Getting the Most From Your Next
Strategic Planning Process


                                                                                                                                      Drawing: Greg McNealy

Rae Levine
P.O.  Box 974, Inverness, CA 94937
415-669-1509.
http://rlevine.home.igc.org

 “Built to Last” Marin Nonprofit Conference
November 18, 2003

 

Getting the Most from Your Next Strategic Planning Process

Rae Levine, “Built to Last” Marin Nonprofit Conference, November 18, 2003

Desired Outcomes:

Overview Agenda:

Welcome & Overview

Strategic Planning Design
-     Strategic Planning – what and why?
-     Design Principles
-          Setting up for success

Stupendous Strategic Planning
-         Mini-experience of Appreciative Inquiry interview
-         Choosing an approach to get the most from your next strategic planning

Close – Happy Planning!
 

What is Strategic Planning?


Strategic Planning is a systematic process through which an organization agrees on – and builds commitment among key stakeholders to – priorities which are essential to its mission and responsive to the operating environment.”

Michael Allison & Jude Kaye, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations

 In its simplest form, a strategic planning process is a series of conversations seeking to address these questions:

Why do it?

Basic Principles for Strategic Planning Design

 Designing a Strategic Planning Process – Agenda for Design Meeting(s)

Meeting Purpose:

Agenda Topics:

Meeting Start-up:
-          Welcome and Introductions.
-          Agree on desired outcomes, agenda for this meeting.
-          Clarify roles, groundrules, and expectations for this meeting.

Foundation for Strategic Planning:
-          What do we mean by “strategic planning”? Why do it?  Why now?
 -          Agree on purpose and desired outcomes for this process. Who will use the products, for what purpose?
 -          Do 1st draft of Strategic Plan Table of Contents to agree on specific desired product.
 -          Identify strategic issues to be addressed.

Decision-making:
-          Identify the stakeholders.
 -          Clarify who is/are the final decision-makers.
 -          Agree on the decision-making process.
 -          Identify givens and constraints.

Strategic Planning Process:
 -   Consider possible strategic planning approaches and select approach most suitable to desired outcomes and the organization.
-      Map out the process, including how to include various stakeholders, timeframe.
 -      Decide what data is needed and how to collect it.
 -      Think about what could go wrong along the way and how to prevent it.

Roles and Expectations:
-      Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Strategic Planning Committee and its members, Staff, Board, Consultant throughout the process.
 -      Agree on groundrules for working together effectively during this process.

Next Steps:
-      Decide how to launch the process in the organization.
 -      Agree on specific next steps, who will do them, by when to initiate the process.        

Examples

  •  Assess the organization as it is today, chart where we want it to be in 5 years, and determine how to get there.

  • Prepare the organization for the upcoming leadership transition.

  • Shared understanding of what’s been accomplished, the organization’s “positive core” of essential gifts, strengths, capabilities.

  • Agreed upon vision of the organization at its best five years from now.

  • Plan for how to get there: 1,3,5-Year Goals and 1st -Year Action Plan for programs, internal operations, and fundraising.

  • Job description for next Executive Director.

  • Agreement on infrastructure/internal changes needed to achieve goals.
     

  • Cover Page

  • Table of Contents

  • Executive Summary

  • Organization description (Who are we, What do we do):
       -                  Mission, values, brief history, organizational profile.
       -                  Organization’s niche, key constituencies, program areas.

  • Vision for 2006 and Beyond

  • 2006 Strategies and Goals

  • First Year Goals and Action Plans

  • Annual Strategic Planning Review and Update Process:
       -                  Success indicators, how results & impact will be assessed, monitoring plans.
       -                  Process for annual updating of the plan.

  • Appendix:
       -                  Summary of Data Conclusions.
       -                  Strategic Planning Process Overview.

  • Who should we be serving?  What are their needs now and 5-10 years from now?

  • What do we want xxx’s role to be in the larger xxx community?

  • What does the organization need in terms of leadership going forward?

  • What do we need to do to strengthen the organization for a healthy transition?

 

Strategic Planning Approaches in Brief

 

Who

How

Product

 

Traditional

 

Expert-driven, minimal input.

Decisions by senior managers and/or professional planners.

 

Professional planners collect data and produce report.

Focus on analyzing past, predicting future.

 

Strategic Plan document.

 

Collaborative

 

Key internal stakeholders, with possible input from external stakeholders such as clients. Decisions by key internal stakeholders.

 

 

Data collected and analyzed by and with stakeholders.  Decisions made collaboratively, building buy-in over time.  Includes understanding past and creating shared vision for future. 

 

Strategic Plan document and agreement to implement it.

 

Whole System (such as: Open Space, Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search)

 

Decisions made with view of whole system, including internal and external perspectives.

 

 

Whole system generates & interprets data, focusing on wisdom & creativity in the room.  Whole system develops shared vision, strategies & actions to achieve it.

 

 

Strategic Plan document, plus agreement, energy & momentum to implement it.  Planning & action done together.

More Resources 

Allison, Michael and Kaye, Jude. Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, A Practical Guide and Workbook. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.

Barry, Bryan W. Strategic Planning Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations.  Saint Paul, Minnesota: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 2001.

Holman, Peggy and Devane, Tom. The Change Handbook, Group Methods for Shaping the Future.  San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publications, Inc., 1999.

Ludema, James and Whitney, Diana and Mohr, Bernard and Griffin, Thomas.  The Appreciative Inquiry Summit, A Practitioner’s Guide for Leading Large Group Change, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publications, Inc., 2003.

Owen, Harrison. Open Space Technology, A User’s Guide. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publications, Inc., 1997.

Weisbord, Marvin and Janoff, Sandra. Future Search, An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organizations & Communities.  San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publications, Inc., 1995.

Whitney, Diana and Trosten-Bloom, Amanda.  The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, A Practical Guide to Positive Change.  San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publications, Inc., 2003. 

Websites:

Appreciative Inquiry: http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu.aai

Future Search: http://www.futuresearch.net

Open Space: http://www.openspaceworld.com

Rae Levine: http://rlevine.home.igc.org

  

Getting the Most from Your Next Strategic Planning Process, Rae Levine,
“Built to Last” Marin Nonprofit Conference, November 18, 2003

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