How do you ensure your nonprofit's strategic plan is actionable and realistic?

Although we sometimes want to skip it, having SMART Goals are the key. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.

To develop an actionable and realistic strategic plan for a non-profit, consider these 5 key points: First, ensure your objectives align with your mission and vision, maintaining coherence and direction. Second, involve your leadership team and key stakeholders to secure their buy-in. Third, establish specific, trackable, and measurable goals to monitor progress and ensure accountability. Fourth, make the strategic plan accessible to everyone within the organization so they understand their roles and responsibilities, facilitating collective effort towards achieving the goals. Finally, celebrate your successes. Acknowledging achievements fosters a positive organizational culture and motivates continued commitment to the mission.

We have found that in the work we do not only people want to give back but also companies love to get involved. Even though we do not have stakeholders giving back to the communities they serve is often very rewarding. It offers free publicity, while doing a good deed.

Conducting a SWOT analysis and mapping resources (capacity, budget, stakeholders). It is important to identify internal capabilities and external factors that can support or influence the organization's strategic plan.

Realistic goals set by your target group, and most importantly measurable! Achieving success comes with a story which leads to the next success!

Set fundraising targets. ... Get input from key stakeholders. ... Determine your key fundraising and marketing strategies. ... Establish SMART objectives. ... Choose tactics to support each objective.

When creating realistic and actionable strategic plans, start by assessing capacities and including a robust capacity-building strategy. Identify your team's talents—both the ones they have and the ones they aspire to develop. A team that leverages its unique talents is not only more efficient but also happier.

A strategic plan that does not include an assessment of capacity is only a goal (or a plan for employee burnout). In my experience, the R in SMART goals is frequently overlooked because a leader is either very out of touch with operations, or because there has been no data gathered to determine effective capacity. For example, if the goal is to close five major deals in the next year, to understand your capacity needs, you need to know how many leads it takes to close a deal, and what the case loads can be carried by your team. Knowing this data, both at the industry standard level and your reality, lets you know wither you need more leads, or more effective conversion. With this data, can you take a goal and create an effective plan.

This is a big one for me. It's all well and good thinking big for your strategy, but without a reality check on the organisation's capacity to actually deliver it's almost guaranteed to fall flat, very quickly. Good practice is to concurrently conduct an organisation review, to examine whether the strategy aligns with current capacity, whether capacity development needs to be expanded first, or can it be embedded into the strategy plan itself.

Clarify is so often overlooked. We want to sound smart. We want to be clever. But we rarely work to be clear. And clarity is the real difference-maker. Your nonprofit's goals should be so clear that the most junior volunteer will know when it has been met. That includes writing it using simple wording, digestible pieces, and clear expectations. The average American reads at a junior high level. Writing that is above that makes your readers work to understand. And in today's Tik Tok world, nobody wants to have to think about what you said.

I like to use the three categories: "WHY - HOW - WHAT (with reference to Prof. Simsek). Always start with WHY. From this starting point, go on and develop SMART goals. as described in the article.

A detailed roadmap translates strategic goals into actionable steps for your nonprofit. Break down each goal into smaller, manageable tasks with assigned responsibilities and deadlines. This approach makes the plan realistic by acknowledging the step-by-step effort required and ensures accountability. By clearly defining who is responsible for what and by when, your team can stay on course and address challenges promptly. This structured method ensures the strategic plan is both actionable and achievable, helping your nonprofit navigate towards its goals with clarity and efficiency.

Correct. Focus on the long-term goal, break it down in smaller digestible goals, and tackle them step by step. But keep the focus all the time.

Be as transparent as you can. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Delegate responsibility. Use and trust the expert knowledge of the team.

Involving your nonprofit team in the development and execution of the strategic plan is crucial. By fostering open communication and encouraging contributions from staff at all levels, you harness collective expertise and enhance commitment to the plan's objectives. This inclusive approach not only empowers your team but also ensures better plan implementation and outcomes. Techniques such as regular strategy meetings, feedback sessions, and transparent progress updates can maintain engagement and adaptivity throughout the strategic plan's lifecycle.

If everyone is not on board( including the board of advisors) or at least is informed of what I would consider one of many important decisions…then don’t even bother with the plan. Keep people informed, get more involved, and make decisions based on informed feedback from knowledgeable people that you can literally find to the right or left of you. This I would consider as pretty uncommon but common sense.

The dedication of the crew is paramount for a ship's successful journey. In your nonprofit, ensuring your team's involvement in both the creation and implementation of the strategic plan is equally important. Foster an environment of open dialogue and actively seek input from staff at all levels. This collaborative approach not only taps into the diverse skills and insights within your team but also enhances their commitment to the plan’s goals, leading to more successful execution and better results.

The aspect of having an opportunity to evaluate and reflect on what is working and what is not is critical. Regularly evaluate the outcomes and impact of the plan as well as reflect on the successes and challenges to inform future planning efforts is critical. Ensuring that efforts to collaborate, learn and adapt will enable your plan to be practical and achievable vis-à-vis ensuring lasting impact.

Le suivi et l'adaptation d'un plan stratégique sont cruciaux dans un environnement changeant. L'adaptabilité, la flexibilité, l'agilité, la rapidité et la ténacité en sont les clés. L'adaptabilité permet de modifier les orientations selon les circonstances, tandis que la flexibilité facilite l'ajustement des actions. L'agilité assure une mise en œuvre rapide des changements grâce à des processus décisionnels efficaces et une communication fluide. La rapidité, favorisée par une veille stratégique performante, permet de détecter et réagir promptement aux évolutions. Enfin, la ténacité, à travers la persévérance et la détermination, maintient le cap sur les objectifs fondamentaux malgré les obstacles.

Wednesday’s May 8, 2024 A strategic plan is a living document. Regularly revisit and update it to stay aligned with your nonprofit’s mission and adapt to evolving needs and opportunities. If you find the traditional strategic planning process too lengthy, consider a more efficient approach like the Strategy Sprint, which involves shorter workshops over a three-week period. Here are some steps to ensure your nonprofit’s strategic plan is effective (refer to “Post” to “Anyone”): — Define Clear Goals: — Involve Key Stakeholders: — Conduct a SWOT Analysis: — Strengths: — Weaknesses: - External Opportunities: — Threats: — Choose the Right Model: — Ensure Realistic Action Steps: — Monitor Progress and Adjust as Needed: -30-

Too often people view strategic plan creation as a linear process - first the vision, then the goals, then the steps, and done. It pays to have fluid movement through the process to ensure the steps actually lead to the goals, the goals are actually related to the vision and mission, and the steps do not create conflicts or unintended consequences with other parts of the plan. Taking the extra time to flow back and forth through the components of the strategic plans can also add depth to both the plan and the stakeholders' understanding of the plan.

Remember that making mistakes and encountering failure is a part of the process and OK. And dream big, imagine the possibilities. The only way to do big things is to think BIG.

This might sound outrageous, but identify an acceptable failure rate. Lately, I've been obsessed with failure. We're often told it's bad, but it's actually a stepping stone to success. Businesses embrace risk—it's in their DNA. But NGOs? We tread cautiously, and that's why businesses sprint while we crawl. Yet, NGOs tackle humanity's toughest challenges. Imagine if we said, "Think big, think bold, and don't worry if you fail." Innovation would skyrocket, and those "failures" would bring us closer to game-changing wins. Make sure you include failure in your plan. It will be more realistic and will motivate your team to think out of the box!!