Managing the Nonprofit Organization Strategic Planning The Key to Success

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Managing the Nonprofit OrganizationStrategic
Planning The Key to Success
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What is Strategic Planning?

• A process which allows nonprofits to determine
  how best to respond to shifting trends not only
  in order to survive, but to flourish.
• A managerial process of developing and
  maintaining a viable fit between the
  organizations objectives and resources and
  changing market opportunities
• A process which helps key decision makers think
  and act wisely

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Essential Because of the Benefits

• Addresses fulfillment of the organizations
  mission
• Identifies priorities for focus
• Teaches key players to think strategically
• Clarifies future direction

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More Benefits

• Develops common purpose and direction
• Makes todays decisions in light of their future
  consequences
• Meets mandates facing the organization
• Develops a coherent and defensible basis for
  decision making
• Facilitates organizational transition

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More Benefits

• Exercises maximum discretion in areas under
  organizational control
• Addresses major issues and solves major
  organizational problems
• Improves organizational performance
• Create consensus and enthusiasm within the
  organization facilitates culture change

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More Benefits

• Builds teamwork and expertise
• Improves organizational credibility and enhances
  organizational legitimacy
• Demonstrates achievement to constituents
• Communicates goals to external and internal
  constituents marketing and recrutiment

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Tools for Developing Strategic Plans

• Collection and analysis of internal data
• Individual interviews with key internal staff and
  volunteers
• Gap Analysis
• SWOT analysis with key internal groups

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More Tools

• Individual interviews with key external
  stakeholders including donors, governmental
  agencies, clients, experts, competitors.
• Market research demographics, trends
• Analysis and discernment of the collected data
• Group process retreats, meetings with key
  players

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More Tools

• Agreement on priorities and final draft
  presentation
• Creation of the actual plan and all elements
• Publication, wide-spread dissemination of the
  plan
• USE of the plan

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Components of a Strategic Plan

• Background on the organization
• Process used for strategic planning
• Vision statement
• Mission statement

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More Components

• Values Statement
• Priority Issues
• Goals and Strategies
• Business/Financial Plan
• Evaluation strategy

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More Components

• History of organization and other relevant
  information (programs, services, evolution of
  same
• Planning team members
• Appendices Environmental scan/Assessment
  highlights

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Goals and Strategies

• Implementation plan specific and time measured
  objectives and action steps
• SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
  Realistic, Timely
• Integration into entire organization

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Business Plan

• Allocation of resources
• Control of resources
• Key fiscal data

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Evaluation Strategy

• Inclusion and use of benchmarks
• Relationship to specific goals, objectives and
  action steps
• Use of Balanced Scorecard

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Frameworks for Strategic Planning

• Growth Focus
• Customer/Client Focus
• Financial Focus
• Political Focus

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Barriers to Success

• No time
• No money
• Fear of Change