I’m working with a community nonprofit board, and they’re navigating major transitions.
COVID transformed the landscape, they’ve moved to a new building, and several people in leadership positions are approaching retirement.
I’ve been steering the board’s work on a strategic plan, the first ever for this organization.
Due to immense scheduling challenges, we’ve been distributing the work across board meetings over a 9-month period.
While my usual approach involves more focused work over a few months, including a half-day retreat, we all felt that using existing board meetings was the best way to ensure full board engagement.
With clear consensus on the organization’s purpose and priorities, they’re setting the stage for successful implementation.
But recently, a board member proposed that we pause our efforts until the organization hired a new director.
This proposal surprised me. Since the current director had not even proposed a timeline for retirement, waiting for new leadership felt backward.
As I explained to the group, strategy should guide transitions—not react to them.
After all, even when a new leader takes the helm, the organization’s core purpose, values, and long-range goals—the key elements of any strategic plan—should remain consistent.
Ultimately, the group agreed to continue its work. They’re now in the implementation phase.
This experience resonated with me weeks later as I facilitated a retreat with a different organization days before the presidential inauguration.
The mood was somber yet pragmatic; the conversation focused on actions, activities, and mindsets that would sustain them through what are guaranteed to be tumultuous years.
The challenge: how can we devise a plan that ensures that the organization can still serve its constituents and stay true to its mission and purpose—even in the wake of significant political, social, economic, technological, and environmental changes?
Because ultimately, that is what the best strategic plan will do: it reinforces an organization’s purpose and values, and then provides an all-terrain map for making progress and moving forward in spite of both known and unexpected obstacles.
The map might be messy, but it still contains destination points and multiple avenues to get where you want to be.
OK, but how do I get started?
Hint: Step away from the strategic planning templates you found on the Internet.
Just like you probably wouldn’t just jump in the car one day and drive across the country without some advance planning, it’s important that you plan your strategic planning process. Here are five questions to ask before you begin:
- Who will lead the process? Select 2–3 leaders with decision-making power who can drive the process forward.
- Who are your stakeholders? Identify everyone who has a stake in your success—staff, customers, community members, donors, organizational partners, and so on.
- What resources do you have? Know what you’re working with: what kind of budget, expertise, and time do you have to dedicate to the process?
- Who will participate? Strategic planning thrives on diverse perspectives from across your organization. People who are involved in the planning process will be your greatest advocates at the implementation stage.
- What is your timeline? You need a process that’s both thorough and efficient. With intentional project management, a strategic plan can come together in just a few months.
Don’t wait for perfect conditions—the right administration, a balanced budget, full staffing, or seamless operations.
Start planning now. It’s your most valuable tool for whatever lies ahead. And as always, I’m happy to help.