Nonprofit Strategic Planning
Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
– Dwight D. Eisenhower
Nonprofit Strategic Planning
Where is your nonprofit’s last strategic plan? Are you using it?
Forget the wall-sized sticky notes or a file of notes that you’ll never revisit. A nonprofit’s strategic plan should be a roadmap toward progress that easily integrates into your regular meetings. Using the elements of several methods that are the best fit for nonprofits, we build a plan for your team to make steady progress toward realistic goals.
Download the Good Strategic Planning Checklist>>
Strategic Planning Session Types
SINGLE DAY SESSION
Best for Small Teams | Remote or In-Person
Getting in a room and getting serious about a unified vision is sometimes what it takes to elevate your organization to the next level. A 1-day nonprofit strategic planning session prepares your team and board for a 2-year vision with your first-year goals mapped out.
MULTI-MONTH PLANNING SERIES
Best for larger, complex organizations and remote teams
Complex organizations or those with large boards may find a single session challenging to capture the scope of their progress. Often additional activities such as board training and organization identity elements, i.e. core values and vision, can be incorporated to a longer engagement.
CUSTOMIZED PLAN
Great for project-specific plans & times of transition
Many nonprofit organizations put off strategic planning when they’re going through a leadership transition or about to launch a new project. A time of change is when your nonprofit needs a solid plan the most.
Nonprofit Strategic Planning Client
Katie Appold from Nonprofit Nav came to our nonprofit organization, READ Ottawa to lead and facilitate a strategic planning session for our Board of Directors. She did an excellent job leading this experience with a clear thorough agenda to create 3 2-year goals for our organization. Everyone was extremely pleased with our experience with Katie and we would recommend Nonprofit Nav to other nonprofits who are in need of guidance.
Need more info on strategic planning? Sign up to receive our planning packet.
RFPs can be emailed directly to info@nonprofitnav.com.
Good Strategic Planning is…
Not sure how to get started? Check out our checklist below to help you choose a strategic planning consultant and format that will work for your nonprofit.
Moderated Independently
Strategic planning is a time to listen to the crowd, not the loud.
While it may sound harsh to say we all have agendas, it is certainly understandable that we all have ideas on how to move things forward. The problem is that we also carry biases, experiences, and perspectives that can be valuable as well as limiting. An outside moderator removes any inherent bias in the conduct of the meeting and ensures all voices are heard while adding an outside perspective.
Documented and Designed for Accountability
Who took photos of the whiteboard? How did we manage to lose giant Post-it pages!?!
A strategic plan should serve as an action-oriented guide or map to your organization’s growth. A well-documented plan is short and concise. It should be simple, concise, easily accessed, and clearly designed for accountability.
Limited in Scope
Three years ago there was a pandemic and global shutdown no one had in their strategic plan.
The world moves and changes faster than ever before. Gone are the days of 5-10 year vision boards and plans. Make a plan that the people in the room can all become invested in because they’ll be around to see it happen. A one to two year plan allows for growth as well as flexibility.
Ambitious but also Realistic (S.M.A.R.T. Goals)
Avoid planning to win a grant from Mackenzie Scott. Please.
You can’t plan to win grants and you absolutely cannot budget for growth without actionable steps to get there. Strategic planning goals should be:
Simple
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-Bound