A critical component of board governance is overseeing the organization and determining its strategic direction. Strategic planning is more than a work plan for the organization. Learn how organizations can benefit from the strategic planning process itself, how to identify the right facilitator, and specific tools for implementation and accountability.

1. THEORY OF CHANGE:
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
January 18, 2017
BoardSource
Emily Davis, MNM
President, Emily Davis Consulting
Senior Governance Consultant, BoardSource

2. TURN ON YOUR TECH
Follow the conversation…
@AskEmilyD
@boardsource
#governance
#nonprofit
#leadership
#philanthropy

3. A LITTLE ABOUT YOU
Question/concern
about strategic
planning?
Are you a board
member? Staff?
Other?
HI!

5. BOARD ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Set Organizational
Direction
Provide Oversight Ensure Necessary
Resources
*BoardSource

6. NPO & CORPORATE BOARDS
Legal
Requirements
Compensation Voting
Human Resources Committees Cash
Strategic Planning Clients
Funding Bottom Line

7. STRATEGIC PLANNING:
WHAT STINKS? WHY DO WE DO IT?

8. ARE WE READY?
ORG STABILITY EXISTING PLAN
PLAN
STRATEGIES
TIMING
FUNDING
BOARD & STAFF
COMMITMENT
FACILITATION

9. STRATEGIC PLANNING ROLES

10. WHO FACILITATES PLANNING?
Objective perspective
Time to commit and
compile info
Serve as “bad guy”
Expert
Keeps focus on priorities
Costs $
Board/staff resistance
Less money
Understand org best
Can get bogged down
in details
More subjective
Time accountability
CONSULTANT
SELF

11. HIRING A CONSULTANT
BUDGET TIMELINE OUTCOMES
PROPOSAL REFERENCES LEADERSHIP

13. IMPLEMENTATIONDOCUMENTATIONRETREATDISCOVERY
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
Environmental
Assessment
• Where are we
now?
Organizational
Direction
• Where should
we be going?
Strategy
Formulation
• How are we
going to get
there?
Planning &
Implementation
• How will we
make it
happen?

14. DATA GATHERING & ANALYSIS
Situational
Analysis
Report
Stakeholder
Feedback
Document
review
Organizational
lifecycle
Environmental
scan
Best practices
Strategic
priorities

15. RETREAT FACILITATION
Board Education Priorities Activities

16. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
What?
Why?
How?
How does this serve our mission?
How does it fit our strategic goals?
What is our capacity?
What does success look like?
Why is this important right now?
Why should we consider other
options?
* Governance as Leadership

17. DOCUMENT ELEMENTS
Introduction
•Process steps
•Strategic plan
purposes
Situational
Analysis
•Lifecycle stage
•Stakeholder
feedback
•Priorities
Strategies,
Goals,
Objectives
•Narrative
•Deadlines
•Responsible
parties
•Resources
Implementation
•Accountability
•Next steps
•Sample docs
•Technical
assistance

18. Strategic
Priorities
• Broad, functional business area that will be addressed, changed or
modified
• Board and ED provide oversight
Goals
• More specific benchmarks that define strategic priority. Goals speak
to a qualitative shift in the organization.
• Board and ED provide oversight
Objectives
• Building blocks to achieve the goals, often quantitative
• ED, staff, and committees begin to operationlize
Tactics (aka
Activities)
• Specific actions, events, or organizational shifts that assist in meeting
goals, objectives, and strategic priorities.
• ED, committees, and staff get into the details for implementation
Work Plans
• Action plans around necessary tactics connected to milestones and
deadlines to meet learger objectives, goals, and strategic priorities
• ED, staff, committees

19. STRATEGY VS. GOALS VS. OBJECTIVES

20. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOALS
• Provide beauty to residents
• Make it a welcoming place
• Make it a peaceful place
• Come up with a design for the
courtyard that supports the
residents
• Secure the site
• Create a space for children to
enjoy
OBJECTIVES
• Provide a classic garden for them to
use
• Bulb planting to attract them
• Place some relaxing benches
• And CCTV monitors and closed fences
• Give residents privacy from the street
passersby
• Build up a small play area for children

21. IMPLEMENTATION

23. Create &
Review
Policy
CEO/ED
Hiring &
Oversight
Connections
to Funding
Financial
Due
Diligence
Board
Recruitment
& Retention
Policy
Questions
Staff Hiring
& Oversight
Develops,
Implements,
& Oversees
Programs
Chief
Fundraiser
Operations
Reporting
Strategic
Plan
Fundraising
Plan/
Strategies
Evaluation
Board
Meeting
Prep
SHARED LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(STAFF)
*BoardSource

24. OBSERVATION LEADERSHIP
ATTENDANCE MICROMANAGEMENT
E
D
E
N
G
A
G
E
M
E
N
T
BOARD ENGAGEMENT
*BoardSource

25. HATS WE WEAR
Legal Ambassador
Volunteer
Connections
Resources
Communications
Duty of Care
Duty of Loyalty
Duty of Obedience Board works for staff
Avoid micromanagement
*BoardSource

27. RESOURCES
• Strategic Planning Understanding the Process: A
BoardSource Toolkit
• Driving Strategic Planning: A Nonprofit
Executive’s Guide
• Governance as Leadership Collection
• The Nonprofit Dashboard: Using Metrics to
Drive Mission Success
• Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations
• The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution

28. Emily Davis, MNM
President, Emily Davis Consulting
Senior Governance Consultant, BoardSource
(720) 515-0581
emily@emilydavisconsulting.com
emilydavisconsulting.com