Knowledge
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is an essential element of effective management of nonprofit organisations. Strategic plans should establish a clear, coherent and realistic view of what the organisation wants to achieve and a 3 – 5 year overview of how it will set about achieving its objectives.
The process of preparing a strategic plan needs to involve board members, managers and staff, and often other stakeholders as well, to ensure that everyone ‘owns’ the plan and uses it to inform decisions and monitor progress.
Strategic plans should set out:
- The organisation‘s mission
- Specific strategic objectives to be achieved within a stated time period
- The overall strategies for achieving the objectives
- The funding required from different sources to implement the strategies
- The criteria for measuring the achievement of objectives
- An overall implementation timetable
- The process for monitoring performance and reviewing the plan.
More on Strategic Planning
Three Planning Concepts.
Types of Plan.
Quality Tests - Strategic Plans.
Testing Planning Processes.
Compass Presentations on Strategic Planning
Advanced Strategic Planning Techniques.
Presentation to ACEVO
2011
Strategy Formulation in the Third Sector.
Lecture to London Business School
Reports on Strategic Planning
Essential Guide to Strategic Planning.
ACEVO
2005
An ‘aid memoire’ of key points Chief Executives need to consider before embarking on creating or reviewing a strategic plan in bullet point form for quick and easy access.
Books on Strategic Planning
The Complete Guide to Business and Strategic Planning,
Alan Lawrie, Directory of Social Change, 2007
ISBN 1903991706
This book gives advice on:
- Starting the process
- Gathering information
- Setting strategic direction
- Presenting a business plan
- Managing implementation.
Packed with advice and examples and includes 24 exercise worksheets.
Articles on Strategic Planning
Ten Keys to Successful Strategic Planning
TCC Group
Practical advice from a leading nonprofit consultancy firm in the USA
Chapters on Strategic Planning
Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations (6th Edition)
Section II — Strategic Planning and Organization
In its sixth edition, this best selling US text book takes a marketers approach and has chapters on:
- Strategic marketing planning
- Understanding consumer behaviour
- Acquiring and using marketing information
- Segmentation, positioning and branding.
Managing Without Profit
Mike Hudson, Directory of Social Change, 2009
Chapter 5 Strengthening Strategic Management
This chapter demonstrates how organisations:
- Establish and refresh strategic planning processes
- Create strategic objectives
- Develop strategic propositions
- Make strategic choices
- Resolve common strategic dilemmas.
Chapter 6 Establishing objectives and performance measures.
- The Need for Objectives And Strategies
- The Hierarchy of Objectives
- Clarifying Strategic Objectives
- Strategy Evolves
- Strategic Reviews, Positions and Choices
- Developing Strategic Plans
- Common Strategic Dilemmas.