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Non profit strategic planning may 22 2012
- 1. Presented by Susan Low May 22, 2012
- 2. About Me Founder/CEO of Directis Consulting MBA & 15 years consulting experience Passionate about problem-solving and helping “good” organizations be stronger
- 3. What is Strategic Planning? Provide direction and make choices for the future Determine how to apply the resources of the organization to
- 4. Why Do Strategic Planning? Focus on positive change - proactively Align interests & Society at Large needs with actions Stakeholders Clients Organization
- 5. The Strategic Planning Process Process Participants design Planners Predictable Prepared
- 6. Strategic Planning Process Situational Analysis • What is happening in our world? • What is happening internally? • What is our purpose? Mission, Values, Direction • What makes us different & valuable? • What is our goal for this period? • What are our big priorities? Themes Objectives • What do we measure? How? Actions • What are we going to do? Implement/ • How are we Monitor doing?
- 7. Situation Analysis Environmental Scan: What is changing in our industry, markets, region? How will these changes impact us? Stakeholder Scan: How do our clients, funders, partners and public see us? What needs are we meeting (or not)? Internal Scan: What are our strengths & weaknesses? How do these impact us given the environment?
- 8. Reflecting on Your Scans What are the biggest opportunities or threats from the environment? What problems are we not able to respond to? What resources are we not using well? How do we need to work together better? Rank the top strengths/weaknesses, opportunities/threats
- 9. Strategic Planning Process Situational Analysis • What is happening in our world? • What is happening internally? • What is our purpose? Mission, Values, Direction • What makes us different & valuable? • What is our goal for this period? • What are our big priorities? Themes Objectives • What do we measure? How? Actions • What are we going to do? Implement/ • How are we Monitor doing?
- 10. Mission Long-term purpose: 10-15 years Incorporate “vision” – simplify your planning! Who will we serve? What needs? What is “the change we wish to see in the world?” How will our organization shape itself?
- 11. Values/Beliefs What principles or absolute ideals govern our decisions and conduct? Use as criteria in decision-making: Which programs/projects Who to hire Partners to align with
- 12. Strategic Direction What resources & capabilities do we count on? Where do they come from? What makes us unique among organizations?
- 13. Strategic Goal – FOCUS! 2-3 Year Scope for the Organization Guides near-term program choices, funding needs, etc. What do we do? Selected activities / services that we can capably deliver Who do we do it for? Define the target population – make choices!
- 14. Strategic Planning Process Situational Analysis • What is happening in our world? • What is happening internally? • What is our purpose? Mission, Values, Direction • What makes us different & valuable? • What is our goal for this period? • What are our big priorities? Themes Objectives • What do we measure? How? Actions • What are we going to do? Implement/ • How are we Monitor doing?
- 15. Identifying the Gaps Compare our goal with where we are now Where are we falling short? Prioritize the gaps What will make the biggest positive effect? What do we have the resources to do? Create strategies to close the gaps
- 16. Creating Strategies - Themes Define the desired results What makes it possible to achieve that result? Themes are courses of action chosen to achieve a goal Given our resources, what can we do in 2-3 years?
- 17. Example of a Theme: Theme – increase reach to local program participants Objective – add program spaces Metric - # of program spaces Target – 10% increase by end of 2013 Actions: Develop the case for support from funders Identify teaching / delivery staff Reduce size of program booklet to cut printing costs, allowing us to fit materials into existing budget Resources required: $, time, in-kind, supplies etc.
- 18. Strategic Planning Process Situational Analysis • What is happening in our world? • What is happening internally? • What is our purpose? Mission, Values, Direction • What makes us different & valuable? • What is our goal for this period? • What are our big priorities? Themes Objectives • What do we measure? How? Actions • What are we going to do? Implement/ • How are we Monitor doing?
- 19. Building a Scorecard LO E IAT NG INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS D -T E ME RM OUTCOMES IM MEDIUM-TERM #1 Measure: Outcomes Also measure: What creates sustainability for the organization? What indicates healthy performance?
- 20. Implementation Break up your action plan into 90-day segments Realistic expectations Meet frequently & communicate about progress towards each goal Communicate your plan to all stakeholders
- 21. Measuring / Monitoring Update your scorecard Evaluate whether performance is “on track” Reflect on progress & adjust your course: Given what we know now, what should we do? What assumptions did we make that were right/wrong? How can we use this learning to go forward? Make new action plans
- 22. When can a facilitator help? If your organization is new to strategic planning If there are diverging viewpoints / wide ranges of concerns among participants If an internal facilitator will inhibit participation (or prevent a leader from fully focusing on planning) If previous planning efforts were challenging or got derailed
- 23. Resources Website: SWOT Analysis, Strategic Plan Word Template, Marketing Plan Templates StratPad – iPad app, coming to non-profit soon! Contact me: 250-479-8303 www.directis.ca sue@directis.ca
Editor's Notes
- Process design: invest time up front in asking what activities you need to do, what information will be required, how to give yourself enough time on agendas, and how you will make decisions.Participants: Board members are ultimately responsible. Staff should provide input but not overwhelm the decision-making. Volunteers, funders, clients, community partners should have their voices reflected at the table but not necessarily as a “sitting participant.”Planners: The process should be coordinated by a planning team, 2-3 people who will set up agendas and keep things on track. It’s not the Executive Director’s sole responsibility to do this. A governance committee would be a first start.Predictable: Repeat the strategic planning process every 2-3 years, depending on the rate of change in your environment. Within those periods, you need to do operational planning as a lower-level (often staff-driven) activity. A planning calendar can help you know when to do certain things throughout the year – because the plan must tie into budgetary timelines. Prepared: No immediate cash-flow problems (3 months), Team members can work together, Major players are settled in, Sufficient time is available
- Individual homework for planning participantsCollect/summarize prior to workshop or retreat
- Remember to pay attention to things like: IT – do you have security and backups?Is your facility secure and safe?What happens if your key people leave?
- Begin with the charitable purpose of your organization – what is it you have committed to? Is that still relevant? Can you work within it?It can be useful to think about the long-term and ask what change do we hope we can bring about. Do we want more people dancing? Do we want to see fewer suicides?Within that vision, your mission defines the activities you’re actually going to take on in the short- to mid-term to begin making the change happen.The broader your mission, the more resources you will need to have to serve it. You CAN redefine your mission during strategic planning, although you don’t want to have drastic sea changes. If you focus too narrowly you may become irrelevant to the community, but if you focus too broadly you may not be able to gain a sense of accomplishment.Develop a loose agreement of these concepts first – worry about wordsmithing your mission statement later. Often boards can get hung up on creating a mission statement because they interpret certain words differently. What is important is really not how it’s written but whether everyone has the same sense and feeling about your purpose.If your mission is difficult to frame because you’re not sure of the relevance or you have disagreements about what is important, put it aside and do your situational analysis first.
- Values – such as equality, fairness, spiritual beliefs, community, etc. may seem obvious at first but they can be a major influence in how the organization arranges itself.For example – Vancouver Rowing Club. Founded 1880s. Has a history of producing Olympic teams. Receives free lease on its Stanley Park location to operate as a “community-based” rowing club. Major point of debate on the board is whether they focus on “elite” performance athletes or use more of their resources to run “everyone welcome” programs. Often the two are in conflict when it comes to boat purchases, coaching appointments, training schedules, equipment allocations… and no matter how much they increase their funding, there is never a point where both values would be completely satisfied.In your organization, you may have other beliefs that are less conflict-raising but still make your organization unique. State those and articulate how your values influence your decision-making.