Center for Civic Partnerships

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is a creative process for determining an organization’s long-term goals and then developing the best approaches for achieving them. It is a management tool that can be used to determine the organization’s vision, mission, values, goals, roles and responsibilities and timelines. A strategic planning process typically addresses the next 3-5 years and can help an organization:

Clarify its purpose and objectives
Identify available resources and possible challenges
Decide upon long-term goals

Groups can also undertake strategic planning to address specific issues such as improving quality of life in their community.

Top Tips

Plan to spend enough time on the planning process. This will differ for each organization and depends upon what steps you choose to include. You will need to tailor the process to your particular situation.
Consider hiring a facilitator or using other technical assistance to help you plan and carry out your process.
Establish a committee or task group to guide the strategic planning effort.
Include as many stakeholders in the planning process as possible. Consider inviting board members, staff, volunteers and people your organization serves to participate. Their involvement will help to create a cohesive vision for the future and provide you with a variety of perspectives and creative ideas.
Focus on the most critical questions and issues facing your organization now and in the future.Prioritize your strategies based on criteria that are most important to your organization. Some to consider: alignment with long-term vision or goals, cost, available staffing, ease of implementation, ability to achieve short-term success, opportunity to involve community members or other partners and potential to create significant change.
Create a document that is realistic, user-friendly and easy to follow. The board and staff should be able to remember the elements and carry out the plan.
Share your plan with your organization’s supporters, potential funders or partners and new staff.
Expect changes to occur that will impact your plan. This can happen during the planning process as well as in the future. Remain flexible to cope with change.
Periodically review and revise your plan. This will help you to stay on track, assess your progress, celebrate successes and modify as needed.

Online Tools and Resources

The Alliance for Nonprofit Management
www.allianceonline.org/FAQ
This page contains commonly asked questions about strategic planning in the nonprofit sector. Topics covered include key concepts of strategic planning, the role of consultants, developing vision and mission, assessment, creating strategies and using retreats.

Civic Practices Network
www.cpn.org
Look in the Topics area for case studies of community engagement in planning efforts. The section on health includes examples of how civic engagement in planning influenced reform efforts in areas around the United States, including Los Angeles, Orange and Solano counties in California.

Community Tool Box
www.ctb.ku.edu/en
This site houses a vast collection of resources for community change including tools for developing a strategic plan. Each section includes an overview, real world examples, checklists, overheads for presentations and links to related topics. Chapter eight details how to develop a strategic plan

Non Profit Genie
www.genie.org
Includes 15 entries about strategic planning in a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) format. Covers topics such as who should be involved, what strategic planning is and is not, and how nonprofit planning differs from planning in the business or government sectors.

TechSoup: The Technology Place for Nonprofits
www.techsoup.org/stock/default.asp
Visit TechSoup’s Learning Center and click on “technology planning” to find a wealth of resources related to strategic technology planning. Includes worksheets to assess your technology needs, bulletin boards to post your own technology planning questions and technology planning stories from nonprofits across the U.S.

Suggested Reading

Allison, Michael and Kaye, Judy. (1997). Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook. John Wiley & Sons. Written by Support Center for Nonprofit Management staff, this comprehensive book/disk set shows you how to create and implement an effective strategic plan using a simple, seven-phase process that covers everything from defining your mission and setting your course to initiating, monitoring, and streamlining your plan. Designed for nonprofits of all sizes and budgets. Includes field-tested worksheets, checklists and tables in print and disk formats, plus a sample case study that demonstrates strategic planning in action.

Angelica, Emil. (2001). The Wilder Nonprofit Field Guide To Crafting Effective Mission and Vision Statements. This book will guide an organization through a six-step process that results in a mission statement, vision statement, or both. The author explains how clarified mission and vision lead to more effective leadership, decisions, fundraising, and management. Tips are given on using the process alone or in conjunction with an in-depth strategic planning process. The book includes sample mission and vision statements, step-by-step instructions, and worksheets.

Barry, Bryan. (1997). Strategic Planning Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations. Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. With practical, step-by-step guidance and worksheets to develop your own plan. Includes step-by-step guidance through five planning phases, a detailed sample of one nonprofit’s three-year plan, and examples of how multiple organizations, coalitions and communities can use strategic planning. Order from Amherst H. Wilder Foundation by calling toll-free 1-800-274-6024 or via their website at www.fieldstonealliance.org

Best Practices Report #3: Strategic Planning. (2001). Community Associations Institute Research Foundation. Though this guidebook for strategic planning is tailored for community associations, it contains practical advice, tips and case studies useful to nonprofit organizations from other sectors. Download free at www.cairf.org/research/bpstrategic.pdf.

Bryson, John M. and Alston, Farnum K. (1995). Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. Jossey-Bass Public Administration Series. Contains worksheets to identify stakeholders, conduct a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and implement strategies.

Community Visioning / Strategic Planning Handbook. (2000). National Civic League. NCL Staff, 3rd Printing. This handbook provides a step-by-step guide to creating a sustainable vision and action plan for communities. From the logistical planning to the implementation of the plan, communities will learn how to engage broad-based community participation, evaluate their civic infrastructure and effectively reach their desired future. Order from NCL by phone at 303-571-4343 or via website at www.ncl.org.

Howe, Fisher, and Shrader, Alan. (1997). The Board Member's Guide to Strategic Planning: A Practical Approach to Strengthening Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. This book offers action steps to strategic planning in nonprofit organizations. Board members are guided through each step, including planning meetings, using consultants and facilitators and determining visions and values.

Lyddon, Jan. (1999). Strategic Planning in Smaller Nonprofit Organizations. This short guide is designed to help board members and staff of smaller nonprofit organizations develop strategic plans that can help them strengthen and sustain their organization’s achievements. Download for free at
www.wmich.edu/nonprofit/Guide/guide7.htm.

Martinelli, Frank. (1999). Strategic Planning Manual. The Center for Public Skills Training. This guide includes an overview of the planning model, examples of vision and mission statements, and a variety of sample worksheets to assist during the planning process. To obtain a copy, contact the author via phone: 414-961-2536 or email: frank@createthefuture.com

McNamara, Carter, PhD. (1999). Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations). This comprehensive resource for strategic planning is part of the Free Management Library and hosted by the Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits. Includes a discussion of strategic planning benefits, preparation, and conduction as well as an extensive list of additional resources, on-line links and discussion groups. Download for free at www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/str_plan.htm