how to formulate, and/or how to even develop, a strategic plan. 

Every nonprofit needs one right?? That’s what we are always told anyway. You need a strategic plan!! in order to be successful they say… 

Well, as I sit here watching “Die Hard” on TV tonight I was thinking about this topic – strange I know, but I wanted to let the spirit move me so I thought I would write a short summary of what a strategic plan is or at least what strategic planning is. 

In my opinion, strategic planning basically starts by examining issues facing your organization – such as, successes, failures, weaknesses, opportunities, strengths and the all important – what do I want to be when I grow up which basically means developing a series of objectives or a vision for the future. 

The strategic plan is the precursor to the marketing plan – the strategy is your hopes and dreams and the marketing plan is your road map and action plan to achieve those hopes and dreams. 

To use an analogy, the strategy is an idea for a personal vacation that will take you from Saint Louis to the pacific ocean; and the marketing plan is all the work that goes into actually developing the trip itself – mapping it out, deciding what sights to see, how much it will cost, working within a budget, taking into account the various objectives of your spouse and children, and finally determining what the measure of success is going to be – in this case, having the best vacation ever! 

Well – this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive definition but I hope this gives you an idea as to what strategic planning is or can be. In future posts I will drill into this topic further since it is so incredibly important to the success of your organization. 
  

Will the “Recession” affect your nonprofit??

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The question nagging everyone these days – will the recession, or whatever the downturn in the financial market is being called these days, affect your nonprofit? Clearly there is the possibility fundraising initiatives will be compromised; but there is also the possibility that services you offer, especially if they are related to human services, will be strained as the financial downturn forces more and more people to seek social services. And if your fundraising capacity declines the increased need for your services may put increased demands on your organizations staffing, funding, etc. 

Your best defense is to be completely transparent in everything you do. The simple fact is that most people tend to support winners and organizations that handle the funds they receive in the most effective, honest, and efficient way. Don’t overlook this. People will always turn towards the tried and true organizations they can trust.  Consider putting transparency and accountability issues front and center in all your marketing and fundraising efforts. Let people know exactly how funds are raised, allocated, and spent. And most importantly, make sure you are clearly articulating the successes of your efforts by informing your supporters on a regular basis of the great work you have performed with the hard earned money they donated – often sacrificially.