3 Things to Know Before Developing Your Strategic Plan

Here are 3 things I wish every nonprofit executive team and board knew going into their strategic planning processes:

1. Strategy is a hypothesis, not a guarantee.

Strategy is a series of interconnected choices about what you will and won't do to achieve your intended impact.

It's your best guess - using data, input from the people you serve, and a clear understanding of your organization's strengths and unique identity - at what will help you achieve those aims.

BUT... you don't have a crystal ball. You won't always know what opportunities and challenges will come your way next.

So, creating a strategic plan that has a massive list of "things we're going to do" is often a waste of time, energy, and resources.

Instead, focus on creating a clear strategic narrative that helps your team, community, and supporters understand what you're trying to accomplish, what makes you believe in the approach you're proposing, and why you - and the cause - are worth investing in.


2. Naming existing, underlying truths is more valuable than brainstorming new ideas.

We are not short on ideas in the nonprofit sector - thank goodness! Our creativity and ability to offer new approaches to address intractable problems are part of our DNA.

BUT... across my 20 years of facilitating strategic conversations with executive teams and boards, the thing that delivers more value in strategy work is naming and aligning on the underlying truths that are influencing our work.

Everyone wants to be a visionary - or an innovator - until we get into important, nuanced conversations about the organization's risk tolerance, strengths, preferences, willingness to invest in certain initiatives, and more.

Having a clear understanding of who you are as an organization - your role, strengths, preferences, vibe, comfort with ambiguity, and more - enables you to make better, more strategic decisions about which ideas and investments are the best fit for you and your community.


3. Strategy has to make sense to be effective.

Your team has to be able to understand, execute, and talk about your strategy with confidence, both within and outside your organization.

BECAUSE... if the people who power your organization don't understand the strategy, it is not going to happen.

(Read that sentence again.)

And if the strategy doesn't make sense to them, it probably won't make sense to your potential supporters or investors, either.

This isn't about proving how smart you are to others "out there" - it's about showing you know your organization and setting your team up to succeed on behalf of your community or cause.

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