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Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Ultimate Guide + 7 Examples

This guide explores how to conduct effective nonprofit strategic planning.

  • Leadership/Culture
  • Strategy/Planning

See How Bloomerang Can Have a Bigger Impact on Your Mission!

Nonprofit strategic planning can help your organization meet challenges effectively and take advantage of new opportunities. Despite the many benefits that strategic planning can bring, 49 percent of nonprofits lack a strategic plan.

Organizations that do have a strategic plan continually express the advantages that this type of preparation gives them. One study found that 86 percent of respondents believed that having a strategic plan positively impacted revenue generation through grants, donors, events and other avenues.

Whether you’re starting a new nonprofit , crafting an emergency plan to react to unexpected external circumstances, or creating your strategy for the next two to five years, this guide will help your nonprofit get the most out of its strategic plan. We’ll cover:

Nonprofit strategic planning FAQs

Types of nonprofit strategic plans, nonprofit strategic planning template, 5 steps of strategic planning for nonprofits.

  • 7 nonprofit strategic plan examples

How donor management and fundraising software can support strategic planning

Annual strategic planning is the key to unlocking your growth potential for the future. Let’s get started.

What is strategic planning for nonprofits?

Nonprofit strategic planning is the process of creating a blueprint that guides an organization for a specified time period and helps accomplish its goals. The strategic planning process involves reflecting on your mission to identify your most important goals and determining the strategies you’ll use to reach them.

A good strategic plan ensures you have charted the necessary pathways to meet (and hopefully exceed) your organization’s goals.

How often should you develop a standard nonprofit strategic plan?

Ideally, every three to five years, your board and staff directors will meet to realign goals and begin the strategic planning process. This plan is a living blueprint based on everyone’s ideas.

What are common misconceptions about nonprofit strategic planning?

When it comes to strategic planning, there are a few common hesitations that nonprofits voice throughout the process. Here are three misconceptions about the process:

  • It’s a cliche, but it’s true — you have to spend money to make money. During the strategic planning process, you should identify areas to spend money effectively in ways that increase your fundraising return on investment. When you make strategic purchasing decisions, you can set your organization up to fundraise more productively than ever before.
  • Your nonprofit shouldn’t fear experimentation — taking calculated risks fuels innovation and helps you reach your mission more efficiently.
  • We recommend that you don’t place board members in charge of setting strategic direction. The board should be tasked with providing oversight of your organization’s strategy, not setting the priorities themselves.

Learn more about common strategic planning misconceptions in this Bloomerang webinar:

How do you begin the nonprofit strategic planning process?

You’ll discuss measurable objectives for the team to reach and draft the priorities for each of these objectives. You may begin with a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. This can help you start defining goals and considering which strategic planning model will best work for your organization.

Different circumstances and goals will require different types of nonprofit strategic plans. Choose a strategic planning model based on your nonprofit’s current circumstances, opportunities and threats.

Carefully examine the following strategic model plans to decide which one will best suit your nonprofit’s needs:

This chart highlights the primary nonprofit strategic planning models, which are described within the text.

Standard Strategic Planning Model

The standard strategic planning model, also known as the basic planning model, vision-based model, goals-based model or conventional model, is the most common nonprofit strategic planning model.

It’s best to use this model when your organization’s external surroundings are generally calm. When you start using this model, the economy is probably stable, your community and country are at peace and your organization is well-established in the community.

Generally, this model follows these steps:

  • Define your organization’s mission and goals.
  • Set specific, short-term goals you would like to reach to get you closer to those larger goals.
  • Create a clear plan to reach short-term goals, including who is responsible for each goal’s success.
  • Write these actions down and create a timeline to complete each one.

Here’s an example of what this would look like: Let’s say your organization is an animal shelter. In the next year, your specific short-term goal is to increase the shelter’s capacity by 50 animals and invest in the materials to do so.

To do this, your organization will need to increase fundraising revenue by $10,000 by finding new outreach opportunities and strengthening relationships with existing supporters to increase donor retention.

You may decide to ask one team member to post to social media every day to engage your online audience . Meanwhile, you may assign another person to call new donors to thank them and increase your new donor retention .

This model is the most common because the climate in which your organization resides is, more often than not, fairly stable. When it does become unstable, that means it’s time to switch to a different model.

Issues-Based Strategic Planning Model

An issues-based strategic planning model can be used when your organization’s internal operations are in more turbulent conditions. For example, if you’re undergoing frequent staff turnover, a change in leadership or are understaffed, you may find an issues-based strategic planning model to be the best choice.

This nonprofit strategic planning model helps organizations get back on track if they have strayed from the path to success.

To implement this strategic planning model, complete the following tasks:

  • Brainstorm the elements that are holding your organization back from success.
  • Decide how to address each of those elements to get your organization back on track.
  • Carefully monitor your progress and adjust the strategy accordingly.

Consider the following scenario: Your nonprofit has limited staff and struggles to increase fundraising revenue. You may decide to address this by working with an external fundraising consultant or directing your staff’s attention to building relationships with your most engaged donors who are likely to increase their giving amounts.

An issues-based nonprofit strategic planning model is a living plan. Instead of setting it in stone, set check-in milestones and make adjustments based on your progress and results.

Organic Nonprofit Strategic Planning Model

The organic or nonlinear nonprofit strategic planning model is best when there are uncertain external factors that threaten your nonprofit’s situation.

Using this model, your team members will come together to solidify their understanding of the organization’s mission and goals. Each person then comes up with actionable next steps to help get closer to that goal by the next time the group meets.

Generally, putting this model into practice looks something like this:

  • You and your team members go on a retreat to unify your understanding of the organization’s big-picture goals.
  • Each team member examines their own strengths and decides on an actionable goal they can achieve based on that strength by a certain date.
  • The team meets together again either quarterly or annually (or as frequently as you’d like) to discuss your progress toward each goal and mission impact.

For instance, you may find that one team member, Theo, is especially good at face-to-face communication on the retreat. He’s empathetic and understanding and would be a great candidate for holding meetings with major donors to build relationships with them. He may have a goal to leverage the information in your new donor database to foster relationships and grow major giving by 10% in the coming year.

This model never looks the same for two organizations. Each team member has inherent strengths, so this model is designed to help your nonprofit make the most of your unique strengths.

Real-Time Nonprofit Strategic Planning Model

The real-time nonprofit strategic planning model is useful when your nonprofit is in the midst of a crisis, like an economic recession or national/global catastrophe. The situation could also be limited to your organization. For instance, you might have been the victim of a cyberattack or your headquarters might have been severely damaged in a tornado.

This model relies on an extreme focus on short-term goals that aim to help you weather the storm. Your nonprofit staff members might meet as frequently as every week to discuss your progress toward these short-term goals. The model usually looks like this:

  • Your organization frequently meets as a large group to define short-term objectives for individual team members.
  • In these team meetings, you discuss whether you’ve met these goals, your day-to-day progress and any roadblocks your organization members face.
  • After the crisis period, your organization takes inventory of the progress made or damage done, thanks team members for their hard work and creates a new strategic plan using a different model.

Consider the following situation: You discover that your nonprofit was the victim of a cyberattack that potentially left some donors’ information at risk. In response, you meet with your team to define and align on urgent next steps.

You assign several team members to assess the extent of the attack and summarize their findings into a clear report. Then, you designate other team members to notify impacted donors as quickly as possible about the breach. You outline the steps you’ll take to keep donors’ information more secure in the future and prevent future attacks.

As you can see, these goals are small and manageable in a short time. Goals are created as responses to the direct impact that external forces have on your organization’s internal operations.

Alignment Nonprofit Strategic Planning Model

The alignment nonprofit strategic planning model is best when your organization has great individual departments or team members but has trouble when it comes to communication between these departments.

This model tends to look something like this:

  • Your team members meet to learn about the issues each individual faces in their position.
  • You re-establish the common mission that everyone on your team is working towards.
  • You outline tweaks that your team can use to improve internal communication processes.

For instance, say your organization has an incredible grant writer, an excellent executive director, a communicative and empathetic major gift officer and very capable fundraisers. However, they have trouble communicating with one another about the nonprofit’s goals and what each of them is doing to reach those goals. The result is discord among teams and a lack of progress.

In this case, consider ways to encourage teamwork between members. You may provide an overall fundraising goal for your fundraisers and major gift officer to work on together. Or, you may set up check-in meetings for everyone to meet with the executive director and ensure that the director knows what’s happening in each department and can prioritize their tasks accordingly.

The alignment nonprofit strategic planning model is a great way to set new communication standards and processes to incorporate moving forward as a team.

Before you dive into the strategic planning process, it can be helpful to know what type of plan or report you’re going to end up with. Generally, strategic planning forms look similar to this:

This image shows a nonprofit strategic planning template (described further in the text below).

This template outlines all of the essential planning steps that we’ll review in the next section. Here is a high-level overview of what your plan should include:

  • Your organization’s mission statement. Your mission statement should dive into why your organization exists. What is it that you’re trying to accomplish? How are you different from other organizations? This statement should use precise language but non-finite verbs. This leaves it open for continuous improvement and development of your mission; it will never be complete but always be a work in progress.
  • Your primary goals and specific objectives within those goals. Identify priorities for the types of programs and services you’ll offer to support your goals, target audience for your services, target supporter audiences, advocacy and public policy aims and branding or marketing objectives.
  • Who is responsible for each objective and what activities they will complete to work toward the objective. You’ll assign each team member a clear role in the process and outline the tasks they will complete that support your overarching goals.

Let’s take a closer look at how to develop each aspect of your strategic plan.

Use these steps to launch the strategic planning process:

1. Set fundraising targets

Use your organization’s budget to determine generally how much you need to raise to achieve your philanthropic goals. Then, outline the strategies you’ll use to acquire that funding.

For example, you may decide to raise:

  • 50% of funding from individual contributions to your annual fund
  • 20% of funding from your planned giving, legacy and endowment programs
  • 20% of funding from corporate giving programs
  • 10% of funding from grants

Every nonprofit will have a different breakdown of their fundraising goals based on their current fundraising initiatives and their community’s giving capacity.

2. Get input from key stakeholders

Next, ask your stakeholders for input about your fundraising goals. Provide context for your goals and philanthropic objectives, explain how each will impact your mission, then ask for feedback about the plan.

The different stakeholders you should reach out to include:

  • Board members
  • Staff members
  • Key corporate and community partners
  • A fundraising consultant

Running the plan by everyone will help you make sure that the goals you’ve set are achievable and manageable for your team.

Stakeholders might raise the alarm if your fundraising amount is drastically different from last year or if you’re relying on strategies that have been ineffective in the past.

For example, let’s say your nonprofit has a good track record with grant writing. You’ve won 80% of the grants you’ve applied for, so you decide to dedicate a large portion of your fundraising revenue plan to be raised using grant money. Seems reasonable, right?

Well, your grant writer may bring up the valid point that you’ve only been that successful because you’re incredibly picky about the type of grant you apply for. While the percentage looks impressive, there aren’t enough grants out there to meet the goal you’ve set. This is great insight and enables you to switch up your strategy to be as successful as possible.

3. Determine your key fundraising and marketing strategies

You may consider doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of your past fundraising to better understand what areas you’re already strong in and what could be improved.

This chart can help you outline your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats clearly and concisely:

This image shows a breakdown of a nonprofit SWOT analysis, which you can use during your strategic planning process.

Some of the fundraising and marketing strategies your organization should take into consideration include:

  • Major gift fundraising . Major gift fundraising likely makes up a large portion of your proceeds. If it doesn’t already, this is one area of your strategy you’ll want to improve.
  • Donor-centric stewardship . Donor stewardship leads to better retention rates and better fundraising results down the line. This ties in well with your marketing strategy and ensures you’re communicating regularly and effectively with donors.
  • New donor acquisition and retention . The second donation a donor gives is the “golden donation” because most donors lapse after the first gift. After the “golden donation,” there’s about a 60% chance they’ll give again.
  • Online fundraising . While more revenue probably comes from in-person conversations with major donors, most of your donors probably prefer to give online. It’s convenient so long as your fundraising page is well-optimized.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising . Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great strategy to attract new donors while raising additional funds from your committed supporters. Leverage the power of your social networks to raise funds using this avenue.
  • Monthly giving . Recurring gifts are essential because they’re a consistent source of revenue. If someone sets up a recurring gift, you can probably count on that gift being given for an extended period and account for that in your future budget.

Assign areas that need improvement a lower fundraising target than the aspects of your strategy where you already know you’re strong. This way, you can try out different strategies to make these elements stronger without as much pressure.

For example, if you know your nonprofit has an incredible major giving program, specify that a larger portion of your fundraising will likely come from this avenue. If you know that you could use improvement on your new donor retention rates, you might set that at a lower goal and use this as an opportunity to try out new things like calling new donors and setting up a welcome email series.

4. Establish SMART objectives

When you set your fundraising goals, make sure they’re SMART:

  • Specific: Target a specific area for improvement
  • Measurable: Quantifiable
  • Attainable: Achievable based on your past successes
  • Realistic: Reasonable based on your available resources
  • Time-based: Aligned with a specific time frame

For example, let’s say you have a specific goal for increasing individual contributions to your annual fund.

Here are a few examples of SMART goals that target this objective:

  • Acquire 500 new donors through your online fundraising page within a year.
  • Call 100% of the new donors who give within 90 days of their gift.
  • Acquire 200 new donors through a 2-week peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.
  • Expand your monthly giving program by 100 donors within a year.
  • Retain 70% of donors from last year.

These goals include specific numbers and time frames to help orient your strategic planning around quantifiable metrics.

5. Choose tactics to support each objective

Use reporting tools in your donor management system and marketing platforms to help keep your team accountable for reaching your goals.

Assign each team member an individual role that they’re responsible for. Here’s an example of a chart that clearly defines each activity, the staff member accountable for the task and the deadline:

This image shows how to plan out activities that support your nonprofit strategic plan and assign staff members to complete each task.

When everyone is clearly aware of their role at the organization and how their actions will impact the mission at large, you’ll make sure everything gets done. Plus, everyone will have a sense of purpose as a part of the team.

In addition to assigning team member roles, you can also automate certain processes to free up more staff time. For example, if you used to send out the monthly newsletter manually or personally manage every social media post, consider investing in new marketing software as part of your strategic plan.

Ask yourself some of the following questions.

  • What areas of our work do we need more time for?
  • What can we automate?
  • Who at our organization has repetitive tasks that take time away from more important activities?

Sometimes the answer to these questions leads you to invest in new nonprofit software like a new CRM to automate donor engagement efforts or volunteer management tools to streamline volunteer scheduling.

7 Nonprofit Strategic Plan Examples

Here are links to some strategic plans from other nonprofit organizations for you to analyze and consider while you plan your own:

1. The Denver Foundation’s 2021 Strategic Framework

This is a screenshot showing priority areas within the Denver Foundation’s nonprofit strategic plan.

The Denver Foundation is a community nonprofit foundation committed to strengthening the Metro Denver area.

The organization’s 2021 strategic framework was written to provide guidance for a decade — a longer period than a typical strategic plan. This extended time frame means the document is intended to be a living, flexible blueprint that will evolve as the community’s needs change.

The strategic plan is outlined in a user-friendly online booklet that clearly displays the organization’s mission, vision, purpose and values. It also details new policies, such as a new donor management approach, priority service areas and the organization’s business model.

This represents an example of a more far-reaching plan that will help the organization develop a long-term approach to reaching its mission.

2. Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles 2022-2023 Strategic Plan

This is a screenshot of the five priorities listed in the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles strategic plan.

The Girl Scouts organization provides programming and leadership training for girls in communities across the country and worldwide.

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles outlined a strategic plan for 2022-2023 . On the online web page, the organization points out five strategic priorities. This helps interested readers get a quick overview of the organization’s most important plans before diving into the full report.

In the complete plan, each priority also includes information about specific initiatives to support the goal and the intended outcome of each objective. This helps audience members understand the actions they should expect to see from the organization over the coming months.

3. Habitat for Humanity Australia Strategic Plan 2021-2024

This is a screenshot showing the national and international goals from Habitat for Humanity Australia’s nonprofit strategic plan.

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to provide affordable housing to families in need around the globe.

The organization’s Australian branch published a strategic plan for 2021-2024 that aligns a vision for the country’s programs with the organization’s overarching international activities.

The plan also includes a visually-engaging strategic pyramid that depicts how the strategic plan fits into Habitat for Humanity’s purpose, mission, vision and principles. This can help readers visualize how each element of the strategic plan is like a puzzle piece that helps build the full picture of the organization’s efforts.

4. Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta Strategic Plan 2021-2025

This is a screenshot of a goal chart with numerical goals from the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta strategic plan.

Boys & Girls Club of America is dedicated to providing enriching after-school programs for kids and teens. The Metro Atlanta chapter’s 2021-2025 strategic plan outlines plans to reach more kids, grow their supporter base and improve diversity and inclusion.

The plan includes five main focus areas, each with a few specific objectives, along with specific quantifiable goals. The plan also incorporates a timeline chart depicting when each goal is projected to be completed.

This level of specificity is essential for staying on target and reaching goals effectively.

5. SAMHSA’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan

This is a screenshot from SAMHSA’s strategic plan.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a U.S. government agency established to make mental health and substance abuse help and resources more readily available.

The organization’s 2023-2026 strategic plan is oriented around four guiding principles: equity, trauma-informed approaches, commitment to data and evidence and recovery.

The plan includes plenty of data and research to explain why each principle was chosen. It also highlights five priorities for this three-year period that will help bring each principle to life.

6. The Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania and Delaware Strategic Roadmap

This is a screenshot of the Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania and Delaware’s nonprofit strategic plan.

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to promote worldwide conservation efforts. The Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapter released a strategic plan for 2022-2024 that illustrates how the chapter will take local actions to support the overarching mission.

The plan is organized into sections based on strategic priority or geographic location. Critically, it includes information about how the chapter will scale up its conservation efforts and how donors, partners and volunteers can support each effort. This brings supporters into the conversation and helps them envision the steps they can take to have an impact on the mission.

7. UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025

This is a screenshot of the timeline chart from UNICEF’s current strategic plan.

UNICEF is a United Nations Agency devoted to providing humanitarian aid to children worldwide.

The 2022-2025 strategic plan starts with an informational overview of the progress that has been made along with challenges that children face around the world. Next, the plan details strategic shifts that the organization is currently taking, along with five goal areas.

The plan ends with a detailed roadmap chart of each principle and objective and the target completion dates.

Donor management and fundraising software (like Bloomerang !) can offer plenty of support throughout your entire strategic planning process. Here are just a few of the ways you can use integrated donor management and fundraising software to streamline your planning:

  • Review data analytics and reports to understand your nonprofit’s current fundraising and donor engagement situation. Use this information to understand what’s going well and where there is room for improvement.
  • Set goals and assess progress made toward them. Using your software, you can establish goals and assign team members to take charge of each task.
  • Improve your supporter outreach. Strengthen donor and corporate partnerships throughout your strategic planning work by using your donor management software to create communication segments and campaigns.
  • Identify prospective major or recurring donors. With a donor management platform like Bloomerang , your CRM will automatically identify highly engaged donors who are likely to upgrade their giving amount or frequency.

Interested in seeing what these activities look like in practice? Schedule a Bloomerang demo today for a personalized look at how our nonprofit software solutions can support your organization’s strategic plan.

Wrapping up

Don’t just check off the “strategic plan” box for your nonprofit. Instead, use the information and resources in this guide to create a comprehensive and valuable plan that you’ll use to grow your organization.

Want to learn more about effective planning and nonprofit management? Check out these additional resources:

  • The Essential Guide to Writing a Fundraising Plan . Your nonprofit’s fundraising approach will be greatly influenced by your strategic plan. This resource will help you develop a clear fundraising plan to support your strategic planning.
  • Online Fundraising | Ultimate Success Guide + Tips and Ideas . Your strategic plan should outline your digital fundraising initiatives for the years ahead. Use this online fundraising guide to amplify those efforts!
  • 16 Top Donor Management Software Solutions (+ Buyer’s Guide) . Donor management software can help provide insights that fuel your strategic plan. This guide highlights 16 donor management solutions to consider.

Discover How Our Donor Management Software Can Empower Your Fundraising Strategy.

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Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Your Complete Guide

by Funding For Good | Jan 23, 2023 | Strategic Planning

Guide to nonprofit strategic planning

Every nonprofit could benefit from a strategic plan. Funders are increasingly asking to see organizations’ strategic plans. Talented staff and potential hires are increasingly eager to work with organizations that have clear and compelling visions. And, as leaders, we’re all looking to increase our organization’s impact.

A nonprofit strategic plan can provide all these benefits and more. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of strategic planning, how nonprofit strategic planning differs from the private sector, and how to make sure your organization’s planning process is successful.

  • What is a nonprofit strategic plan?
  • Does my nonprofit need a strategic plan?
  • The nonprofit strategic planning process: what to expect

What is a Nonprofit Strategic Plan?

A nonprofit strategic plan is a written roadmap for where an organization is going, how it will get there, and specific ways to determine if the organization has “arrived” at the destination. A strategic plan is the result of a process designed to create a shared vision and strategic alignment across organizational stakeholders.

This last part is especially critical for nonprofit organizations. Strategic planning isn’t solely about the written plan. It’s about building consensus across your board, staff, and other stakeholders, so that your team is focused, driven and ready to increase impact.

The process of strategic planning is designed to create shared vision and strategic alignment across organizational stakeholders.

A written plan can be put on a shelf and forgotten. But it’s nearly impossible to set aside a shared vision for the future when your board and staff are deeply invested.

What is a nonprofit strategic plan? A roadmap for where your organization is going and how it will get there.

Is your nonprofit ready for strategic planning?

How is nonprofit strategic planning different from the private sector?

Though we don’t often think of nonprofits as businesses, they actually are. Nonprofit is a tax status, not a business model .

Even if there’s no profit involved, nonprofit leaders still need to understand how to run a business . This includes balancing income and expenses, managing risk, securing appropriate insurance, bookkeeping and financial controls, ensuring adequate human resources support, managing staff, deciding where to invest and where to pull back, and more.

But nonprofits are also different from for-profit businesses in a few ways that affect the strategic planning process:

Nonprofit vision and mission

Nonprofit organizations exist to carry out a vision and mission to make a specific impact externally in the world. While organizations need to make sure they can afford costs, there is no profit motive and no shareholders to satisfy. Which is why vision and mission should drive every aspect of nonprofit strategic planning.

Read more: What Happens When Nonprofit Business Plans Stray from an Organization’s Mission?

Nonprofit staff motivation and expectations

People generally work in nonprofit organizations because they want to contribute to change. Nonprofit staffers may even trade higher salaries in the private sector. This can mean that staff bring different expectations to working in nonprofit organizations. Staff want to be engaged in decision-making. They want to consistently feel like their work is contributing to a greater good. They want to feel supported in their career growth. All of which means that nonprofit leaders will need to think very intentionally about how staff are engaged in and connected to a strategic planning process.

Read more: Engaging Staff in Strategic Planning

Nonprofit fundraising

Fundraising is one of the most essential functions in any organization. Unlike for-profit businesses, nonprofits generally raise the bulk of their income not from selling products or services, but from individual and institutional donors. This can include grants, major gifts, small dollar donations, endowed gifts, and more. In return for their contribution, donors expect to see an organization make an impact in the world. Which is why strategic planning can be especially helpful for nonprofits, as it spells out an inspiring, impact-driven, long-term vision.

Read more: 5 Ways to Boost Fundraising with a Strategic Plan

Role of the nonprofit board

The majority of nonprofit boards are non-paying positions. Yet nonprofit boards are responsible for over an incredible amount of oversight. This means that, like staff, board members will be attracted by vision and mission. Unlike for-profit boards, which are thinking about shareholders, a nonprofit board is primarily focused on ensuring an organization is able to fulfill its vision and mission. Nonprofit board members should thus be deeply involved in strategic planning.

Read more: What is Nonprofit Governance and Why Does it Matter?

Does My Nonprofit Need a Strategic Plan?

Studies consistently show that organizations with a written plan double their likelihood of success. Yet according to research, only half of nonprofits have a strategic plan . Among those organizations that do have strategic plans, too few actually put them to use.

Investing in a strategic planning process is one of the most important things you can do to boost your organization’s impact and chance of success.

Whether your nonprofit is new or established, growing or struggling, a strategic plan can position your organization to thrive.

Are you ready to build a sustainable, impactful organization?

Why is strategic planning important for nonprofits?

Running a nonprofit organization is not easy. Many nonprofits operate on lean budgets. Leaders wear multiple hats. Staff are often overwhelmed, filling multiple roles in order to meet program deliverables (and secure that next grant). Board members are volunteers, often with their own careers to manage.

Adding strategic planning to the mix can feel overwhelming. Which is why many nonprofit leaders wonder: Is strategic planning worth doing?

Strategic planning does require both financial resources and time from staff and board leadership. But research and first-hand experience working with dozens of nonprofits shows that there are incredible benefits to nonprofit strategic planning.

  • Save time by getting aligned: The strategic planning process brings together board and staff leadership to co-create a vision for your organization’s future. This includes strategic direction, programmatic and financial priorities, and measures for success. Because the process itself is based on consensus building, it creates valuable buy-in—which will ultimately save time and reduce friction.
  • Save money with smarter spending: Your strategic plan will make clear where you need to invest to achieve your 3-5-year goals. This saves you from spending precious resources in non-core areas. And because your plan includes measures of success, you’ll be better able to assess when spending is paying off, and when it isn’t, enabling you to quickly course correct.
  • Get your team invested: Did you know that 95% of employees don’t understand their company’s strategy ? At the same time, one of the top things workers find demotivating is “ a lack of meaning in their work .” A strategic planning process that engages employees and creates buy-in can transform how staff members feel about their day-to-day work. A strategic plan that employees feel invested in can re-energize your team, break down silos, and increase productivity.
  • Boost your impact: A strong strategic plan leaves no doubt about what your organization is trying to accomplish. Combining ambitious goals with actionable strategies, your plan will be designed to increase your success. For nonprofits, this means increasing both impact and sustainability. By providing clear benchmarks, your plan will also help you better evaluate your progress toward goals—catching challenges before they become costly missteps.
  • Raise more money: Donors want to invest in organizations with a strong vision, a commitment to sustainability, and a focus on creating and measuring impact. Which is exactly what a strategic plan provides. In addition to directly sharing your strategic plan with major contributors, your fundraising staff can repurpose it into language for grant proposals and supporter emails. Quarterly strategic plan progress reports for the board can be quickly transformed into compelling impact reports for donors. A strategic plan is one of the most valuable gifts you can give your development team.
  • Kickstart strategic decision-making: A strategic plan is more than simply a document. It’s a tool that should guide nonprofit board and staff leaders in making strategic decisions. Whether it’s which programs to expand or which to cut, a strategic plan spells out a set of shared values and priorities. So instead of debating major decisions from scratch each time, your team can align more quickly by asking: Which choice will best advance our organization’s stated goals and values?

While it’s easy to think of a nonprofit strategic plan in terms of how much it will cost, strategic planning isn’t simply a line item in a budget. It’s an investment in your organization’s future.

The real question nonprofit leaders should be asking is: Can my organization afford to keep operating WITHOUT a strategic plan?

How is strategic planning different from other planning?

Nonprofit leaders often feel like they’re swimming in plans. At any given moment, we’re either creating, editing or approving annual plans, department plans, and project plans. We hone our mission statements. We work with development or marketing staff to refine proposals and brochures. And that doesn’t even include the individual development plans we craft with our direct reports.

But despite all this planning, leaders and staff can still end up feeling rudderless. That’s a sure sign that you’re spending time on the wrong plans or creating your plans in the wrong order.

Start with a strategic plan

A nonprofit strategic plan is a roadmap for where you’re going—and the types of plans you need to create to get there. Your strategic plan does four important things that other plans are simply not designed to do:

  • Provide a 3-5-year vision for your nonprofit, including goals, objectives and benchmarks to evaluate success.
  • Articulate an overarching strategy for the organization as a whole. Each program, project and department within your organization needs to be contributing to the organization’s overall goals.
  • Align stakeholders on a shared vision for success. This includes your board of directors and staff leadership from every single department.
  • Guide decision-making at all levels of the organization.

Once you have a strategic plan in place, then annual plans, project plans, proposals and more will all flow from that overarching vision.

Annual plan vs strategic plan

Ideally, your annual plans will flow from your strategic plan. A strategic plan covers a 3-5-year period, with a focus on a clear vision and roadmap to get there. In contrast, annual planning is about the nuts and bolts of how you’ll be implementing your strategic plan in a given year, including who is responsible for specific deliverables.

Your annual plans will also go into more depth about the ongoing activities that keep the organization operating, but aren’t necessarily detailed in your strategic plan. Consider bringing the same curious and creative approach you used in the strategic planning process to assess these ongoing functions. Is there a way to handle basics like budgeting and bill payment more effectively and efficiently?

Read more: What is an Annual Plan vs a Strategic Plan?

Project plan vs strategic plan

Where a strategic plan covers vision and strategy for an organization overall, a project plan focuses on goals, objectives, activities, and outcomes for an individual project. The scope of project plans varies significantly. A single project plan could cover anywhere from two weeks to two years, and involve one person or dozens. The key to a successful project plan is making sure that everyone involved in the project understands their individual roles, deliverables, and deadlines.

Once you’ve created your strategic plan, you’ll likely need many project plans as you start implementation. For example, as part of a goal to increase small dollar donations, you’ll need a project plan for your year-end appeal, as well as ongoing donor communications. If you’re organizing events, you’ll certainly need project plans for those. And if you’re executing on organizational changes that will affect staff, such as shifting to a four-day workweek, a project plan will be critical.

Read more: What is a Project Plan vs a Strategic Plan?

Prospectus vs strategic plan

A prospectus is a printed booklet or brochure that serves as a promotional piece. In the nonprofit sector we tend to think of this as a marketing piece. We might call them “one-pagers,” “collateral,” or the “leave behinds” for a donor meeting.

Regardless of the name, a prospectus is the abridged, polished, and outward-facing version of your strategic plan. It’s the kind of language you use on the “about us” or “what we do” pages of your websites.

Ideally, once you have a new strategic plan, you’ll start updating all of these various materials to reflect your organization’s updated vision, direction, and impact goals. Just keep in mind that, where your strategic plan might delve explicitly into internal organizational changes , a prospectus or similar materials will focus on external impact .

The Nonprofit Strategic Planning Process

What are the steps in nonprofit strategic planning.

Many nonprofits choose to work with a consultant for their strategic planning. This enables board and staff leadership to focus on strategy, rather than running a planning process. It’s also especially helpful to have a skilled consultant who can advise on how to best engage staff members. As a neutral third party, consultants can garner unexpected insights from staff and other stakeholders through surveys, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups.

When working with a consultant, your strategic planning process should include at least three steps:

  • Step One: Preparation. This is the getting started phase. Your consultant will create a work plan and timeline, set roles and expectations, gather and analyze stakeholder input, conduct an organizational assessment to identify internal and external challenges and opportunities, and ensure that the organization’s vision and mission are clear.
  • Step Two: Strategic planning sessions or retreat. This is where the real consensus-building work happens. Your strategic planning consultant will facilitate one or more intensive strategy sessions with your board and staff leadership, and any other stakeholders you’ve agreed to include. Make sure your team is focused and ready to actively participate.
  • Step Three: Strategic plan creation. The final stage is where your vision comes together on the page. You’ll work closely with your consultant as they prepare and finalize your written strategic plan. You’ll also want to be proactive about building internal awareness, alignment, and buy-in across your organization. Your consultant can help you develop and implement a thoughtful roll out strategy .

What is unique about the nonprofit strategic planning process?

While nonprofit and for-profit strategic planning may follow a similar process, nonprofits will want to carefully consider a few additional areas:

  • Stakeholder engagement: Nonprofit board and staff at every level are part of your organization not because of money, but because of mission. That often brings much higher expectations of participation in decision-making processes. Nonprofit leaders launching strategic planning processes should work closely with their consultants to make sure staff are engaged at the appropriate level to create authentic buy-in.
  • Sustainability: Where businesses will be thinking more about increasing revenue and decreasing costs, nonprofit financial planning should focus on sustainability. When it comes to attracting the best staff and raising consistent money, a strong and sustainable nonprofit is like a magnet. This is very different from the private sector where short-term wins that boost shareholder profits are rewarded.
  • Fundraising strategy: Fundraising is pretty unique to the nonprofit sector, and it will generally be an important element of your strategic plan. The closest for-profit parallel might be entrepreneurs pitching investors or applying for loans. But unlike business entrepreneurs, nonprofit fundraising never ends. Grants are for one year terms. Some aren’t renewable. Donors have to be asked to give every single year, sometimes multiple times before you land that gift. Fundraising is high-stakes, deadline-driven, and unrelenting. Every single employee’s salary depends on your fundraising team to do their job. So creating a strong and diversified fundraising plan is a must-do.

Is strategic planning long, expensive, and difficult?

No! An effective nonprofit strategic planning process doesn’t have to be painful and drawn out. Though many of us in the sector have experienced the dreaded “never-ending planning process.” You can prevent that scenario from playing out in your organization by selecting the right consultant. Focus on finding consultants who understand your sector, are familiar with organizations of your size or growth stage, and are skilled facilitators.

Because a strategic plan is only as strong as the consensus-building process that creates it.

How do I find a nonprofit strategic planning consultant?

Many strategic planning consultants work with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. We recommend being sure that your consultant has at least some experience working with organizations like yours.

Read more: Complete Guide to Strategic Planning Consultants

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  • Nonprofit Jobs

Strategic Planning for Nonprofits

A strategic planning process identifies strategies that will best enable a nonprofit to advance its mission. Ideally, as staff and board engage in the process, they commit to measurable goals, approve priorities for implementation, and also make a plan to revisit the strategy on an ongoing basis as the internal and external environments change.

Many nonprofits start the process by identifying the nonprofit’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats, in what is commonly called a “SWOT” analysis. Looking at external factors (community needs or the economic outlook, for example) as well as internal capacity is important.

Looking ahead and planning for the future actually should be continuous: as various factors change, the nonprofit may need to adjust its plans. While the process of bringing everyone together to plan for the future is energizing, once the process is in the rearview mirror, don’t let the plan gather dust on the shelf. If no one refers to the plan after it is completed, then it’s hardly serving as a “strategic” guide! Revisit the plan periodically, making adjustments and adapting the plan as circumstances change.

Omnia ad Feb 2024

Some have argued for throwing out the “plan” completely, or reducing it to a very short, concise document, easily digestible by staff and board. Articulating an organization's "theory of change" is another way to think about what success will look like, how to get there, and what resources will be needed. There are hundreds of consultants and volumes of written materials just on strategic planning, and many others that help nonprofits develop a theory of change. We've selected just a few for you below.

Your  state association of nonprofits  may also offer educational programs and workshops throughout the year to assist your nonprofit with proactive planning. Plus,  staying current  with trends and policy issues that affect nonprofit operations is key to being prepared to adapt to a changing environment.

Practice Pointers

A good way to keep your nonprofit’s board engaged is to tie the nonprofit's strategic initiatives to the agenda for board meetings, and to include a short discussion about some aspect of the nonprofit’s strategic direction in every board meeting agenda. 

Strategy is one of the board's most important roles. BoardSource offers  an array of resources  to help boards engage fruitfully in strategic planning.

More About Planning

  • Budgeting for Nonprofits
  • Business Planning for Nonprofits
  • Financial Management

Additional Resources

  • Sample  strategic agenda  for a board meeting
  • Sample  Timeline for Strategic Planning  (Washington Nonprofits)
  • BoardSource's strategic planning resources  for nonprofit boards
  • The Strategic Plan is Dead: Long Live Strategy  (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
  • The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution: Real-Time Strategic Planning in a Rapid-Response World  (David La Piana)

Disclaimer: Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is neither intended to be nor should be construed as legal, accounting, tax, investment, or financial advice. Please consult a professional (attorney, accountant, tax advisor) for the latest and most accurate information. The National Council of Nonprofits makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or timeliness of the information contained herein.

  • How to build a strategic plan for your ...

How to build a strategic plan for your nonprofit (with template)

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Every organization needs a strategic plan—even if you’re a nonprofit. A strategic plan helps you define who you are, what you want to achieve, and how you’ll get there. Use our template to walk through the three steps of creating a strategic plan: Assessing your situation, developing your strategy and building your plan.

If you’re not quite sure where to start and how a strategic plan will help your nonprofit grow, this article is for you. Learn what a strategic plan for nonprofit organizations should entail, how to write one, and check out our template for further inspiration.

What is a nonprofit strategic plan?

A nonprofit strategic plan is a tool that helps you define where your nonprofit organization wants to go and what actions you will take to achieve your goals.

At its core, the process for nonprofits doesn’t differ too much from the strategic planning process other organizations and industries embark on. Regardless of your form of work, you need a strategic plan to define where your organization wants to go and what actions you need to take in order to get there.

This plan should be updated every three to five years to ensure your organization continues challenging itself and growing.

[inline illustration] what is a strategic plan (infographic)

Before you can create an action plan or a roadmap for your nonprofit that drives results, you need to walk through the following three steps of strategic planning:

Step 1: Assess your current situation

Step 2: Develop your strategy

Step 3: build your strategic plan.

Once you’ve built your strategic plan, you can set KPIs and schedule the milestones your organization needs to hit in order to be successful.

Whether you’re creating a strategic plan for the first time or updating your existing one, it’s important that you consult and involve the right people in this process. Create a strategic planning team that consists of senior executives, board members, and key team members who can contribute to the long-term success of your nonprofit.

We’ll walk you through the steps your strategic planning team will take on this journey and provide a template that you can use to assist your team during this process. Let’s get started.

Step 1: Assess your situation

Before you can figure out where you want to go, you need to assess where you are right now. Gather all the information you can about your nonprofit so your strategic planning team has a clear understanding of who you are and where you’re at.

Demographics: While some of these questions may seem trivial, it’s a good idea to start with questions that are easy to answer and align your strategic planning team.

How big is your organization?

Where are you located?

What is your annual net asset?

How many people do you employ?

What is your target demographic?

Success and goals: Before you dive into the details, it’s good practice to give yourself credit for the things you’ve accomplished in the past. First of all, this will give you better clarity on your strengths and opportunities (which you’ll analyze in more depth later). But this also puts your strategic planning team in a positive and optimistic mood which will make the process much easier and more enjoyable.

What were your biggest accomplishments so far?

Do you have any goals set for the future?

How thought-out are these goals, and do they meet SMART goal criteria ?

Capital: As a nonprofit, money may not be your main driver. However, in order to make an impact, you need capital. So ask yourself where you’re currently getting your revenue.

Does the government fund you?

How successful has fundraising been in the past?

Who are your donors or sponsors?

What other revenue streams do you have?

Are there any revenue sources you haven’t considered yet?

What does your grant management process typically look like?

Stakeholders: A stakeholder analysis is key in strategic planning. Your internal and external stakeholders are the people who can impact the success of your organization, so you need to know who they are and what their roles are. 

Internal stakeholders are team members who are directly impacted by the strategic plan and likely the ones who are already on your strategic planning team. External stakeholders are usually agencies, clients, or other parties who are involved financially or contribute otherwise to the performance of your organization.

Who are our top stakeholders (internal and external)?

Why do they believe in our nonprofit?

What do we need from them (e.g., labor, capital, marketing, etc.)?

Why do we believe and trust in these stakeholders?

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats: Finally, you’ll want to conduct a SWOT analysis to find out  your internal strengths and weaknesses and how external threats and opportunities can influence your nonprofit’s success. 

What makes us stand out from other nonprofits in the industry?

What past events have impacted our success and why?

Are there any weaknesses that have prevented us from reaching our full potential in the past?

Once you’ve completed your SWOT analysis, you’re ready for the next step: developing your nonprofit’s strategy.

In this phase of the strategic planning process, you’ll take the information you’ve gathered in step one and put your heads together to define who you want to be as an organization—more precisely, you’ll define your values, mission, and vision statements .

[inline illustration] Mission, vision, and values definition (infographic)

Mission and vision statement

You’ll want to start out with your mission and vision statements. If you already have these statements in place, review and consider updating them to match your new strategy.

It’s not always easy to come up with vision and mission statements for your nonprofit organization. That’s why it can be helpful to check out how others have put their dreams into writing. Take a look at three examples of how nonprofit organizations define their vision and mission:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s mission and vision statements are very closely intertwined. The organization’s mission is to “Create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life.” Their vision is to help all people lead a healthy and productive life.

The American Red Cross

The mission statement of the American Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate “Human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.​”

Their vision statement reads as follows: “The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors and partners, is always there in times of need. We aspire to turn compassion into action.”

The Research Foundation for The State University of New York

The Research Foundation of SUNY’s mission is to provide “Talent, services, and technology that empower SUNY to research, innovate, and transfer discoveries that transform the world’s knowledge economy.”

Their vision is to “Make it the best place for faculty, students and staff to research, innovate, and solve the world’s most pressing problems.”

Company values

Next, you’ll want to define your nonprofit’s core values . Try to define anywhere between five to 10 values that describe your organization and align with your mission and vision.

Here are some examples of values that could describe your nonprofit:

Reliability

Trustworthiness

Communication

Transparency

Assessing where you’re at and defining who you are are two crucial steps in the strategic planning process. They build the foundation for your strategic plan that you’re ready to create now that you’ve put in the groundwork.

The heart of your strategic plan consists of your strategic priorities and goals for the future. They will inspire your implementation plan and ultimately define how effective and successful your new strategy will be. 

You should pick at least three main strategic priorities based on what you’ve learned from your SWOT analysis. For example, if your SWOT analysis showed that you only have a couple of revenue sources, you could make “diversifying revenue streams” a strategic priority. 

Your strategic priorities don’t have to be super built out—that’s what happens in the next and final step of your strategic plan.

Step 4: Create SMART goals

Creating SMART objectives is crucial so you can successfully put your new strategy into action.

Your SMART goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. For example, to diversify your revenue streams, your SMART goal could be:

“Over the next three years, we plan to add at least seven new revenue streams to our repertoire by applying to one new government fund per quarter, hosting monthly fundraisers on social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter), and bi-annual in-person charity events.”

Nonprofit strategic plan template and example

Use our template to build a strategic plan for your nonprofit that drives results. Don’t forget to include stakeholders, your board of directors, and key staff members in your strategic planning process—their insight and ideas will shape the future of your company.

Here is what your nonprofit strategic plan can look like once you start working on it:

[inline illustration] nonprofit strategic plan template (example)

You can download the template using the button below and modify it to your organization’s needs.

Put your plan into action

After you’ve built your strategic plan, there’s just one step left: put it into action. Implementing your strategic plan is both rewarding and scary. All the hard work you put into building a strategy for your nonprofit is about to come to fruition.

With the support of Asana’s goal-setting software, you can turn your strategic plan into actionable steps so you can easily track, manage, and share your strategic initiatives with shareholders and teammates.

Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: Common Models and Best Practices

A well-rounded nonprofit strategic plan is essential whether the internal or external states are critical or not. Many organizations leverage strategic planning to secure funds, increase reach, and scale services. According to BDO’s 2024 Outlook, 62% of nonprofits consider strategic alliances with other organizations in the next 12 months.

Strategic planning nonprofit organizations always have the upper hand in handling both critical and day-to-day scenarios. Having a thought-through blueprint allows for acting mindfully and leveraging every team member’s unique advantages. Thus, according to the Nonprofit Sector Leadership Report, strategically wise nonprofits have the following benefits compared to organizations without strong strategic capabilities:

  • 7% more likely to engage in partnerships.
  • 14% more likely to take a calculated risk.
  • 15% more likely to implement annual CEO reviews.
  • 25% more likely to implement efficiency evaluation practices across the organization.

However, as much as 49% of nonprofits struggle to formulate and execute strategic plans. This time, Board-room.org has explored all the vital elements of developing a solid strategic plan for nonprofits and put a white paper that you can put into practice after reading.

How to enhance the efficiency of the board ?

Get insights in our white paper

What is strategic planning for nonprofit organizations? 

Strategic planning is the process of creating an action course for any company or project. Although the general idea behind developing a strategy is similar across all organizations, the people and factors that contribute to the process are unique to each cause.

Compared to for-profit companies, nonprofits have drastically different goals. This means that the tools and tactics used for achieving these intentions will also be specific to nonprofit operations. And strategic planning for nonprofits means creating a detailed resume of all the instruments and techniques that will contribute to the main goal.

The overall strategic planning process varies depending on the organization’s standing in the community, the external forces, and the internal dynamics. That’s why nonprofit firms might take different approaches to it.  

But at the same time, the essential strategic planning process steps for nonprofits remain constant. Here are five key phases of putting together a strong strategy:

  • Outlining the ultimate goal . Commercial organizations aim to earn revenue, but for nonprofits, the money they make is just an instrument that assists with making an impact. Any earnings are reinvested into the nonprofit organization to promote its goal. Therefore, defining and comprehending the primary purpose always acts as the foundation for a nonprofit strategic plan.
  • Gathering input from stakeholders and contributors . Nonprofit organizations are highly people-driven. That’s why it is necessary to consider the opinions and strengths of all contributing associates.
  • Indicating a fundraising strategic plan for nonprofits . The main task of every nonprofit is to attract awareness and raise funds. There are always multiple solutions to acquiring strategic planning resources for nonprofits, and the organization’s task is to find the right one. 
  • Setting objectives . A nonprofit strategic plan has to include sub-goals and objectives of the ultimate goal. The objectives are divided into short-term and long-term and sometimes don’t influence the main purpose directly but rather serve as a supporting factor.
  • Finding an optimal approach to each objective . Each objective is backed by specific roles and actions to help realize it. The strategic plan will also outline the time frames and quality-measuring methods to ensure the objectives are met.

How nonprofit strategic planning differs from the corporate sector?

While nonprofits are typically 501(c) tax-exempt organizations , their operating models resemble those of corporate businesses regarding financial management, human resources, and leadership structures. However, there are fundamental differences between nonprofit and corporate strategic planning processes. Let’s check the differences in the comparative table.

Common nonprofit strategic planning models

The strategic planning nonprofit model defines the regularity and format of every strategizing event or activity. Once again, consider your organization’s unique attributes and most influential outside factors for the optimal path.

Below are a few approaches to strategic planning for nonprofit organizations, including the pros and cons of every style.

Organic planning

This nonlinear, almost go-with-the-flow strategic planning nonprofit method helps organizations make the most relevant plans in uncertain times. An excellent example of when organic strategizing worked best was during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020.

In the organic model, the nonprofit’s contributors meet up regularly to take actions based on the most relevant data and complete analysis of each team member’s advantages.

  • Best for : Short-term planning during turbulent external conditions
  • Not ideal for : Long-term planning, organizations with weak internal operations, large-scale external crises

Issue-based planning

When the internal instability is more substantial than external difficulties, nonprofit strategic planning needs to focus on the issues within. The task is to spot the weak elements and craft a problem-solving technique using internal and external assets.

For example, if the last fundraising event did not meet expectations, the nonprofit might want to reconsider the fundraising strategy and marketing tactics or appoint different staff to help move the cause forward.

Ideally, issue-oriented strategic planning will happen on a milestone basis until the company achieves internal balance and is ready to transition to a new strategizing model.

  • Best for : New organizations and nonprofits with a past of poor management or non-strategic decision-making
  • Not ideal for : Addressing an external crisis, establishing conduct between separate effective departments, long-term planning, as in a board succession plan

Alignment planning

Aligning nonprofit strategic planning and implementation is a must when the external conditions are stable and all departments function properly but fail to communicate with one another. Such disbalance might happen when the main goal is not relevant or apparent to everyone within the organization.

This way, each contributor performs well at their position but does it out of touch with the overall course. Once again, a lack of alignment can happen due to inadequate strategic management or poor strategic planning in the past.

The outcome of proper alignment is improved internal communication, meaning that most plan items will circulate the organization members on the same page, reestablishing the shared mission and employing tactics for more productive work.

  • Best for : Understanding and rectifying cooperation imbalance within the organization
  • Not ideal for : Major external or internal turbulence and long-term strategizing

Standard planning

The most straightforward approach to nonprofit strategic plan development is so-called vision-based or standard nonprofit strategic plan. It includes annual planning (usually for a 3-year or 5-year term). This strategizing method builds off the organization’s main goals in times of internal and external stability.

Standard style planning starts with outlining an organization’s mission, defining the supporting objectives, and then scheduling specific and measurable procedures for that mission’s accomplishment.

  • Best for : Established organizations with a successful history of nonprofit strategic plan establishment during non-critical times
  • Not ideal for : Turbulent scenarios and companies with a lack of internal balance

Real-time planning

The real-time approach is the most code-red strategic planning nonprofit model. Unlike the uncertainty-based organic method, real-time strategies are adopted when the crisis is already unraveling.

Force-major events, such as natural catastrophes and anything from an economic recession to a global pandemic, can serve as a reason to consider a robust nonprofit risk management plan . This crisis-management planning method calls for frequent meetings, constant reassessment of losses and achievements, and effective communication practices. 

  • Best for: Immediate crisis management in all types of organizations
  • Not ideal for : Times of relative external stability or long-term planning

How to create a strategic plan for a nonprofit?

Once you’ve established which strategic planning nonprofit model suits your organization best, it’s time to add value to your strategy by zooming in on several foundational elements.

  • Governance. Establish a strategic planning committee. Follow nonprofit governance best practices to ensure the optimal composition of the planning committee. It will help you accumulate diverse perspectives and formulate a comprehensive plan.
  • Research . Gather data on all possible contributors to your cause. The research stage will include getting to know other companies that operate with similar purposes, finding people and other organizations that can benefit you, exploring the major challenges of the field, and so on.
  • SWOT analysis . Take a look at your organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A good nonprofit strategic plan has to be equally self-aware and forward-looking. Tip : You can also use SWOT analysis to assess each separate element of your strategy, including tactics and employees.
  • Objective establishment . A Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART) model is excellent for creating both long-term and short-term objectives. Here, it is vital to make sure that every sub-goal ultimately serves the original purpose.
  • Impact and values alignment . Your nonprofit strategic plan helps describe the correlation between the organization’s internal values and the impact you’re aiming to make. Outlining the values also lets all contributors feel unified and collaborate more effectively. Tip : Good indicators of goodwill and compassion in the nonprofit’s culture are transparency, integrity, and accountability of every member.
  • Input consideration . As mentioned earlier, people drive nonprofits. And even though the financial power comes from donors, it is the nonprofit’s employees who operate the whole mechanism. Therefore, consider including human resources development and deployment, enhanced communication, and uncompromised inclusivity to be a part of your nonprofit strategic plan.
  • Progress evaluation . Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track efforts based on your strategic goals. While KPIs may vary depending on the nonprofit and its objectives, here are a few common metrics to consider.

One solution to common strategic issues for nonprofit organization

Many nonprofit boards follow common misconceptions about strategic planning, often originated from the lack of financing. Here are two main misconceptions inhibiting the strategic efforts of nonprofits.

1. You can save on HR development

Statista has revealed that 43.3% of U.S. nonprofits name rising operating expenses as the biggest challenge. Many organizations, especially small nonprofits, limit staff financing, relying on volunteers, to allocate scarce resources more diligently. However, professional staff is essential to nonprofit success and should be one of the top priorities in the organization.

2. Administrative costs should be reduced

Charity Navigator recommends nonprofits spend less than 30% of their budgets on infrastructure, IT systems, and innovations. Donors also believe nonprofits should cut these expenses as much as possible, which is a common misconception. 

The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle study has revealed that overhead spending levels should be much higher than recommended by Charity Navigator. For instance, the study suggests that 35% of overhead spending positively impacts cultural nonprofits.

Free strategic plan template for nonprofits : What should a nonprofit strategic plan include?

Here’s a generalized nonprofit strategic plan example. Remember that your final strategic plan will be tailored to your organization’s unique needs and goals. However, you might still include many of the following sections:

  • Executive summary is the foundation of any strategic plan template. Sum up the plan’s key points, clarifying its purpose for anyone who didn’t participate in strategizing. It’s a good idea to write this segment last.
  • Board authorization is necessary for corporations. Here, board members officially authorize the strategy by dating and signing it.
  • Organizational description exists to inform outsiders about the history and the key achievements of your organization. There’s no need to include it during internal strategic plan template development.
  • Mission statement – this summarizes why your organization exists – its values and goals – sometimes with references to particular events or people.
  • Vision statement – this describes your organization’s operational aims.
  • The values statement outlines the culture of your organization. As discussed above, its values should be directly tied to your nonprofit’s mission and serve as a guide for all contributors.
  • Values statements outline the culture of your organization. As discussed above, its values have to reflect your nonprofit’s mission and serve as a guide for all contributors.
  • Marketing approaches describe the various ways of attracting attention to your organization and its cause. 
  • Objectives and tactics are essentially a detailed illustration of the established objectives and of who will achieve what and when.
  • One-page SWOT summary works as both a base for your strategic plan for nonprofit template and proof that techniques and objectives were set correctly.
  • Risk analysis helps minimize the possible damage of various critical scenarios and keeps everyone in the organization on the lookout for undesirable factors.
  • Financial projections are a way to quantify the strategy. Define specific amounts and deadlines and commit to meeting the established goals using all necessary resources.
  • Appendices in your strategic planning for nonprofit organizations template cover anything that can add more value, illustrate data, or support any plan element. For example, you can include things like:
  • Task management framework
  • Strategic planning approach description
  • Research data and analysis
  • Operating budgets
  • Financial reports
  • Communication channels description
  • Strategic plan renewal schedule

Writing a strategic plan for a nonprofit based on your organization’s unique characteristics and purposes helps to operate smoothly and achieve goals faster. Additionally, having a strategy can improve the sense of effective teamwork and take your nonprofit to new levels.

Another crucial aspect of the strategic planning process for nonprofits is developing comprehensive bylaws that outline the rules and regulations governing the organization’s operations, board structure, and decision-making processes.

You can use our guide to learn how to write bylaws for a nonprofit organization and use them as a foundation for internal governance and management. 

3 nonprofit strategic planning examples

Below, you can check three examples of strategic plans for nonprofits. You can find seven more examples in our whitepaper.

1. YWCA 3-Year Strategic Direction

  • Key elements : A message from the CEO, achievements during the COVID-19 pandemic, regional context, mission, vision, value statements, and measurable objectives.
  • Hallmark : Visual storytelling, concise structure, infographics.
  • Link : YWCA 3-Year Strategic Direction .

2. YMCA DC Strategic Plan 2015 – 2017

  • Key elements : Organisation’s description, executive summary, goals, and measurements of success.
  • Hallmark : Brevity, attractive visuals.
  • Link : YMCA DC Strategic Plan 2025 – 2017.

3. Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres Canada Strategic Plan 2020 – 2023

  • Key elements : Mission and vision statements, values, and strategic priorities.
  • Hallmark : Conciseness, attractive visuals.
  • Link : MSF Canada Strategic Plan 2020 – 2023: In Essence

Get an A-Z strategic planning guide for nonprofits

Check 10 real-life templates to follow

Strategic planning for nonprofit organizations: Two best practices

Extra research coupled with robust stakeholder communication campaigns will help you maximize your strategic efforts. Below, you can check the two best practices to extend research and mission alignment aspects.

Peer organization research

Successful nonprofit leaders conduct extensive peer research while developing strategic plans. It helps to establish performance benchmarks within scenario planning, align expectations, and reveal effective but overlooked approaches. Here are the ways to conduct benchmarking:

  • Conduct benchmarking interviews . Nonprofits can interview similar organizations with similar challenges to share experiences and access networking opportunities.
  • Research case studies and industry literature . Case studies, research papers, and meta-studies reveal hidden risks and opportunities in specific scenarios. A researched example of a strategic plan for a nonprofit organization can also help you build realistic expectations.

Communication planning

To ensure effective execution, one should communicate the strategic plan effectively. Here are a few practices to update key stakeholders on strategic initiatives and align their perspectives:

  • Invest in workshops and presentations. Walk your stakeholders through the strategic plan. Answer the questions and promote discussions.
  • Tell a compelling story . Present the plan as a relatable narrative. Use graphs, charts, and infographics to provide information in a digestible format.
  • Leverage communication channels wisely . Distribute the executive summary of your strategic plan alongside the full document in the channels your board and staff regularly use. Besides emails, use corporate chats and social media.

What tool to use for creating and sharing nonprofit strategic plans?

A board portal is a management tool that boards can use to securely collaborate and share board materials, including strategic plans. This helps to ensure board of directors cybersecurity , avoid strategic issues, and increase efficiency. This is possible due to a variety of features that providers offer:

Document management features:

  • Drag-n-drop to upload documents quickly
  • Bulk upload to upload many files simultaneously
  • Storage to store all confidential data in one place absolutely securely
  • Sharing to distribute board documents and worksheets safely and have paperless board meetings 
  • Scheduling to choose the date and assign participants quickly and easily
  • Agenda builder to choose a board meeting agenda template , complete it with the required data, and share it with board members 
  • Minutes to choose a board meeting minutes template , fill it in after the meeting, and share it with the rest of the team

Collaboration features:

  • Voting to get answers and make decisions fast
  • E-signature to get signatures and approvals in one click
  • Task assignment to create a task, set a deadline, and assign an expert
  • Progress tracking to monitor the team’s performance

Communication features:

  • Chats to discuss business-related questions securely and n real-time
  • Video calls to gather board members online and conduct virtual board meetings

You can have a look at the board portal comparison and choose which provider suits your needs the most.

The bottom line

  • A strategic plan summarizes the organization’s goals and outlines actionable achievement steps . Common strategic planning models include organic, issue-based, alignment, standard, and real-time.
  • Successful organizations develop strategic plans in six steps: governance , research , SWOT analysis , objective establishment , impact alignment , and progress evaluation .
  • The most common misconception about nonprofit strategic planning is to allocate minimal resources to staff development and administrative management . Studies reveal that nonprofits’ infrastructure and human resources are chronically underfinanced.
  • Peer research helps nonprofits broaden strategic perspectives while strong stakeholder communications improve execution. Board management software is one of the best strategic planning tools for nonprofits to improve communications.

How to develop a strategic plan for a nonprofit?

There are five fundamental components to a strategic plan for a nonprofit: research, SWOT analysis , SMART objectives outlining, impact and values alignment consideration, member and community input examination.

What are the strategic planning goals for nonprofits?

Any nonprofit’s goal is to make an impact. And all the strategies have to align with reaching that goal. For example, if a nonprofit focuses on delivering housing options, the strategies can involve fundraising events, networking with real estate companies, and communicating with communities to explore their unique needs.

What are the essential components of strategic planning for a nonprofit?

Once the ultimate goal is outlined, the directors must gather input from stakeholders and contributors. Based on the collective vision, the board will then indicate the most fitting marketing and fundraising strategies, set long and short-term objectives, and outline the exact steps for achieving these objectives.

Why is strategic planning important for nonprofits?

Because nonprofits are often driven by volunteers. This means the most time-saving and effective way for them to approach governance is by strictly adhering to a thought-out strategy.

Who is responsible for strategic planning at nonprofit organizations?

Strategic planning work is executed by members of the board. However, strategic planning should also include the best practices for managing the board of directors , including training and succession planning.

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Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Key Steps + Top 10 Examples

This guide will review how to create a nonprofit strategic plan.

A new year approaches, and your nonprofit is eager to raise more than ever before. You don’t have a set plan in place, but as long as you host a series of fundraising campaigns and reach out to your major donors every now and then, you should be on track to meet your goals, right?

Think again! You might have a strong guiding mission motivated by a worthy cause, but if you don’t have a roadmap to carry out that mission effectively, it’ll be much more difficult to see your goals through.   Strategic planning   gives your organization the foundation it needs to weather any storm and stay on track to completing your objectives.

In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about nonprofit strategic planning, including:

Nonprofit Strategic Planning FAQs

Steps for creating a nonprofit strategic plan, the essential nonprofit strategic plan template, top ten examples of nonprofit strategic plans, tips for maintaining your nonprofit’s strategic plan, how a nonprofit consultant can support strategic planning.

Backed by a comprehensive strategic plan, you’ll be able to advance your mission and power more good in your community. Let’s begin!

Before we jump into how to create your strategic plan, you’ll need to have the basics down. Let’s break down what a strategic plan is and how it can benefit your organization.

What is a strategic plan for nonprofits?

A nonprofit strategic plan is a bold plan of action that aligns an organization’s goals with its values to provide a dynamic performance map for future endeavors. 

It is, of course, impossible to anticipate all of the slowdowns or obstacles that might arise throughout a specified time period. However, a strategic plan allows your organization to face any challenges that may come your way with a unified mindset driven by an overarching blueprint.

The strategic planning process involves assessing your organization’s current situation, consulting with team members and formalizing findings into an action plan.

What are the different types of strategic plans?

Your organization may desire a strategic plan to help get through a specific initiative or unexpected event, or you may just want guidelines for the years ahead. There are different types of strategic plans based on your nonprofit’s primary objective, including:

  • Standard strategic plan:   Like its name suggests, a standard strategic plan is the typical model for creating a roadmap for achieving your overarching long-term goals. This conventional planning model is best suited for nonprofits whose internal and external conditions are stable. For instance, if your nonprofit has good standing in its community, isn’t experiencing any political or economic threats and has consistent donor support, you can benefit from this traditional strategic approach.
  • Issue-based strategic plan:   Unlike a standard strategic plan, an issue-based strategic plan is favorable for nonprofits that are experiencing a specific internal problem. For instance, consistently falling short of your   online fundraising goals   or experiencing increased staff turnover would constitute a need for issue-based strategic planning. Your goals for an issue-based strategic plan will be more specific than those of a standard strategic plan so you can correct the given issue.
  • Organic strategic plan:   An organic strategic plan is similar to an issue-based strategic plan, but is ideal for nonprofits that are facing an external threat. For example, a new government policy that affects your nonprofit’s work might prompt your organization to create this type of plan. An organic strategic plan allows you to consider how this external threat is affecting your nonprofit and how you can proactively make adjustments to better meet your future goals.
  • Real-time strategic plan:   A real-time strategic plan is necessary for nonprofits that are experiencing an unexpected event, like a natural disaster. For example, if you’re an animal rescue organization and a hurricane damaged several of your shelters, you’ll need this plan to act fast. Rather than making long-term goals for the future, this plan involves setting short-term goals to quickly solve the problem at hand.
  • Alignment strategic plan:   An alignment strategic plan seeks to improve collaboration between different teams at your nonprofit. For example, if your fundraising team isn’t in constant communication with your marketing committee (and vice versa), you’ll likely have a gap in how well you’re able to promote your fundraising needs to your donors. This type of planning involves brainstorming ways your team members can better work together and laying out a framework for more seamless communication, such as establishing monthly check-in meetings between different teams.

Consider the different obstacles and opportunities your nonprofit is facing to help you decide which type of strategic plan makes the most sense for you to create at this time. Keep in mind that while the situational factors that inspire these different types of plans may differ, the core planning process is the same. Backed by a comprehensive plan, you’ll be able to lay out a clear framework for turning your goals into reality.

Why should your nonprofit create a strategic plan?

Without a strategic plan, it’s very challenging to keep your organization on track and complete goals in an efficient manner.

For example, you might want to tap more donors to power your community initiatives. But how many donors are necessary? How will you measure your success? What campaigns or   stewardship activities   will you lead? Without clear answers to questions like these, you won’t have the necessary preparation to confidently tackle your objectives.

A strategic plan helps simplify decision-making whenever your organization reaches a crossroads or an unexpected situation. It synthesizes the various teams within your nonprofit so that everyone, from your board to staff leaders, is on the same page.

What are the benefits of strategic planning for nonprofits?

As mentioned previously, there are numerous benefits of nonprofit strategic planning, from simplifying decision-making to helping achieve goals promptly. These   benefits are multiplied   when your board members and staff leaders are engaged and in agreement with your nonprofit’s strategic plan from the start.

Involving your top leaders and decision-makers in strategic planning ensures these important stakeholders feel a sense of ownership over the plan. This leads to greater accountability when carrying out the plan because each individual feels more responsible for seeing it come to fruition.

Additional benefits of strategic planning include:

  • Better time management.   You’ll gain a better sense of which tasks you can eliminate from daily activities to save time. If something doesn’t align with your priorities, you can rearrange your staff’s responsibilities to reorient the team around your strategic plan.
  • Ability to say no to activities or projects that don’t align with your priorities.   Whenever new ideas arise, you’ll have a clearer sense of direction for which ideas should be pushed forward and which shouldn’t.
  • Improved staff and board management.   A strategic plan ensures staff and   board members   understand their roles and have clearly defined responsibilities.
  • Better understanding of your guiding principles.   Undergoing the process of reviewing your organization’s principles and modifying your approach to achieving your goals can help rally everyone around your guiding priorities.
  • Opportunity to clarify/strengthen your organization’s mission statement.   Use the strategic planning process as an opportunity to carve a niche for your nonprofit in the industry by strengthening your mission statement. Get to the heart of your mission by inviting input from individuals both inside and outside of your organization.
  • Opportunity to assess results.   When top leaders are involved in both goal-setting and follow-through, they’ll be more likely to set realistic goals and understand their role in working toward those goals.

If you decide to invest the time and energy into strategic planning, the benefits can positively influence your organization for years to come.

Aly Sterling Philanthropy recommends adopting an individualized strategic planning model that focuses on strengthening your nonprofit’s financial health, capacity, effectiveness and relevance within the community. This process involves a partnership with an   experienced nonprofit consultant   who brings robust planning tools and resources, and your nonprofit leaders themselves who have insider knowledge of your organization.

The essential steps of this strategic planning approach include:

There are three steps to the Aly Sterling Philanthropy strategic planning process: assess, align, and act.

The strategic planning process begins with a pre-planning session between the consultant and organizational leaders. In this meeting, you’ll take a deep dive into your organization to assess its history, infrastructure, core programs and vision for the future.

Another element of the pre-planning process is   surveying stakeholders   to gather insights and opinions. Depending on your nonprofit’s situation, your stakeholders may include:

  • Current and past board members
  • Current and past annual, major and planned giving donors
  • Influential community members such as political leaders, foundations or trust officers and church leaders
  • Prominent business owners
  • Volunteers and staff
  • Certain recipients of your services, such as patients, alumni or consumers

When conducting these interviews, it’s important to choose participants carefully. Seek a variety of perspectives, including from individuals who’ve expressed discontent with certain aspects of your organization. These perspectives can provide the tough love needed to help your organization grow and become more effective.

Donor or volunteer surveys are also a great way to continue your supporter stewardship efforts. Supporters are typically flattered to be asked to participate and offer their points of view.

The next step to strategic planning is engaging your board and staff members in a dynamic strategic planning retreat. This encourages organizational leaders to consolidate and discuss their thoughts in a dedicated, action-oriented forum.

Within this half-day retreat, leaders will establish priorities and start to visualize what success looks like with the help of the consultant. In this time, the consultant will build consensus and seek suggestions for short- and long-term opportunities and hurdles.

In the final strategic planning step, your   nonprofit’s consultant   will summarize their findings and offer a recommended plan of action to your organization’s leadership. The consultant will review the highlights and top insights from the planning retreat to highlight key priorities.

Your partner will continue to provide dedicated support as your nonprofit identifies responsibilities for each leader, key objectives, performance indicators and a timeline for completion. This encourages accountability throughout the implementation process.

In the Aly Sterling Philanthropy strategic planning model, a consultant leads your team through each step of the process. This specialist facilitates everything from managing the stakeholder surveys to the planning retreat and final strategic plan document.

By the end of the strategic planning process, your organization will be equipped with a dynamic plan of action.

Your organization’s strategic plan will be based on several guiding pillars. These pillars are the elements within your organization that require the most attention. In this section, we’ll present a template for what your organization’s plan might look like and explain each element.

Let’s walk through an example of a strategic plan for a nonprofit that focuses on these five pillars:

  • Mission clarity:   Why are you in operation? What does your nonprofit do to make a difference in the community?
  • Marketing and PR:   How do you communicate your mission to a wider audience?
  • Financial sustainability:   How do you sustain your operations?
  • Community engagement:   How do you raise awareness of your mission in the community and earn support?
  • Infrastructure and process:   Is your organization’s infrastructure aligned with your strategic goals?

Here is an example plan for the fictional XYZ Foundation. The first page of this strategic plan summarizes each of these pillars, including the specific goal and action steps associated with each:

Use this blank version to add your nonprofit’s pillars and action steps:

Use this blank template to input the details of your nonprofit's strategic plan.

Next, you can break down each pillar into its own chart to pinpoint specific actions and tasks associated with every priority:

Use this template to lay out the action steps associated with each of your organization's strategic planning priorities.

For each priority, determine the associated action steps, timeline/milestones, leaders, necessary resources and future/ongoing actions:

  • Action steps:   What tasks, projects or events are necessary to complete the priority? List out each required step that will allow your team to complete the goal.
  • Timeline/milestones:   When should you complete each task? Having a set timeline for each step is a great way to foster accountability.
  • Leaders:   Which team member(s) will take responsibility for each task? Ensure each person is aware of their role and the associated timeline for completing their tasks.
  • Necessary resources:   What resources will you need to be able to complete each task? These might include people, databases or input from board members or staff members.
  • Future/ongoing actions:   How will you ensure that the task or project will remain ongoing instead of fizzling out? Determine the timeline and team member responsibilities for maintaining each priority.

These documents will provide a tangible resource your team can turn to for guidance as they carry out your strategic plan. Fill out these templates using your organization’s top priorities and tasks associated with each step.

While your strategic plan should be individualized to your nonprofit, it can be helpful to draw inspiration from other organizations to guide your approach. See what’s possible for your nonprofit by exploring this list of the top nonprofit strategic plans.

1. Boys and Girls Club of America

The   Boys and Girls Club of America   is dedicated to creating brighter futures for young people across the country. As a national organization with an ambitious mission, it was essential for the Boys and Girls Club of America to craft a comprehensive strategic plan that unites their Club partners and families around their vision for the future.

The Boys and Girls Club of America summarizes their mission, vision, and purpose in their nonprofit strategic plan.

In their strategic plan titled “Great Futures 2025,” the Boys and Girls Club outlines four strategic priorities that will help them cultivate young leaders:

  • Increase program quality
  • Strengthen organizations
  • Advocate for youth development
  • Reach more youth

To reach these goals, this nonprofit has outlined specific initiatives they’ll lead, such as improving program effectiveness through establishing quality standards, increasing government funding for youth development and building strong partnerships with schools. This level of specificity gives the Boys and Girls Club a clear framework to achieve their goals over the next few years.

2. Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

The   Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles   seeks to achieve equal justice for impoverished individuals in the greater Los Angeles area. To bring this mission to fruition, the Legal Aid Foundation created a dynamic strategic framework that addresses the specific actions they’ll take over the course of five years.

The Legal Aid Foundation lays out the following seven strategic priorities:

The Legal Aid Foundation lists out seven strategic priorities to center their nonprofit strategic planning around.

  • Legal services
  • Staff development
  • Financial & fund development

Not only does this organization detail what these priorities are, but they also identify the staff leads, the specific goals and the metrics that will be used to measure success for each priority. Plus, the Legal Aid Foundation explains how each strategic priority connects back to their cause and founding principles, helping to ground their plan in their mission.

3. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio

The   Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio   aims to enrich the lives of sick children and their families through providing housing, resources, educational programs and more. This charity created a strategic plan for 2022-2025 to become a leader in access to healthcare for children.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio opens their nonprofit strategic plan document with a summary of who they are.

Their plan is organized around strategic initiatives like building capacity to support the programmatic needs of the community and identifying and implementing opportunities to enhance quality healthcare access. With these guiding priorities in place, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio can effectively rally their team around their goals and put their dreams into action.

4. Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio

Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio   is devoted to eliminating barriers to work and providing opportunities for people to reach their full potential. Guided by their philosophy of the “power of work,” Goodwill needed a strategic plan to help community members live independently, earn a fair living wage and meet their personal goals.

Goodwill created concise objectives to guide their nonprofit strategic planning.

Their 2022-2024 strategic plan begins by outlining their vision and values, including integrity, passion and respect. Next, the plan identifies specific objectives to transform lives in their community, organized into categories like financial sustainability and community. This guide is a great reference point for their staff and ensures everyone is on the same page.

5. Metroparks Toledo

Metroparks Toledo   is a park district that is committed to conserving the region’s resources through the management of natural parks and open spaces. As explained in the introduction of their strategic plan, Metroparks hopes to not only improve outdoor spaces for the enjoyment of the public, but also cultivate high performance and satisfaction among park employees.

Metroparks Toledo describes their core priorities, goals, and associated actions as part of their nonprofit strategic plan.

In their strategic plan, Metroparks kicks off with an overview of who they are, their mission and vision for the future. Then, they break down the following strategic priorities:

  • Maintenance of core services
  • Organizational health
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Becoming the leader in natural resource conservation
  • Engagement in our story
  • Strategic community partnerships
  • Sustainability of funding

Following the   Aly Sterling Philanthropy strategic planning   model, Metroparks outlines a plan of action for each of these priorities, including key objectives and key performance indicators to measure their progress. This helps Metroparks’ community members and employees understand the actions this organization will take to advance their mission.

6. Alzheimer’s Association

The   Alzheimer’s Association   seeks to end Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia through conducting global research, driving risk reduction and early detection and improving access to quality care. This organization released a 2023-2025 strategic plan to accelerate their mission and change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s for millions of people.

As part of their nonprofit strategic planning, the Alzheimer’s Association identifies their six strategic priorities.

The Alzheimer’s Association builds a strong case for support in their strategic plan by identifying relevant statistics, like the rising costs of Alzheimer’s in the nation which is projected to be more than $1.1 trillion in 2050. After explaining that there’s no time like the present for accelerated progress, they then cover their strategic priorities, including advancing public policy, increasing revenue and boosting awareness.

To establish a clear framework for their projected progress, the Alzheimer’s Association outlines strategic, measurable objectives. For instance, they explain that they’ll accelerate research by providing more funding opportunities, aiming to invest $110 million by the end of 2025. This specificity will provide their entire team with the clarity necessary to complete their responsibilities and contribute to the Alzheimer’s Association’s success.

7. Bryan Area Foundation

The   Bryan Area Foundation   is a community foundation that strives to improve the lives of individuals living in Williams County, Ohio. One of their central projects is providing millions of dollars to worthy community projects and scholarships, and to continue this charitable giving (along with over initiatives), the Bryan Area Foundation needed a strategic plan that outlined how to make this possible.

The Bryan Area Foundation has made immense progress in their nonprofit strategic plan for 2021-2023.

In their 2021 to 2023 strategic plan, the Bryan Center Foundation identifies a number of new projects for this organization to complete, including a revitalization of downtown Bryan to grow the number and quality of businesses. Since launching this plan, the Bryan Center Foundation has already created a Community Impact Project and Forgivable Loan Program, supporting their commitment to “Building for the future.”

8. DeKalb County Community Foundation

The   DeKalb County Community Foundation’s   mission is to benefit organizations and communities throughout DeKalb County, Illinois. In their strategic plan for 2022-2024, this foundation hopes to create change by addressing the following four key areas: Endowments and Donor Services, Stewardship, Grantmaking and Community Initiatives.

DeKalb County Community Foundation’s goals in their nonprofit strategic plan are precise and measurable.

DeKalb County Community Foundation’s goals and objectives are precise, with measurable objectives like realizing a minimum 3% financial donations increase in annual contributions to Community Impact Funds. Specific, measurable goals give this foundation the direction they need to maximize their success and foster accountability across their team.

9. World Wildlife Fund of Colombia

The   World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Colombia   aims to set Colombia on a path to sustainable, low carbon and resilient development. WWF created a strategic plan for 2020-2025 to address their ambitious goals to make the country a better place for people and wildlife.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Colombia provides an excellent example of nonprofit strategic planning because they list out specific targets and strategies to support their mission.

The organization’s strategic plan is centered around three main priorities:

  • Mainstreaming biodiversity, conservation, and climate change planning into territorial development plans
  • Promoting inclusive and equitable social, political and institutional governance
  • Advocating for responsible consumption, markets and financial institutions

WWF not only addresses Colombia’s strategies and goals in their strategic plan document, but also global targets to improve people and animals’ lives worldwide. This helps to connect WWF Colombia to the core principles and mission that define WWF as a whole.

10. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass & Metrowest

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass & Metrowest   (BBBSCM) was established to create professionally supported mentoring relationships and build brighter futures for today’s youth. In their strategic plan for 2020-2023, BBBSCM details their mission, vision, values and beliefs, making this a great resource for supporters getting to know their organization as well as for staff and volunteers to reference in their work.

As part of the nonprofit strategic planning process, the BBBSCM overviews their strategic initiatives in detail.

Then, this organization goes over their top four priorities and associated objectives with each, such as increasing sustainable funding by identifying 5-10 new major donor prospects, with the goal of adding 3-5 major donors per year. BBBSCM also identifies their strengths, challenges, threats and opportunities and tailors their strategic plan to these elements.

As a result, BBBSCM demonstrates in their strategic plan document that they’re committed to seeing their mission through and will take the necessary steps to create their vision for the future.

Here are some of our top tips for   keeping your strategic plan alive :

  • Fill out the above templates using information from your retreat.   Make sure your plans are formalized in a document that is shared across your organization. As you fill out the template, take a “less is more” approach and only include essential information. Also, make sure you’re setting SMART goals—those that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
  • Work as a group.   Create a task force to work collaboratively on your strategic plan. Keep the group large enough to be helpful, but not so large as to be a roadblock.
  • Present your plan to key stakeholders.   Host regular check-in meetings as a team to measure progress and maintain accountability.
  • Keep your plan front and center by posting it in a visible location.   Print and post your strategic plan in a communal space, such as your office or conference room, and ensure it’s also digitally accessible.
  • Explain your plan in a public, formal presentation.   When you make your plans known to a wider audience, it increases the expectation that you will see them through. It also engages your community and stakeholders in your organization’s plans.
  • Celebrate successes.   Plan celebrations for when you reach key milestones throughout your plan to recognize successes and keep staff and stakeholders informed of your progress. Plus, having a celebration to look forward to can   motivate your team   to complete its goals!

With these tips, you’ll be able to maintain the initial excitement and momentum built during your strategic planning process. This will ensure your plan is doing what it was meant to – furthering your organization’s mission effectively.

The right nonprofit consultant will walk you through every step of the strategic planning process. By tapping into their years of expertise in working with nonprofits like yours, they’ll help you craft a dynamic framework to improve your organization’s financial health, effectiveness, capacity and relevance within your community.

Your consultant will support your strategic planning by:

  • Collecting stakeholder insights in the beginning stages of the planning process
  • Leading your team through a productive retreat
  • Compiling findings into a plan of action and final strategic plan document

In addition to these core services, your consultant can also help you:

  • Create a   fundraising strategy   that will lead to stronger supporter relationships and a sustainable donation pipeline
  • Examine your existing tech stack and suggest solutions to augment your toolkit
  • Identify donor stewardship strategies that will encourage donors to give more frequently and in larger amounts
  • Strengthen your internal team, from your staff to your board members, so everyone is firing on all cylinders in pursuit of your mission

Do your research to find the   right consulting firm   that will thoughtfully and objectively consider your nonprofit’s current state and work with you to create a pathway to success.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to making your mission a reality and following through on your promises, don’t just wing it! A nonprofit strategic plan gives you the necessary framework to confidently tackle your goals, unify your team and leave a lasting impact on your community.

While taking an in-house approach to strategic planning is an option, it can be challenging to build a cohesive plan from the inside. Partner with the expert consultants at   Aly Sterling Philanthropy   to get an unbiased look at your organization and receive realistic guidance to construct your strategic plan.

For more information on nonprofit strategic planning, check out the following resources:

  • Build Your Fundraising Strategy From the Ground Up . In addition to an overarching strategic plan, your organization can benefit from a blueprint made specifically to guide your fundraising. Use this guide to craft a plan that optimizes your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts.
  • The Essential Fundraising Plan Template for Nonprofits . Having a formalized road map to guide your fundraising is critical to keep your organization on task. Use this template to construct your fundraising plan.
  • 20+ Nonprofit Consulting Firms for Your Philanthropy Needs . Nonprofits often need guidance in a wide range of different areas. This list of top consultants includes experts who specialize in a variety of topics.

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Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: A Guide to Future Success

This image shows a consultant sitting at a table with nonprofit professionals, guiding them through nonprofit strategic planning.

Your nonprofit depends upon the combined efforts of its leadership, staff, volunteers, donors, and advocates to generate a meaningful impact in the lives of the people you serve. However, the nonprofit landscape is always shifting—as are your teams, priorities, and resources. How do you ensure that you’re continuing to create the change you set out to create?

Strategic planning for nonprofit organizations is a crucial process for long-term success. By outlining your path forward, you can regain clarity about your work and re-motivate your team about the future.

To create an effective strategic plan for your nonprofit, it’s important to understand the basic steps and when to seek expert guidance during the process. In this guide, we’ll cover all the strategic planning essentials and walk through seven excellent examples of strategic plans:

Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: The Basics

Strategic planning for success: laridae’s expert process, 5 nonprofit strategic planning models to know, how to prepare for nonprofit strategic planning, strategic planning for nonprofits process: 4 steps, 7 stellar nonprofit strategic planning examples.

According to a  recent nonprofit sector study , 62% of nonprofit professionals reported that managing change was at least somewhat difficult for their organization over the past few years. Whether your nonprofit is looking to find clarity amid significant change, realign on its original purpose, or embark upon a major initiative, developing a clear strategic plan will set you up for success.

Click to contact us to learn how Laridae’s expert consultants can support your nonprofit strategic planning efforts.

While the strategic planning process will differ for each nonprofit depending on its specific goals, needs, and situation, we’ll answer some frequently asked questions to provide your organization with the foundation it needs to benefit from  creating a strategic plan .

What is strategic planning for nonprofits?

For nonprofits, strategic planning refers to the process of creating an actionable roadmap that defines how your organization will achieve its long-term goals over a specified period of time.

Typically, this process involves assessing your nonprofit’s current state, identifying opportunities and challenges, engaging stakeholders, and reflecting on its mission. Your strategic plan will usually outline your steps forward for the next three to five years.

When should nonprofits conduct strategic planning?

Many occasions may lead a nonprofit to undertake strategic planning. Some of the most common reasons why your organization may need to start the process include:

This image illustrates the main reasons that may lead organizations to conduct nonprofit strategic planning, detailed below.

  • Reallocating your nonprofit’s resources.  Your nonprofit often has to make the most of limited resources, from funds to staff time. With so many different priorities, it can be challenging to determine whether you’re using your resources productively. Strategic planning can help you reallocate time, funds, and energy to where it matters most.
  • Needing to realign your teams.  It can be easy to lose focus on your main priorities and mission in your day-to-day work. By conducting strategic planning, you can prevent mission drift and keep your staff, stakeholders, and community members aligned on your key purpose—while juggling all your nonprofit does to make a difference in its community.
  • Picking up where your previous strategic plan ended.  A strategic plan provides the mold that shapes your nonprofit’s future, but only for the next several years or so. At the end of this time period, your leadership and board members will need to regroup and realign on your nonprofit’s goals. This ensures that everyone remains focused on how your organization can most effectively serve its purpose moving forward.
  • Adding a new program or strategy.  If you’re planning to launch a new program or dive into a  new fundraising strategy , developing a strategic plan empowers staff members to confidently and collaboratively contribute toward your nonprofit’s success.
  • Adapting to current changes your nonprofit is experiencing.  Whether you’re facing staff turnover or larger changes in the nonprofit sector as a whole, crafting a strategic plan helps your organization adapt and continue generating impactful results from its work.

However, there are also less-than-ideal times for launching into the strategic planning process. For instance, if your nonprofit is undergoing a  change in executive leadership , it may be more difficult to produce a well-thought-out plan. Regardless of your organization’s circumstances, partnering with an  experienced nonprofit consultant  can ensure that you make the most of your strategic planning efforts.

Why is nonprofit strategic planning important?

Your nonprofit’s long-term success hinges on its ability to navigate fluctuations in its staff, fundraising results, resources, and more.  The Center for Effective Philanthropy  found that nonprofit leaders consider support in strategic planning and development to be one of the most important areas for addressing the challenges they face.

An effective strategic plan anchors your organization when it encounters rough waters and propels your impact forward when the way is clear. To make the most out of your efforts, however, it’s crucial to take a thoughtful approach and follow strategic planning best practices.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with building a strategic plan, there’s no need to worry! You can always turn to a nonprofit consulting firm that will guide you through the entire process.

At Laridae, we’ve proudly helped over 100 nonprofits in a wide range of sectors craft their strategic plans. Our  strategic planning experts  are driven by impact and equipped with years of experience working with purpose-driven organizations across Canada.

While we tailor our approach to each nonprofit’s specific needs and goals, our time-tested process follows these general steps:

This image shows four proven steps for success in Laridae’s process for nonprofit strategic planning, detailed below.

  • Planning and Research.  First, we’ll review key documents to gain an in-depth understanding of your nonprofit and hold thoughtful discussions with your leadership and board members. We prioritize securing board buy-in from the get-go so everyone can start the process together on the same page. Then, we’ll conduct research into your environment to gather the necessary context to move forward.
  • Stakeholder Engagement.  We specialize in engaging stakeholders through surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and town halls. Tuning into the thoughts and feedback of your staff, donors, volunteers, and other community members is essential to ensuring that your nonprofit continues to respect their interests and include them in your roadmap into the future.
  • Strategic Planning Retreat.  After collecting qualitative data from your stakeholders, we’ll organize a strategic planning retreat that allows all members of your board and senior management to discuss and come to an agreement on your nonprofit’s priorities moving forward. Together, we’ll take a look at critical information such as stakeholder feedback, and conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to inform your decision-making.
  • Strategic Plan Drafting.  Following the retreat, we’ll draft a tailored, actionable strategic plan for your nonprofit and collaborate with you to produce a document that meets all of your expectations.

Throughout our partnership, we’ll employ frameworks such as Design Thinking and Theory of Change to help you  maximize the strategic planning process . Guided by our human-centered approach, we’ll help you lay out all the necessary steps your nonprofit needs to take to generate the impact you desire.

Every nonprofit approaches strategic planning with different reasons and goals. As a result, numerous models have emerged to guide organizations depending on their specific circumstances. These are generalized approaches best used as a reference rather than a detailed blueprint for your strategic planning journey.

Five of the most common strategic planning models for nonprofits are:

  • Standard Nonprofit Strategic Plan.  This model outlines the most basic and comprehensive approach to nonprofit strategic planning, which involves analyzing your organization’s current situation, determining its long-term goals, and creating a plan to accomplish those goals. 
  • Organic Nonprofit Strategic Plan.  An organic nonprofit strategic planning approach is suited for organizations that prefer a more flexible process. This is useful when you’re faced with uncertain changes both within and outside of your nonprofit, as it involves revisiting your goals on a more frequent basis.
  • Issue-Based Strategic Plan.  This model focuses on addressing a single challenge, project, or focus area. Therefore, this approach will produce a strategic plan that is less comprehensive than a standard one. Developing an issue-based strategic plan allows your nonprofit to focus on handling a specific issue or opportunity in a more efficient and unified manner.
  • Real-Time Strategic Plan.  Real-time strategic planning involves continuous planning and shorter-term goals to respond effectively to changing circumstances. Nonprofits in an unpredictable or fast-changing environment may consider opting for this approach.
  • Alignment Strategic Plan.  The alignment strategic planning model focuses on creating a sense of cohesion across your leadership, teams, and stakeholders. This approach emphasizes collaboration and identifying how all roles within your nonprofit can work together more productively.

Remember, however, that no single model will be the perfect fit for your organization. The key to successful strategic planning for nonprofits is flexibility and adaptability. Therefore, it’s best to consider partnering with an expert consultant who has the experience and skills to adapt the process to your unique needs.

After exploring the basics of strategic planning for nonprofits, you may have decided that your organization needs a new strategic plan, but how do you go about it? Before you hit the ground running, take the time to determine whether your nonprofit is  ready for the strategic planning process .

Gather your leadership team and board members and ask yourselves the following questions:

This image shows the essential questions you should consider, listed below, to prepare for the nonprofit strategic planning process.

  • Do we have a clear and concise goal for this strategic plan?
  • Why are we creating a strategic plan now?
  • Is our nonprofit ready for honest, open reflection?
  • How much of our time and resources can we commit to this process?
  • Who will lead our strategic planning process?
  • How will we engage stakeholders?
  • How will we measure progress toward our strategic planning goals?
  • What tools, skills, or guidance do we need to make the most of this process?

A  BoardSource study  found that, while 78% of nonprofit CEOs reported having a formal strategic plan for their organization, only one-third of executives and half of board chairs indicated that the board had a positive impact on defining strategic priorities.

Holding a board meeting to discuss all of these strategic planning aspects ensures that everyone is committed and prepared to embark on the journey. This  proactive communication  reduces the chances of any disconnect later on.

Download Laridae’s free strategic planning self-assessment tool to determine whether your organization is ready to start the process.

Consider Hiring a Strategic Planning Consultant

There are a lot of factors to consider when preparing for a fruitful strategic planning process, and not all of them are easy to address. For instance, you may find that your nonprofit has limited time or experience to invest in planning. Or, perhaps you’d like to breathe new life into your organization’s processes and thinking.

A nonprofit consultant can boost your strategic planning results by:

  • Crafting a tailored strategic planning approach.  Nonprofit strategic planning consultants have the expertise to go beyond basic models and frameworks to create a process that directly responds to your organization’s specific needs and priorities. They’ll know where your nonprofit can best focus its time and resources to get the most out of its strategic planning.
  • Bringing a fresh perspective to your organization.  A consultant brings an objective, professional perspective to your strategic planning journey. They’re willing to facilitate tough conversations, ask incisive questions, and promote critical thinking that allows your nonprofit to advance beyond its traditional thought processes.
  • Engaging stakeholders as a neutral third party.  Before you can include stakeholders’ input in your strategic plan, you first need to collect their feedback. As a neutral third party, a nonprofit strategic planning consultant can conduct engagement activities that encourage brave, authentic conversations and glean the insights you need to guide your planning.
  • Leveraging the latest strategic planning best practices.  Nonprofit consultants have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to tips and pitfalls to watch out for during the strategic planning process. They’ll provide innovative strategies and use recent trends to enhance your results.

There are two main types of roles a strategic planning consultant can fill. They can either lead the entire strategic planning process for your nonprofit, which includes drafting your plan for you, or they can coach your leadership team as it leads your organization through its strategic planning journey. Use the answers you’ve gathered from the questions in the previous section to determine how much support your nonprofit will need.

If your nonprofit is looking to develop the internal expertise to conduct strategic plans on its own, consider looking into self-directed programs guided by expert consultants.

Laridae’s Strategy Academy , for example, helps ensure that you produce an impactful strategic plan for your organization while coaching you through every step of the process. Plus, our program’s online, cohort-based format provides additional opportunities for your team to build community and learn from other peers in the sector.

Click through to learn about Laridae’s Strategy Academy and how you can empower your team through the nonprofit strategic planning process.

Whether you’re working with an expert consultant or tackling the strategic planning process alone, we’ll walk through four essential steps that will pave the way to an effective strategic plan.

1. Examine your organization and environment.

First, to provide a foundation for your planning, take a look at your nonprofit’s current state and performance. Then, consider any trends or challenges in your sector as a whole.

Some basic factors to examine include:

  • Recent financial details, including revenue and expenses.
  • Past key performance indicators.
  • Latest trends, changes, and challenges in the sector.
  • Programs and strategies launched by similar organizations.

This general overview of your nonprofit should provide the necessary context for determining your priorities and goals moving forward.

2. Engage your stakeholders.

Stakeholder engagement provides an ideal opportunity for you to collect qualitative information about your stakeholders’ experiences, concerns, and connections to your nonprofit. By focusing on active listening, you’ll assure donors, volunteers,  staff , beneficiaries, and other members of your community that you value their input.

There are several ways you can engage your stakeholders, including:

  • Online surveys
  • Focus groups
  • Town hall meetings
  • One-on-one interviews

Different stakeholders will likely have different preferences when it comes to engagement, so use your existing data on each group to identify which activities will resonate with them most. In general, hiring a third party to conduct your engagement can create opportunities for more open and honest communication.

After gathering feedback, consolidate all the information into several important takeaways to consider as you develop your nonprofit strategic plan.

3. Conduct a strategic planning retreat.

Holding a dedicated strategic planning retreat allows all of your board and senior management members to come together and have in-depth discussions on your nonprofit overview, stakeholder engagement results, and priorities for the future. During this retreat, participants will have the chance to share their thoughts and ask any important questions they may still have.

Additionally, it can be helpful for everyone to conduct a SWOT analysis that sorts all the information you’ve accumulated into your nonprofit’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This allows you to begin piecing together your priorities into actionable steps that you can take over the next few years.

4. Review your mission, vision, and values.

While many strategic planning processes involve examining your nonprofit’s mission, vision, and values at the beginning, this is often premature. In fact, doing so may limit your thinking and approach as you learn more about your organization and stakeholders’ opinions.

By reviewing your mission, vision, and values at the end of your strategic planning journey, you’ll ensure that your team has already developed a clearer understanding of your  nonprofit’s brand , purpose, and priorities. This allows them to make more informed adjustments as necessary.

Strategic planning for your nonprofit may seem like a complex undertaking, but it’s perfectly feasible with the right approach and guidance. Take a look at these seven excellent nonprofit strategic plans to get inspired.

1. Streams Community Hub

As a nonprofit based in Shelburne, Ontario,  Streams Community Hub  is dedicated to educating and empowering youth through various art programs. Upon reaching its fourth year in operation, Streams decided that it was time to produce its first-ever strategic plan. After experiencing promising growth in reputation and size over the past few years, Streams’ board wanted to pave a path toward greater impact moving forward.

Streams partnered with Laridae to engage 230 various stakeholders, from artists to partner organizations, and develop a strategic plan for the next five years. This plan, directly responding to stakeholders’ input, outlines four directions that encapsulate Streams’ priorities for the coming years, ensuring that the organization remains focused on the community it serves.

This screenshot from Streams Community Hub’s strategic plan illustrates one of several stellar nonprofit strategic planning examples.

2. Habitat for Humanity Northumberland

When it was time to renew their outdated strategic plan, the governance committee at  Habitat for Humanity Northumberland (HFHN)  reached out to Laridae for support throughout the process. Since the nonprofit had previous experience with Laridae’s governance training and Management Training Program, they were confident in our expertise and guidance.

For HFHN, the process began with information-gathering, examining factors such as the average cost to purchase a home and Northumberland County’s population growth. Then, after in-depth stakeholder engagement, HFHN’s team was able to clarify the nonprofit’s key values: People, Partnership, and Adaptability. At the end of their strategic planning process, they had a draft that took only three weeks to reach final board approval.

This screenshot illustrates the process that Habitat for Humanity Northumberland followed in its nonprofit strategic planning journey.

3. Ontario Association of Social Workers

The  Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW)  is a nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting the interests of social workers across Ontario. Following the pandemic, OASW wanted to craft a five-year strategic plan to adapt to recent changes in the community and new leadership within the association. To do so, the organization partnered with Laridae for guidance.

After a thorough planning process, which involved engaging 625 stakeholders, OASW emerged with a strategic plan that both reaffirmed its mission, vision, and values and laid out four strategic directions forward. For each direction, OASW specified exactly how it planned to accomplish its goals.

This screenshot from the Ontario Association of Social Workers’ strategic plan is an example of successful nonprofit strategic planning.

4. Surrey Place

As a nonprofit organization that serves people with developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and visual impairments,  Surrey Place  needed to create a strategic plan that responded to changes in service delivery and set the foundation for long-term success. As another one of Laridae’s clients, the nonprofit was able to develop its strategy for the next three years.

The plan includes Surrey Place’s main commitments moving forward, accompanied by powerful images representing the organization’s impact, as well as three main strategic directions to guide its efforts.

This screenshot illustrates the final document that resulted from Surrey Place’s nonprofit strategic planning process.

5. Temiskaming Hospital

Temiskaming Hospital  is a nonprofit hospital driven to improve the health and well-being of people in northern rural Ontario. To prepare its strategic plan for the next five years, Temiskaming Hospital reached out to Laridae’s experts to guide its board through the process.

After conducting qualitative research through stakeholder engagement, combined with in-depth discussions with leadership members, the organization was able to develop a plan that encapsulates its mission, vision, and values and defines four strategic directions to prioritize in the next few years. Additionally, it includes a dedicated page sharing stakeholder engagement activities that took place, thanking participants for their involvement.

This is a screenshot of Temiskaming Hospital’s strategic plan, which is a stellar nonprofit strategic planning example.

6. Hospice Quinte

As a nonprofit,  Hospice Quinte  provides support to people who are terminally ill, along with their families. To produce a comprehensive three-year strategic plan, the organization partnered with Laridae to guide its board of directors through the entire process. Together, we examined Hospice Quinte’s current situation, opportunities, and goals to formulate five strategic directions to focus on.

The process included conducting online surveys, focus groups, and interviews to collect stakeholder feedback on areas to focus on, which are all included in the strategic plan. At the end of the plan, Hospice Quinte outlined clear, tangible steps it will focus on moving forward.

This is a screenshot of Hospice Quinte’s strategic plan after they completed their nonprofit strategic planning journey with Laridae’s support.

7. Brock Community Health Centre

Brock Community Health Centre (CHC)  is one of many nonprofits that provide primary care and health services for people living in their community. Brock CHC is another one of Laridae’s clients in the healthcare sector that needed to develop a new strategic plan following changes in the landscape following the pandemic.

The nonprofit created two versions of its strategic plan for its leadership, staff, and community members to reference. One is an infographic summary, highlighting its four strategic directions for the next three years, while the other is the full plan, going into more detail about the planning process and goals.

This screenshot of Brock CHC’s strategic plan summary is another excellent example of a productive nonprofit strategic planning process.

Embarking on Your Nonprofit Strategic Planning Journey

Ultimately, strategic planning provides an opportunity for your nonprofit to reflect on its past impact, reinspire everyone involved in its mission, and lay the groundwork for meaningful growth and long-term success.

At Laridae, we have over a decade of experience supporting nonprofits on their strategic planning journeys. Our commitment to working with purpose-driven organizations means that we’re able to approach every partnership with an in-depth understanding of your goals, values, and mission. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed or would like to learn more about how our expert nonprofit consultants can  boost your strategic planning efforts , please feel free to reach out!

For a deeper dive into strategic planning for nonprofit organizations, check out our additional resources:

  • Developing a Strategic Plan During a Leadership Transition .  Is your nonprofit experiencing a shift in its leadership? Explore how you can approach strategic planning under these circumstances.
  • How to Create a Strategic Plan That Inspires Hope .  While strategic planning involves some tough questions and considerations, at its core, the process is all about preparing for a hopeful future. Keep these tips in mind as you craft your next strategic plan.
  • How to Get the Most out of your Strategic Planning Process .  In this guide, we’ll discuss four strategic planning steps in more detail and walk through questions to consider along the way.
  • Three Ways To Avoid Strategic Planning Missteps .  Set your nonprofit’s strategic planning up for success by learning how to avoid common missteps during the process.

Supporting Your Nonprofit Strategic Planning Efforts

how to strategic plan nonprofit

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Nonprofit Strategic Plan: A Rundown & How To Create Your Own

What does the future look like for your nonprofit?

There’s no need to guess—instead, you can create a nonprofit strategic plan to outline your goals toward accomplishing your organization’s mission. Your plan can guide your efforts to fundraise, grow the size of your organization, and ultimately, help you do more for the beneficiaries you serve.

No matter what type of nonprofit you’re a part of, there are a few essentials you’ll need to know to create your next strategic plan that you’ll want to incorporate as you work to shape your organization’s future. In this guide, we’ll give you a leg up by covering:

All About Nonprofit Strategic Planning

  • How Your Nonprofit Can Benefit From a Strategic Plan

Strategic Planning Steps to Follow

5 examples of strong nonprofit strategic plans.

  • Free Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template

As you get started with your own strategic planning process, remember to be ambitious but realistic (and flexible!) as you envision your organization’s future and set the goals that you want to achieve.

Click through to contact Averill Solutions and get started on your nonprofit strategic plan.

Before you dive into nonprofit strategic planning, you should have a solid understanding of the fundamentals. In this section, we’ll cover all the basics you should know.

What is a nonprofit strategic plan?

This image and the text below define what a strategic plan is.

A nonprofit strategic plan is a document that lays out the goals that will get you closer to accomplishing your mission. Think of your strategic plan as a way of transforming your nonprofit’s ideals—such as the impact you’d like to have on the community in which you operate—into specific actions your organization can accomplish within a defined period of time.

How far ahead do I need to plan?

Typically strategic plans are created with the next three to five years in mind, but more and more organizations are creating strategic plans intended to last one to three years. This shorter time frame is in many ways ideal, as it provides your organization with more opportunities to respond to changes in the wider nonprofit sector as well as the communities you serve.

Who should be involved in strategic planning?

You’ll want to involve multiple stakeholders in planning for your nonprofit’s future. This will help you ensure that you’re setting goals you can achieve and that will truly make a difference to your mission in the long term. Specifically, you should involve:

  • Your board. Your board members and other individuals involved in your nonprofit’s leadership should use some of their communications and meeting time to work on creating definite goals to include in your strategic plan that help further your mission in the community.
  • Your staff. Your staff members have various roles in your nonprofit’s operations and can thus provide helpful perspectives on your strong points and potential areas of improvement. Both they and your board members can provide insight into how your organization is perceived by those who benefit from your work and those who support you.
  • Your consultant. Your nonprofit’s team can develop a strategic plan using your own knowledge as well as resources available online. However, if you would like to incorporate the outside perspective of a consultant , you’ll want them to be involved from the earliest stages of the process so that they can help you create the most effective strategic plan.
  • Your key community partners. Local politicians, business owners, and community members who are invested in your work and want to see your nonprofit succeed can offer a unique perspective. Involve them to see how your mission can continue to be delivered successfully and decide which goals will have a lasting impact on your beneficiaries.

Collaboration is the key to a successful nonprofit strategic plan. When everyone involved in the process—your board, your staff, your volunteers, your consultant, and members of the communities you serve—understands your goals and the steps you’re taking to reach them, your strategic plan will guide your nonprofit to new levels of success.

How Your Nonprofit Can Benefit From A Strategic Plan

Engaging in nonprofit strategic planning not only sets your organization up for taking action toward your long-term goals over the coming months and years; it also provides a wealth of other benefits. Specifically, your nonprofit can:

  • Align your team and goals with your larger mission. Any goal-setting process is a chance for you and your internal team to review your current state and your desired goals, and to gauge whether you’re on track to accomplish your mission down the road.
  • Actively engage your stakeholders. Strategic planning is a process that your board of directors, major givers, and even corporate and community partners can all take part in. As they help you design your vision for your organization’s future, their investment in your work will deepen and you will be able to proactively identify further opportunities for them to be involved in your goals.
  • Plan to make the most of your available resources. Running a nonprofit means making the most out of limited resources. By carefully planning the goals your organization wants to work toward in the next few years, you can prepare to allocate your resources to maximize both impact and efficiency.
  • Set your organization up to track progress toward large goals. It’s important to track your progress toward large goals. When you know what those goals are for the foreseeable future, you can actively monitor your progress by tracking metrics, looking for patterns and trends, and adjusting your approach as needed to move your entire team closer to success.
  • Prepare your nonprofit to make decisions based on your values and top priorities. A strategic plan can act as a litmus test and give you something to measure your decisions against. If a project or initiative will help you get closer to the long-term goals outlined in your plan, it can be an easy thing to say yes to. If not, you can work to make adjustments to proposed ideas and options that will better align them with your strategic plan and, ultimately, your larger mission.

There’s no question that creating a thorough nonprofit strategic plan takes time and effort. However, as you envision the future state of your nonprofit, you’ll not only tap into the benefits above but also unify your community around your shared commitment to your mission.

To create your own strategic plan, there are a few tried-and-true steps you and your team can follow:

1. Partner with a consultant for guidance throughout the strategic planning process.

The nonprofit strategic planning process requires you to examine each aspect of your organization—the roles of your team members, the procedures under which you operate, and the work you do for the communities you serve—closely and thoroughly. Doing so objectively can be difficult for your organization’s team. You may benefit from the external guidance of a nonprofit strategic planning consultant.

If your organization is planning to partner with a consultant to create your next strategic plan, it’s important that you put in the necessary research to choose the best consultant to suit your specific needs. As you consider your options, ensure that you’re working to select a consultant who:

  • Understands your mission and needs. While the consultant you hire will help you develop overarching goals and measurable objectives during the strategic planning process, you’ll want to select someone who understands your mission and the work you do even before you begin your collaboration.
  • Matches your nonprofit’s size and experience level. You’ll have the most success with a consultant that helps your organization build your capacity by first meeting you where you are. The projects that you develop under the guidance of your consultant should help your nonprofit grow without extending beyond reasonable limits.
  • Is prepared to be included in each step of the strategic planning process. The nonprofit strategic planning process isn’t complete once a final draft of the first document is drawn up and circulated among your team members. The best strategic planning consultant for your organization is one who understands that revisions will inevitably occur and who will help you make these decisions as the need for them arises.

2. Collaborate to define your nonprofit strategic planning goals.

Even shorter nonprofit strategic plans are intended to address many aspects of your organization over relatively long periods of time. As your board members, staff, and other individuals involved with your organization work together in the early stages of the strategic planning process, your first step should be to evaluate your organization’s current standing so that you can define reasonable yet ambitious goals for your strategic plan.

One highly-effective starting place for evaluating your nonprofit and beginning to define your goals for your next strategic plan is an analysis of your strengths, challenges, opportunities, and vulnerabilities.

The people involved in the various aspects of your organization’s work will each have different and valuable considerations for each category, but they may include:

This image and the text below describe how to assess your strengths, challenges, opportunities, and vulnerabilities when designing your nonprofit strategic plan.

  • Strengths. What aspects of your nonprofit’s operations, structure, and team have been responsible for your most significant recent successes? Perhaps you have particularly successful programs, a well-connected board, enthusiastic volunteers, or a generous and loyal base of supporters. Perhaps you have all of these strengths, and seek to expand them.
  • Challenges. Just as your nonprofit undoubtedly has unique strengths, it’s likely that you’ve encountered some recurring operational challenges. Identifying these can help you set some early goals for your strategic plan to make your organization even better than it already is. Staff retention, a lack of new faces on the board, and flat fundraising might be challenges affecting your nonprofit.
  • Opportunities. Building on your current strengths, brainstorm opportunities for your nonprofit that you can transform into concrete goals. Are there ways to improve communications among your team, for instance, or areas of your community that could benefit from your organization’s work? How can you expand impact? Refresh the board? Raise more money?
  • Vulnerabilities. Not all of the challenges that your nonprofit may have to face are connected to your organization’s operations or structure. If there are external reasons that you may have trouble connecting with your community or reaching your fundraising goals, for instance, you’ll want to address these in your nonprofit strategic plan.

Once your team has worked together to identify some of the internal and external strengths and challenges that will shape your strategic plan and used them to set some preliminary goals, you can begin the process of defining those goals in measurable terms.

3. Use your strategic planning goals to develop measurable objectives.

Regardless of your nonprofit’s specific goals and objectives, you’ll benefit from identifying ways to reach them through the process of capacity building. Capacity building activities and projects are those that facilitate the deepening of your nonprofit’s mission and impact and allow you to maintain the good work you’re already doing.

Transforming broader goals derived from your mission into specific and measurable objectives is an important part of the strategic planning process. Whether you’re partnering with a nonprofit fundraising consultant to identify opportunities for capacity building or using your team’s knowledge and resources, your strategic plan will benefit from the inclusion of specific projects intended to help you reach your goals through actionable steps.

Examples of capacity building projects like those that your organization may incorporate into your strategic plan may include:

  • Mapping out the future of your organization’s leadership. When your current executives move up in your organization or choose to take advantage of other opportunities, who will succeed them? Reevaluating and more clearly defining the structure of your nonprofit’s leadership can be beneficial to your organization’s efficacy.
  • Investing in new technology. Staying connected with your supporters online is increasingly important for building your nonprofit’s brand recognition and encouraging giving. Upgrading your organization’s technology is a capacity building project that can benefit both your supporters and your team members.
  • Recruiting more volunteers. Without the dedication and hard work of your volunteers, your nonprofit couldn’t accomplish all of the good work you do for the communities you serve. Especially if one of your goals is to extend your reach to include new communities or new means of serving them, recruiting volunteers is an important capacity building project.
  • Developing a board candidate pipeline. Your board is your organization’s leadership group. Good governance dictates adherence to term limits and an active, disciplined nomination function.

The process of capacity building helps your nonprofit obtain the resources you need to serve your community more effectively. After you’ve transformed large-scale goals into measurable objectives and solidified the resources and structure to achieve those objectives, prioritize your efforts to begin enacting your strategic plan efficiently.

4. Prioritize objectives for your nonprofit strategic plan.

The nonprofit strategic planning process is a collaborative effort involving your board and staff that will require continuous reevaluation throughout the years in which your plan is in effect. Prioritizing the objectives contained within your strategic plan ensures that you work efficiently and make more progress toward achieving your goals.

When it comes to prioritizing objectives, every organization’s needs are different. However, any nonprofit can benefit from categorizing these objectives to better understand how they fit together within your organization’s operations and your overall strategic plan. To help with organizing and prioritizing your objectives, think of them in categories such as:

  • Leadership objectives. Most of the responsibilities for these objectives will be carried out by your board members. Ensure that individual steps in each process are clearly assigned to different leaders and members and that the board communicates frequently to stay updated on their progress.
  • Operations objectives. Carried out in large part by your staff and your volunteers, operations objectives could include improvements to your organization’s internal processes, for example, or more effective means of carrying out your work in the communities you serve.
  • Fundraising objectives. Your organization’s leadership, board members, staff, volunteers, and any fundraising consultants you’ve chosen to partner with will all play important roles in creating and meeting fundraising objectives. These may include finding ways to encourage recurring contributions, increasing giving to your annual fund, or offering supporters new giving methods.

One of the largest fundraising objectives your organization may choose to address is a plan for your next capital campaign . Like the other objectives contained within your plan, this undertaking can be accomplished most efficiently when you break each component of the campaign into steps. Preliminary planning efforts such as the creation of a gift range chart are extremely helpful resources for breaking down and achieving your goals.

While every nonprofit’s goals, objectives, and strategic planning processes are unique, reflecting different missions, priorities, and organizational structures, at least one aspect of the process is common to all organizations: the need for revision as you carry out your plan.

5. Revisit your strategic plan to make necessary adjustments.

As your nonprofit continues pursuing your good work in the communities you serve over time, conditions in these communities and at your organization are bound to shift and change. Your work itself will be responsible for some of these effects, as will external circumstances beyond your organization’s control. Capacity building is important because it leaves your nonprofit with an improved structure and tools that make you capable of maintaining your positive impact even when the details of your strategic plan have to change.

While your organization can’t predict all possible changes as you create your strategic plan, you can take steps throughout the strategic planning process to help ensure that the plan you create will be flexible enough to handle unexpected shifts. These steps include:

  • Developing a theory of change. Especially in the earliest stages of your nonprofit strategic planning process, envisioning and discussing a theory of change—beginning with your mission-based goals and working backward to identify potential paths toward reaching them—is an effective approach to the process. It helps ensure that everyone involved in the planning process has a clear understanding of your overarching goals, even if the paths have to change.
  • Communicating regularly with everyone involved. Nonprofit strategic planning is a team effort, as is realizing the objectives and goals outlined in the plan. Effective communication among all the various participants and components of your organization is essential to keeping your plan updated as circumstances change.
  • Revise your plan as needed. The need for revisions doesn’t mean that your original strategic plan was flawed or lacking—it just means that aspects of your organization or of the communities you serve have changed over time and their needs can be best met in new ways.

With effective collaboration, efficient communication, and adaptability, your nonprofit’s team is capable of creating and updating a successful strategic plan that will help your organization progress no matter what the future brings.

As you begin to outline your own strategic plan for the next few years, take inspiration from other nonprofits’ strategic planning efforts. Here are a few examples to help inspire you:

1. Tiffany Circle Strategic Plan

Tiffany Circle is an organization connected to the American Red Cross. It describes itself as a “community of women leaders who advance the American Red Cross mission through a focused investment of time, talent and treasure by engaging and embracing women locally, nationally and internationally.”

This is a screenshot of the Tiffany Circle strategic plan.

Tiffany Circle’s strategic plan for 2024-2025 is guided by the American Red Cross’s overarching principles and missions, as well as the organization’s own mission statement. On its strategic plan web page, Tiffany Circle outlines its strategic plan themes, as well as its objectives and specific goals related to membership growth, revenue, donations, and volunteer engagement.

Why This Strategic Plan Stands Out

Tiffany Circle’s strategic plan is succinct and simple, making it easy for its leaders, members, and other supporters to access and reference as the organization begins work on its goals for the next two years. It is also strongly rooted in the larger Tiffany Circle mission and the American Red Cross mission.

Check out the Tiffany Circle strategic plan for yourself!

2. Habitat for Humanity Sarasota

Habitat for Humanity Sarasota serves the Sarasota, Florida community with its affordable housing and home repair programs. Over the last 35+ years, the organization has helped improve the living conditions of 400 families.

This is a screenshot of the Habitat for Humanity Sarasota strategic plan.

Habitat for Humanity Sarasota’s strategic plan outlines goals for June 2021-2024. Within its strategic plan document, the organization outlines four major goals related to sustainable organizational growth, increased impact on families in need, new partnerships, and increased public awareness. For each goal, the organization has outlined strategic objectives, specific approaches, and carefully-chosen metrics and targets.

The best strategic plans not only lay out ambitious goals but detail specifically how the organization will reach those goals. Habitat for Humanity Sarasota does just that. For instance, one strategic objective outlined in the plan is “Implement new construction efficiencies.” The metrics and targets identified for this objective include implementing cost-effective construction purchasing and creating new floor plans, providing specific direction for how to achieve the objective.

Take a look at the Habitat for Humanity Sarasota strategic plan.

3. World Wildlife Fund-Pacific

World Wildlife Fund-Pacific (WWF-Pacific) focuses its efforts on conservation and natural resource management in the South Pacific marine environment.

This is a screenshot of the WWF-Pacific strategic plan.

WWF-Pacific’s 2025 strategic plan is an extensive document, sharing the organization’s history, past achievements, and goals to reach by 2025. It also outlines the different ways departments within the organization will help move WWF-Pacific closer to its goals, how the organization will measure progress and impact, and WWF-Pacific’s aspirations for 2030.

This strategic plan is extensive and gives great attention to the little details that will help WWF-Pacific reach ambitious goals. It’s also designed for the public to reference, including engaging original artwork and other helpful visuals to make the content more digestible and useful. One especially impactful section is “Aspirational Headlines for 2025,” which shows the world that WWF-Pacific is striving to design.

Explore WWF-Pacific’s 2025 strategic plan.

4. Atlanta Humane Society

The Atlanta Humane Society has been caring for the Atlanta, Georgia Metro community and its animals for 150 years, providing sheltering, adoption, veterinary care, and community outreach services.

This is a screenshot of the AHS strategic plan.

Atlanta Humane Society’s website provides a strategic plan for 2022-2024. This strategic plan is short and sweet, with a message from the organization’s president, updates on past achievements, and an outline of an overarching goal (“Improve the lives and wellbeing of pets and their people.”), key priorities, and the approach the organization will take to get there.

While there is surely more strategy baked into the goals and priorities outlined on this strategic plan web page, the simplistic approach to how Atlanta Humane Society presents its strategic plan makes it shine. The brevity of the plan allows for flexibility in how the organization reaches its goals and allows for any necessary pivoting or revising should circumstances or needs change in the coming months.

View the Atlanta Humane Society’s strategic plan.

5. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado (BBBS of Colorado) is dedicated to helping children realize their potential by matching children with adult mentors that can help them “ignite the power and promise of youth.”

This is a screenshot of the BBBSC strategic plan.

BBBS of Colorado has a strategic plan for 2022-2025. Its focus areas are superior customer experiences, innovative and impactful programs, and scaled growth with measurable impact. Within its strategic plan document, the organization provides high-level summaries of five “big visions” for its volunteers, participants, and internal team.

The BBBS of Colorado strategic plan is highly focused on the outcomes for its participants, demonstrating that all of its big visions are aligned with its mission. It also includes a message from the organization’s leaders about the organization’s current state and vision for the future, which helps demonstrate the strong collaboration from various teams in the organization to design the plan. Our other favorite element? The video on their strategic plan web page that provides an overview of the plan.

Read through BBBS of Colorado’s 2022-2025 strategic plan.

Free Nonprofit Strategic Planning Template

Now that you’ve reviewed our guidance for designing a nonprofit strategic plan, it’s time to get started on your own. This free template pulls together all the main points you should consider when designing your own plan.

This is our free nonprofit strategic plan template, that pulls together all the guidance in this post.

Nonprofit strategic planning empowers your organization to not just dream about its future but to make a plan to get there. Using this guide, work together with your board, staff members, community partners, and consultant to create a strategic plan that can guide your actions and help you get closer to achieving your mission. You can do it!

Want to keep reading about the world of fundraising? Check out these additional resources:

  • Conducting a Planning and Feasibility Study: A Guide. A planning and feasibility study helps you gauge your readiness for a large campaign. Learn how to conduct one in this guide.
  • Your Capital Campaign Case Statement: How to Write It. A case statement is a central part of a strong capital campaign plan. Get all the writing tips you need in this guide.
  • 7 Steps to Encourage Church Donors During Your Annual Appeal. Preparing for your diocesan annual appeal? Make the most of your fundraising efforts using these tips to encourage church donors.
  • Your Nonprofit’s Annual Fund: Everything You Need to Know. Your annual fund helps you keep your doors open. Learn how to fill and grow yours!
  • Donor Retention: A Crash Course & 11 Winning Strategies. Learn how to retain your givers’ long-term support in this quick guide.

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The Essential Components of A Nonprofit Strategic Plan [With Template]

Reviewed by:

October 13, 2022

Last Updated:

October 30, 2023

Table of Contents

You may have heard of nonprofit strategic planning and felt overwhelmed by the concept. But there’s no need to worry!

In this post, we are going to walk you through what a strategic plan is and help provide some insights into how to write the right type of strategic plan for your nonprofit.

We will also include some examples of good nonprofit strategic plans as well as common mistakes to avoid. If you’re ready to develop a strategic plan for your nonprofit, then continue reading to learn more.

5 Free Nonprofit Strategic Planning Templates To Use

What Is a Nonprofit Strategic Plan?

A nonprofit strategic plan is a document that helps drive and guide all of the work of your nonprofit. A good strategic plan will lay out the major goals and objectives you hope to achieve and specific steps for reaching those goals and objectives.

It is important to recognize that a strategic plan is not a linear document. You should think of your nonprofit strategic plan more like a flow chart as it needs to connect all of the pieces of your nonprofit to each other.

If you are working on creating a strategic plan for your nonprofit, you will need to start by understanding the different types of strategic plans. You can use the list below to help determine which type best fits the needs of your nonprofit.

While there are many different strategic planning models, the five that we have listed are most common among nonprofits.

1. Standard Planning: Best for Stable Conditions

A standard planning model is used when internal and external conditions are calm and your nonprofit is operating normally. This is the best model for nonprofits that are creating a strategic plan for the first time, making it the most basic and common type of plan.

The first step to creating a standard planning model is to define your nonprofit’s overall mission. Then, you can lay out the goals that best align with that mission by doing the following:

  • Establish short-term, specific goals you will use to reach the larger goals.
  • Design plans and activities for reaching those short-term goals.
  • Determine who will be responsible for enacting and overseeing those plans.
  • Create a timeline that includes these plans and activities. This timeframe could be anywhere from one to three-to-five years, depending on the size of the goals being reached.

For example, a local shelter for battered women could have a goal of increasing its room capacity to shelter 50 more women and children over the next two years. The shelter determines it will need $20,000 to properly achieve this goal. Its strategic plan should clearly detail who will be in charge of outreach, who will contact donors, who will work with contractors, and any other steps needed to reach this larger goal.

By first determining the smaller goals and who will manage them, the local shelter can focus on meeting the overall challenge successfully in the allotted time frame.

It is common to create a strategic plan that lays out goals for three or five years at a time. By planning a few years at a time, your nonprofit can stay focused on achievable goals while also tying these into a larger picture.

2. Issue-Based Planning: Tackling Internal Challenges

If your nonprofit organization is dealing with internal challenges that need to be overcome, an issue-based planning model can help your organization clearly address these issues.

First, you will need to address the factors that are limiting your nonprofit’s success. Then, you can determine the best steps to address each of these factors.

Maybe your nonprofit is experiencing repeated staff turnover in a turbulent economic climate, or the leadership keeps changing due to disgruntled working conditions. An issue-based model can help solve these specific issues in an allocated period of time.

For example, maybe your nonprofit organization has repeatedly fallen short on its fundraising goal of $100,000 . An issue-based planning model can be used to identify why your organization keeps missing its goal and what it can do to fix it.

This could be done by implementing the following steps:

  • Conduct a brainstorming session to identify the things that are holding your nonprofit back from reaching its fundraising goal each year.
  • Agree on how to address each issue to get your fundraising back on track.
  • Figure out who will work on each issue, and then have someone carefully monitor their progress.
  • Have “check-in” milestones established and adjust the plan as needed to make sure you achieve success.

The last two bullets are key to successfully fixing specific issues within your organization. It is imperative to closely monitor your progress and adjust your issue-based plan as needed to get your nonprofit back on track.

3. Organic Planning: Adapting to External Changes

Unlike an issue-based planning model that deals with internal conditions, an organic planning model is used to help your nonprofit organization adapt to external changes that are impacting your nonprofit.

The “organic” nature of this kind of plan means that it will be less structured. You may not determine all of your steps at once, like a standard or issue-based plan. Instead, your nonprofit team will settle on one initial goal and make steps toward it. After you’ve reached that goal, you can organically decide on your next goal to keep moving forward.

Having your team meet regularly (maybe every quarter) will ensure your organic planning model is progressing successfully or if any adjustments need to be made.

4. Real-Time Planning: Navigating Sudden Crises

A real-time planning model is the perfect choice for nonprofit organizations that are facing either an internal or external crisis as a result of an unexpected event (consider that events of 2020!).

Usually, the impact of the event comes quickly and unexpectedly, so this kind of plan focuses on short-term goals that can be managed one step at a time to successfully make it through the real-time crisis.

For example, 27% of nonprofits across the globe have been a victim of cyberattacks, leaving their donors’ private and personal information vulnerable. This is the perfect example of a crisis that can be handled by a real-time planning model:

  • Have an initial meeting with your team to establish the short-term goals to face the cyberattack crisis.
  • Decide who will be working on each short-term goal.
  • Continue to meet to evaluate what has been done, discuss the next steps, and reaffirm the short-term goals of each team member.
  • After the crisis is over, have the team meet again to review the success of the plan and what could have been done better. 

As you can see from the example above, the goals of a real-time planning model are smaller so that they can be managed quickly and in a short period of time.

If your nonprofit is working on another strategic plan when a crisis hits, the real-time planning model will supersede any traditional strategic plan that is in place.

5. Alignment Model: Synchronizing Teams and Departments

Communication issues amongst your team members are normal, but if your staff and departments are out of sync and it’s affecting your organization, you may need to develop an alignment model strategic plan .

An alignment model will essentially streamline and restructure the way your team members communicate by focusing on the interdepartmental communication problems.

The objective of this type of nonprofit strategic plan is to align goals throughout each department so that everyone in the nonprofit can work and communicate more effectively.

Here are some ideas for how to develop this kind of plan:

  • Everyone meets to discuss the specific issues each team member is facing due to the lack of communication.
  • Small goals are set for each team member based on an established common mission. A larger goal is also set (i.e., clearer social media efforts , overall fundraising goals, etc.).
  • A framework is developed that illustrates the short-term goals each team member must achieve to improve internal communication.
  • Future meetings are established in which the team will check in and report their individual progress toward both their individual goals and the larger goal of the nonprofit.

You should choose this type of nonprofit strategic plan if your team needs help getting back on the same page and working toward a common goal. We have more information on how your nonprofit can better communicate , not only internally but also with donors, volunteers, board members, and the general public.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Strategic Plan?

Now that we’ve explained the different types of strategic plans, it’s time to go over how they can contribute to your nonprofit’s success.

Below, we have outlined the top ways a nonprofit strategic plan can benefit your organization and further its impact.

Provides Clear Direction

Your nonprofit strategic plan acts as a blueprint that guides your organization toward specific goals. As such, it provides clear direction to everyone on your team.

Without a strategic plan, you may not be able to determine if your goals are being met over the course of your given timeframe.

Once you develop the right plan for your organization, you will be able to clearly assess your nonprofit’s progress in achieving its milestones and objectives.

Enhances Grant Writing Chances

Another reason your organization should consider developing a nonprofit strategic plan is because it will enhance your grant writing success .

If you have worked with grantmakers before, you may have noticed that they often ask for you to include your nonprofit strategic plan with your grant proposal . Funders want to see how their grant would contribute to the overall strategic goals of your organization.

Your nonprofit strategic plan can also help you determine whether a specific grant is even worth pursuing in the first place. If the funding opportunity does not align with your strategic goals, you will probably waste time and effort developing a losing proposal.

Reflects Stability and Structure

A nonprofit strategic plan also communicates stability and structure to your organization’s stakeholders.

Donors, grant funders, corporate partners, etc., all want to see that your organization has carefully planned out its goals and how to achieve them.

Many nonprofit organizations even share their strategic plans on their websites so that these stakeholders and future supporters can check them out themselves.

For example, the Gates Family Foundation , a nonprofit committed to different philanthropic goals in the state of Colorado, offers their five-year strategic plan on their website . That way, their donors, partners, and staff can have a clear understanding of the structure and stability of their organization.

Gates Family Foundation

Clarifies Roles Within the Organization

Because a successful strategic plan outlines your nonprofit’s goals and gives specific timelines on how to achieve them, it clarifies the roles and responsibilities of your team members within the organization.

Your strategic plan will help your staff, board of directors , and anyone else working with your nonprofit understand what their roles are within the organization. That way, everyone can stay on task and know how their contributions are critical to achieving the larger goals of the nonprofit.

Values Team Members' Contributions

A strategic plan also helps to show your nonprofit’s staff how important their contributions are. Having a nonprofit strategic plan is a great way to illustrate how valuable your team is to achieving success and furthering your organization’s impact.

Your plan should illustrate how each team member contributes to making your nonprofit’s vision a reality. This clarification can be incredibly motivating because your team clearly knows that their efforts are making a difference.

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What Is the Difference Between a Nonprofit Business Plan and a Strategic Plan?

You may be wondering whether you really need a nonprofit strategic plan because you already have a business plan .

While they may seem similar, business plans and strategic plans serve distinct purposes. We will outline some of their key differences and use cases below.

Key Components of a Nonprofit Business Plan

Both a nonprofit strategic plan and a business plan support a nonprofit’s overall mission. However, a business plan focuses on three key elements for the nonprofit: ‍

A business plan is more of a guide for how the organization will run successfully—the finances, goods and services, marketing techniques, and overall operations of the organization.

On the other hand, the nonprofit strategic plan will be guided by a specific goal or goals during a specific point of time—one year, three years, five years, etc.

Here are some key elements that a typical nonprofit business will include:

  • Detailed budgets
  • Financial reports
  • Marketing plans
  • Financial projections
  • Audience and team information
  • Impact and operational plans

As you can see, a business plan focuses more on the practical operational side of your nonprofit organization.

Key Elements of a Strategic Plan

The key elements of a nonprofit strategic plan are determined by two things: the goals of the plan and the type of plan that is used to achieve those goals.

Each type of plan, however, should include the following:

  • Who is working on the plan and their designated role;
  • The time frame of the plan; and
  • Any adjustments that may need to be made to meet the established goals.

Duration and Time Frame

Most nonprofit strategic plans will run anywhere from one to five years, depending on which strategic plan you need and the goals of the plan. Those involved in the strategic plan should meet regularly—maybe every quarter—to make sure the plan is on track or if adjustments need to be made.

A business plan may also be a blueprint of three to five years, but most business plans usually cover one year of goals and objectives.

Target Audience and Stakeholders

The target audience and stakeholders of a nonprofit strategic plan will depend on the goals of the plan.

In general, you should reach out to key staff members who are working on the short- and long-term goals, board members, and important community partners who also play a role in achieving the goals within the plan.

In business plans, the target audience is usually the end user of the product. Therefore, most business plans focus on why their product is a good fit for this demographic. For a nonprofit, these are the benefactors of your supporters.

Role in Organizational Development and Growth

Nonprofit strategic plans play an important role in organizational development and growth. Not only are these plans a great way to engage new donors, but they can also help make your staff feel valued and important to achieving your organization's goals.

In a similar way, nonprofit business plans will focus on how your nonprofit makes a difference in your community over a period of time. It will document milestones of growth in actionable ways.

Flexibility and Adaptability

A nonprofit strategic plan is a living document, which means it is flexible enough to adapt with the environment and the nonprofit’s need for change. This is why having regular team meetings is key—that way, the team can assess whether the strategic plan is on track or adaptations are needed to better meet the goals.

Business plans are also an operational roadmap, and with that also comes flexibility. There are things that may come up that you cannot predict in a business plan. So, keeping it flexible as your nonprofit grows will help your organization adapt to changing times.

5 Steps to Create a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

1. understand your mission.

While it may sound strange to list understanding your mission, any good strategic plan starts with the basics.

Because all goals and objectives need to align with your mission, you must first make sure that everyone involved in the strategic planning process truly understands the mission of your nonprofit. ‍

Even if you feel that your mission is clear, discussing it as part of the planning process will help you understand why you do what you do. Reviewing this information will make it easier to create clear goals and objectives.

Check out our post on writing a good nonprofit mission statement to make sure that your mission statement is working for you and is aligned with your goals and objectives.

2. SWOT Analysis

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Completing a SWOT analysis involves identifying all items within each of these categories for your nonprofit. ‍

The process of identifying strengths, weaknesses, obstacles, and threats will help your nonprofit understand what actions need to be taken to reach desired goals and objectives.

Typically, this type of analysis is focused on all items related to your nonprofit, not just those specific to the goals and objectives within your strategic plan. It is also important to complete this analysis often as the items in each category can change frequently.

Below is an example of a SWOT analysis chart or map which is a good way to visualize the information within this type of analysis. You can check out this example and more SWOT analysis charts here .

3. Choose the Strategic Planning Model

You can use the information from the SWOT analysis to understand what is keeping your nonprofit from being successful.

Once you understand the current obstacles and threats, you can determine the type of planning model that best suits the current needs of your nonprofit. Here are the most common to choose from:

  • Issue-Based Planning Model: This begins with the identification and analysis of key issues and then formulates strategies to address these issues. It's often used when there are pressing problems that require immediate attention.
  • Goals-Based Planning Model : This model is popular as it helps organizations define clear, measurable objectives and then develop strategies to achieve these goals. It ensures alignment between an organization's mission and its actions.
  • Balanced Scorecard Model : The balanced scorecard is a common choice for organizations looking to balance financial and non-financial performance metrics to measure and manage their strategies effectively.
  • Scenario Planning Model : Scenario planning is employed by organizations that want to be prepared for a range of potential future scenarios, making it common in industries with high uncertainty.

4. Set SMART Goals and Objectives

Now that you have evaluated your mission, completed a SWOT analysis, and chosen the right type of planning model, you should be ready to set goals specific to your strategic plan.

Setting SMART (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based) goals will help you create a clear path for reaching these goals. ‍

An example of a general goal would be “increasing the reach of our educational programs”. To make this a SMART goal, you would get more specific: “we will reach 300 new students through 10 separate reading programs between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2023.”

5. Clearly Assign Tasks

One of the most important parts of a good strategic plan is being specific. The goal of this document is to help your nonprofit be successful in reaching specific objectives, therefore it needs to include specific tasks. ‍

Your staff need to understand their role(s) in helping to reach the goals and objectives of the nonprofit. You also want to include timelines for these tasks so that you can monitor progress.

Keep in mind that because you have assigned specific tasks with timelines, you can adjust your strategic plan as needed. The document is not set in stone, so if you find things are not working out as you intended, adjustments can be made.

Common Mistakes When Making The Nonprofit Strategic Plan

Building an effective nonprofit strategic plan can seem intimidating to even the most seasoned nonprofit staff. To help you understand how to write a successful nonprofit strategic plan, we have identified a few of the common mistakes so that we can help you avoid them.

Not Being Specific

A key part of creating a good nonprofit strategic plan is to write actionable steps for achieving your intended goals and outcomes.

If you are not specific with your plans, it will be difficult to be successful in reaching your goals. A good nonprofit strategic plan will include specific tasks that are assigned to specific people and mapped out over time.

Not Involving Your Whole Team

Another important factor when learning how to write a good nonprofit strategic plan is to make sure to involve your whole team.

For your nonprofit, this team may simply be a board of directors, or it may be a larger staff as well. While each person may not be involved in every step of the planning process, they all need to be included on some scale because they will be the ones completing the work to reach the goals that you set.

It is also important to involve your whole team when completing your SWOT analysis as those involved in day-to-day nonprofit operations will understand the strengths, weaknesses, obstacles, and threats better than anyone.

Thinking the Document Is Set In Stone

We have mentioned a few times that a good nonprofit strategic plan needs to be a living document. Because both the internal and external climate surrounding any nonprofit change constantly, your strategic plan may need to change as well.

While you may create a strategic plan that maps out three to five years of plans (depending what type of planning model you use), it is important to continually monitor and reevaluate your successes and failures.

Planning Too Far Ahead

While a standard nonprofit strategic plan typically focuses on three to five years, you need to make sure you don’t plan too far ahead.

Your nonprofit needs to determine a feasible timeline that fits its specific goals and objectives so that it can be successful. You do not want to create a strategic plan just to say that you have one; you want to make sure you can successfully achieve the goals included in the plan.

If you try to plan too far ahead, it will be difficult to understand how daily tasks are actually impacting your success. Planning too far ahead can also become overwhelming and hamper the success of your nonprofit.

Best Nonprofit Strategic Plan Examples

One of the best ways to learn how to build a strong nonprofit strategic plan is to review examples from other nonprofits. We have created a list of what we feel are some great examples, but there are many out there.

Because your strategic plan is often a public document, you can find many examples simply through an internet search. We wanted to be sure to highlight some that we feel are well put together and demonstrate the information we have shared.

1. The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a national nonprofit focused on helping to protect natural places across the United States. We have chosen to highlight the strategic plan created by the Pennsylvania and Delaware chapter.

Their strategic plan does a great job of laying out clear goals and objectives, while also keeping things simple so that the plan is accessible to anyone. You will see that they break down the plan into geographic/project focus areas which is a great way to organize the information.

The nature conservancy also uses a great layout that makes the document easy to read and understand.

Another clean and organized nonprofit strategic plan that is a good example comes from YWCA of Greater Cleveland . We have chosen their strategic plan because they very clearly lay out their goals and their plans to reach them.

Similar to the plan from The Nature Conservancy, YWCA uses photos and graphics to make the document easy to read and digest by the public.

3. Philadelphia Museum of Art

Another great example of a good nonprofit strategic plan comes from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Their strategic plan is clearly organized into key focus areas which include goals and steps for achievement.

Similar to our first two example strategic plans, the Philadelphia Museum of Art uses images and a clean layout to make their plan easy to follow. We also like how this nonprofit uses active words for their goals such as engaging and activating.

4. St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital is a well known nonprofit focused on curing childhood cancer and other childhood diseases.

Their strategic plan stood out to us because it is available through their website as a live document. What we mean by this is that you can actually click through the pages as if you were holding a physical copy of the strategic plan.

Because this nonprofit focuses on medical research, their strategic plan is a bit more in-depth so that readers can see the types of work they are planning. Their plan still focuses on clearly defined goals with details about their plans for success.

They also use visuals throughout to break up the text of the strategic plan. Even though their strategic plan is a bit more text heavy, they make sure to break things down in a way that stakeholders can understand.

5. Horizons Atlanta

Our final example nonprofit strategic plan comes from Horizons Atlanta which is an organization focused on helping youth become valuable members of their communities.

We chose their strategic plan as one of our examples because they use a good structure that clearly lays out their strategic priorities early in the document.

They break down the details associated with each strategy later on, but having all priorities identified early helps those that may just want to understand the basics of the plan.

We also liked the way that they provide some good background on their nonprofit at the beginning of the plan to help those that may not be familiar with their work.

Keep in mind that a grantmaker or any other stakeholder reviewing this document may be hearing of your nonprofit for the first time. A good strategic plan will include some background which will also help put the goals and plans in perspective.

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Helpful Resources for Nonprofit Strategic Plans

For those looking to draft their nonprofit strategic plan, Instrumentl provides easy-to-use nonprofit strategic planning templates that can guide you through the process.

Instrumentl Easy-to-Use Nonprofit Strategic Planning Templates

These free strategic planning templates for nonprofits will guide you through the process from beginning to end. Check them out today!

Wrapping Up: How to Write a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

We have broken down what a nonprofit strategic plan is and provided some insights into how to create a good nonprofit strategic plan. We also provided several example nonprofit strategic plans for your review.

Using these clear goals as the backbone of your strategic plan will help your nonprofit be successful in reaching your goals.

Up next, pair this guide with our guide to the characteristics of successful nonprofits . Doing so will help you benchmark your nonprofit and where the opportunities are to improve.

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How to Write a Strategic Plan For a Nonprofit Organization + Template

Business-Strategy-VLFG

A strategic plan is a roadmap that helps an organization define its vision, mission, and goals. It provides a clear picture of where the organization wants to go and how it plans to get there. For nonprofit organizations, writing a strategic plan is essential to outline the steps they need to take to achieve their social impact goals. However, it can be daunting to write a strategic plan from scratch. This guide will provide you with the necessary steps to develop a strategic plan for your nonprofit organization.

Start with a Mission Statement

The mission statement is the foundation of your strategic plan. It is a clear, concise, and inspiring statement that outlines the purpose of your nonprofit organization. A nonprofit mission statement should be based on your organization’s values and principles and should be understandable to everyone. Keep in mind that the mission statement should be specific enough to differentiate your organization from others in the same field. Make sure you involve your board of directors, staff, and stakeholders when writing the mission statement. Keep it short and sweet, no longer than a paragraph.

Example of a Mission Statement

“Our nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting and advocating for the rights of underprivileged children in our community by providing educational opportunities, health care, and support services to help them achieve their full potential.”

Conduct a SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis identifies internal and external factors that can affect your organization’s success. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors that you have control over, such as your staff’s skills and resources. Opportunities and threats are external factors that are outside your control, such as legislative changes and competition. Conducting a SWOT analysis will help you identify your organization’s strengths and areas where you need to improve, as well as potential opportunities and threats.

Define your Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives are the specific outcomes you want to achieve within a specific time frame. Goals are broad statements that define the overall purpose of your organization, such as increasing fundraising or expanding your services. Objectives are specific and measurable actions that will achieve your goals, such as reaching a certain number of donors or having a new program in place for children.

Develop an Action Plan

An action plan is a step-by-step guide that outlines how you will achieve your goals and objectives. It includes specific actions that need to be taken, timelines, and responsible parties. Each action should be practical, measurable, achievable, and relevant, such as identifying potential donors, designing a fundraising campaign, or hiring new staff.

Monitor and Evaluate your Progress

Monitoring and evaluating your progress is crucial to the success of your strategic plan. It helps you identify what is working, what needs to be changed, and what needs to be adapted. You should regularly review and update your strategic plan to ensure it remains relevant and effective over time.

In conclusion, writing a strategic plan for your nonprofit organization requires careful planning and execution. It can be challenging, but remember, it’s an essential tool that helps your organization achieve its social impact goals. Follow these steps to ensure you develop an effective strategic plan that serves as a roadmap for your organization. Remember to involve all stakeholders, regularly review and update your plan, and adapt it to meet any changing needs or circumstances. Best of luck in your efforts to make a positive difference in the world.

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Maximizing Impact: Strategic Planning for Nonprofits [+Examples]

Strategic Planning for Nonprofits header image showing 2 people making a nonprofit plan

Nonprofits play an essential role in society by serving as advocates for important causes, offering support to those in need, and promoting social change. However, running a nonprofit can be challenging, especially when it comes to strategic planning. Developing a clear roadmap for the future can be crucial for nonprofit organizations to achieve their goals, increase their impact, and attract funding. And yet, there are many organizations that don’t know how to create a strategic plan for a nonprofit.

In this article, we’ll explore the importance of nonprofit strategic planning, discover what a nonprofit strategic plan could and should include, and provide some examples that will give you some inspiration for your own strategic plan.

Whether you’re a seasoned nonprofit professional or just getting started, this blog will provide valuable insights into the world of strategic planning for nonprofits.

What is a Strategic Plan for Nonprofits?

A strategic plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a nonprofit organization’s goals, objectives, and priorities. It is a tool that helps nonprofits identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and develop a clear roadmap for the future.

Strategic plans typically include an analysis of the organization’s current state, its mission, vision, and values, and outline a set of strategic objectives and action plans. The objectives typically include areas such as fundraising , program development, marketing and communications , governance, and human resources. It should be a fulsome and holistic plan that includes all areas of an organization’s business and how those areas need to intersect to create positive change, both internally and externally.

A strategic plan is also a living document that should be updated periodically to reflect changes in the organization’s internal and external environment. Strategic plans are typically executed over the course of several years, meaning that the circumstances that were considered when the plan was developed (such as staffing, budget, program priorities, etc.) can change and some areas of the plan may need to be adjusted to ensure that your organization is still working towards its goals.

Do Nonprofits Need a Strategic Plan?

In short, yes. Whether you’re a grassroots nonprofit on the verge of growth, or a more established organization with a large donor base , a strategic plan is your roadmap to success. Nonprofits operate in a constantly changing and competitive environment, and a strategic plan can be an invaluable tool to help you navigate this landscape.

A strategic plan provides a clear and concise plan of action that outlines the organization’s goals, objectives, and priorities. It enables you and your team to align your resources, including finances, staff, and volunteers, to achieve your mission and vision effectively.

Without a strategic plan, nonprofits can risk becoming reactive rather than proactive, which can lead to missed opportunities, decreased effectiveness, and loss in revenue. A strategic plan can also be crucial for your fundraising efforts. Donors want to see that organizations have a clear direction and plan for the future.

Strategic plans assure donors that the dollars they have invested in your organization are being well-handled, and get them excited for what’s to come, making them more likely to give again.

A mockup of the Strategic Plan Template showing a look inside at 2 pages

Start building a plan that will lead you to fundraising success.

Use this FREE template to guide your next nonprofit strategic plan and get started with raising more for your cause.

How to Approach a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

When approaching strategic planning, it’s important for your organization to consider several key factors to ensure a successful outcome. First, you should start by clearly defining your mission statement, vision, and values, and ensure that they are aligned with your overall nonprofit strategy.

Next, you should conduct a thorough analysis of your internal and external environment, including factors such as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats ( SWOT ). You should also consider key internal and external stakeholders, including donors, volunteers, and community partners, and incorporate their input into the planning process.

When engaging external stakeholders in your strategic planning process, it’s important to manage expectations. While volunteers, donors, and community partners are incredibly important to your organization, you are likely limited in the information that you can provide to them to inform their decision-making. By carefully selecting the part of the process that you involve them in, you can ensure that you are able to incorporate their feedback without compromising your plan.

Once the analysis is complete, the next step is to develop a set of strategic objectives and action plans that align with their mission and vision. These objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound ( SMART ), and should be regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure progress is being made.

To execute a strategic plan successfully, nonprofits need to communicate the plan effectively to all stakeholders, including staff, volunteers, and board members . It’s critical to get internal buy-in to support your strategic plan. Hosting a town hall or dedicated meeting to walk your team through the plan, gives them an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and get aligned on your organization’s vision for the next several years.

It will be critical for your organization to allocate resources appropriately to ensure that the plan can be implemented. The budget should have been one of the initial considerations while building the plan, and developing a plan that cannot be backed by the appropriate resources (whether that is budget, staffing, or tools) sets your organization up for failure. It’s much better to create a realistic plan based on what you have available than a blue-sky plan that can never be fully executed.

Throughout the strategic planning process, your organization should remain flexible and adapt to changes in your internal and external environment. You should also regularly review and update the plan to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.

Finally, don’t forget to celebrate successes as you reach certain milestones along the way and, even more importantly, learn from your failures. Not everything in your strategic plan is going to go exactly as intended, so it’s important to understand the areas in which you fell short of your goals and use this knowledge to inform future planning efforts.

What is included in a nonprofit strategic plan?

A well-executed nonprofit strategic plan will have many elements. It should be comprehensive, and clearly outline the steps needed to achieve success.

Mission and vision statements

Mission and vision statements are foundational elements of a nonprofit strategic plan. The mission statement defines your organization’s purpose and what it aims to achieve in the long term. A mission statement should be concise and communicate the organization’s reason for existence, its values, and its goals.

The vision statement, on the other hand, is a more aspirational statement that outlines your organization’s long-term goals and what you hope to accomplish. It is a statement that reflects your organization’s values and aspirations for the future. The vision statement for your strategic plan should be inspirational and get your team excited for what’s to come!

Together, the mission and vision statements serve as a guiding force for your strategic plan, shaping its goals, priorities, and activities. They provide clarity and focus, ensuring that everyone involved with the organization understands its purpose and works toward a common goal.

Key Performance Indicators

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are critical metrics used to measure progress toward achieving the objectives set out during strategic planning. KPIs are measurable values that help a nonprofit organization evaluate performance and determine if they are making progress toward their goals.

KPIs provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your organization’s programs and activities, highlighting areas where improvements can be made. KPIs may include metrics related to fundraising, program delivery, volunteer engagement, and other key areas.

It’s important to establish the KPIs associated with your strategic plan before it is presented to the teams that will be executing it. Your team will be responsible for achieving these KPIs, so it’s critical that they understand them, the thought process behind them, and the steps they need to take to achieve them.

By regularly tracking and reporting on KPIs, your nonprofit can identify areas of success and areas that require improvement, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to optimize your impact.

Before you set KPIs, you will want to ensure that you can measure them. It’s crucial to invest in a platform, such as Keela , that offers comprehensive tools that track and update your KPIs in real-time, so that you are able to easily understand how close you are to achieving your goals.

Evaluate performance and progress toward your strategic plan’s goals with Keela.

Learn how you can track what matters most to your organization with one-click dashboards and customizable reporting in Keela.

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Goals and Tasks

When setting goals and tasks for your nonprofit strategic plan, it is essential to ensure that they are aligned with your mission and vision statements. This alignment helps to ensure that the goals and tasks are meaningful and relevant and that they contribute to the organization’s overall success.

Goals and tasks should follow the SMART model and should be:

  • Specific : define the who, what, when, and where of your goal with smart objectives.
  • Measurable : you should be able to track your progress in a quantitative way using measurable goals.
  • Achievable : attainable using your existing skills and resources. It’s important to also look at your data to understand if your goals are achievable based on your organization’s history.
  • Relevant : to your organization’s mission and vision statements.
  • Timely : all goals should have a deadline and timed milestones to ensure that you and your team are on track to achieve success.

Creating SMART goals provides a clear and concise roadmap of what needs to be done to reach your end goal. When developing goals and tasks, it is crucial to consider your organization’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats (see SWOT section), and to incorporate input from key stakeholders.

Your goals and tasks should be broken down into manageable components, with timelines and responsibilities assigned to specific individuals or teams. Regular monitoring and reporting on progress toward the goals and tasks can help to ensure that your organization remains on track and can adjust your approach as needed.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used by nonprofit organizations to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is a comprehensive analysis that helps you evaluate your internal and external environment, providing valuable insights into your current state and future prospects.

Let’s break down the components of a SWOT analysis and why it’s an important part of your strategic planning:

  • Strengths : Strengths refer to the internal factors that give your organization a competitive advantage. These can include factors such as strong brand recognition, talented staff, and a loyal donor base. Identifying strengths is important because it allows your organization to capitalize on these advantages and leverage them to achieve your goals.
  • Weaknesses: Weaknesses are the internal factors that hinder your nonprofit’s ability to achieve its goals. These can include factors such as limited funding, outdated technology, and inefficient processes. Identifying weaknesses is important because it allows you to address these areas and understand what needs to be improved to reach your goals.
  • Opportunities: Opportunities refer to external factors that offer a potential advantage to your nonprofit organization. These can include factors such as changes in legislation or demographics that create new demand for your services. Identifying opportunities is important because it allows you to take advantage of these favorable conditions and expand your impact.
  • Threats: Threats refer to external factors that could negatively impact your nonprofit. These can include factors such as economic downturns, increased competition, or changes in funding priorities. Identifying threats is important because it allows your nonprofit to develop strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure long-term sustainability.

By conducting a SWOT analysis, you can gain a deeper understanding of your competitive landscape, develop strategies that capitalize on your strengths, and address areas that require improvement. This analysis provides a solid foundation for the development of your strategic plan that is tailored to your organization’s unique needs and objectives.

SWOT Analysis Guide for Nonprofit Strategic Planning cover

Get started with your nonprofit SWOT analysis.

This worksheet includes a simple how-to guide, an example tailored to the nonprofit sector, and a template to help you conduct your own SWOT Analysis.

Risk Analysis

A risk analysis is an essential component of nonprofit strategic planning that helps organizations identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. A risk analysis involves identifying potential threats to the organization’s operations, including financial risks, reputational risks, and legal risks.

A risk analysis also involves assessing the likelihood and potential impact of each risk. By conducting a risk analysis, you can develop strategies to minimize potential harm and ensure your long-term sustainability.

It is important to note that risk management is an ongoing process and that risks can change over time. Your organization should regularly review and update your risk management strategies to ensure they remain effective.

How To Write a Strategic Plan

Conduct robust research.

Conducting research is an essential first step in writing a nonprofit strategic plan. This research will include a comprehensive analysis of the internal and external environment, as well as a review of relevant data and research related to your organization’s mission and objectives.

The research you do should help identify industry trends, potential partners, or collaborators that can help you execute your strategic plan, as well as gaps in the current market.

Additionally, conducting research allows your organization to better understand the needs and expectations of your stakeholders, enabling you to develop strategies that align with their priorities.

Define the Elements of Your Nonprofit Strategic Plan

It’s important to define the elements of your strategic planning to ensure that you include everything that will need to be considered. This is where you will include your SMART goals, SWOT analysis, tasks, action plans, KPIs, and risk analysis.

Your mission and vision statements will provide a clear and concise statement of your organization’s purpose and long-term goals and should act as a guiding light to the inclusion of other elements.

Get Input From Key Stakeholders

Getting input from stakeholders (such as donors, volunteers, staff, board members, community partners, and beneficiaries) is a crucial part of the nonprofit strategic planning process.

Input from these stakeholders can provide valuable insights into your organization’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the challenges and barriers you face. This information will help shape your organization’s goals and objectives, ensuring they align with the needs and priorities of your stakeholders.

Involving stakeholders in the strategic planning process can also help build buy-in and support for your strategic plan, increasing the likelihood of successful implementation. Additionally, involving stakeholders can help build a sense of ownership and investment in the organization’s success, creating a culture of engagement and commitment.

Ask Questions

Asking questions is an essential part of building your nonprofit strategic plan. Nonprofit strategic planning involves a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision-making, and asking the right questions can help your nonprofit identify key issues and develop effective solutions.

Asking questions will help you clarify your mission, vision, and values and better understand your competitive landscape. Here are a few stakeholder questions to get you started:

  • What is the most significant challenge facing our organization, and how can it be addressed?
  • What are the most significant opportunities for growth and impact, and how can they be pursued?
  • What are the expectations and needs of beneficiaries, and how can our organization better serve them?
  • What are the expectations and needs of donors and volunteers, and how can our organization better engage and retain them?
  • What are the key trends and developments in the nonprofit industry, and how can our organization adapt to changing conditions?

Determine Your Key Fundraising and Marketing Strategies

Defining key fundraising and marketing strategies is an essential part of nonprofit strategic planning. These strategies can help your organization raise awareness, engage donors and volunteers, and generate the resources needed to achieve your mission and objectives.

To define key fundraising and marketing strategies, your nonprofit should consider several factors.

First, you should identify the target audience for your fundraising and marketing efforts, including donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders.

Second, you should consider the most effective channels for reaching these audiences, including social media, email, direct mail, events, and other marketing tactics.

Third, you should develop compelling messaging that speaks to the organization’s mission, values, and impact .

Fourth, you should consider various fundraising techniques, such as grants , sponsorships, and individual giving campaigns.

Finally, you should establish measurable KPIs to track the effectiveness of these strategies and make data-driven decisions to optimize their impact.

Fundraising KPI's Toolkit for Strategic Planning cover page

Learn everything you need to know about nonprofit KPIs.

Use this FREE Toolkit to learn what it means to be data-driven and get access to a master list of fundraising KPIs for your nonprofits.

Common Mistakes When Making The Nonprofit Strategic Plan

There are several common mistakes that nonprofits make when building a nonprofit strategic plan. These mistakes can hinder the effectiveness of your plan and ultimately impact your organization’s ability to achieve its mission and objectives. Here are some examples of common mistakes:

  • Failing to involve stakeholders in the planning process, can lead to a lack of buy-in and support for the plan.
  • Focusing too much on short-term goals and failing to consider long-term sustainability.
  • Failing to conduct thorough research and analysis of the internal and external environment, can result in an incomplete or inaccurate strategic plan.
  • Developing a plan that is too rigid and inflexible, failing to adapt to changing circumstances or unforeseen challenges.
  • Failing to establish clear and measurable KPIs to track progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan.
  • Neglecting to allocate sufficient resources, including funding, staff time, and other resources, to execute the plan effectively.
  • Failing to establish a process for regularly reviewing and updating the strategic plan to ensure it remains relevant and effective.

By avoiding these common mistakes and ensuring that the strategic planning process is comprehensive, inclusive, and flexible, your nonprofit can develop a strategic plan that guides your activities and helps you achieve your mission and objectives.

Strategic Plan Example – Nonprofit 

One of the great things about the nonprofit sector is that we can learn so much from our peers. Below, we have included a few nonprofit strategic plan examples from nonprofits to help you get started:

  • UNICEF Strategic Plan (2022 – 2025)
  • Alzheimer’s Association Strategic Plan (2023 – 2025)
  • Feed the Children Strategic Plan (2019 – 2023)

In addition to learning from other nonprofits, Keela has created a nonprofit strategic plan template to help guide your nonprofit strategic planning.

Conclusion 

Building a nonprofit strategic plan is a complex and dynamic process that requires careful planning, research, and collaboration. By defining key elements, involving stakeholders, asking the right questions, and avoiding common mistakes, your nonprofit can create a comprehensive plan that aligns with your mission statement and objectives, engages stakeholders, and generates the resources needed to achieve your goals.

A well-crafted strategic plan provides a roadmap for your organization to achieve its mission, increase your impact, and ensure your long-term sustainability.

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About the author:

Meredith gray head of marketing, keela.

Meredith has always had a passion for work that makes an impact. Having spent over 7 years working in fundraising, she has gained extensive knowledge in marketing, peer-to-peer, events, and sponsorship and firmly believes that all successful fundraising strategies start with your data.

Having experienced it first-hand, she understands the challenges nonprofits face when building a fundraising strategy and loves connecting with other like-minded fundraisers to brainstorm new and creative ways to leverage data to increase revenue. When not working, Meredith can be found trying out one of Toronto’s diverse restaurants, breaking a sweat in a spin class, or researching her next travel destination.

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One of the board’s primary responsibilities is to set direction for the organization through strategic planning.

A strategic plan or framework serves as a roadmap and as a tool for assessing progress. Working side-by-side with staff leadership, your board should play an active and substantive role in developing, approving, and supporting your organization’s strategic planning.

The nature of strategic planning is changing, however, in response to the turbulence caused by the most recent recession and the challenge of planning in a constantly changing environment. Plans must be adaptable and reviewed regularly. At the same time, some nonprofit leaders have found that planning in a dynamic environment presents an opportunity to think differently.

Nonprofit leaders are encouraged to incorporate the Purpose-Driven Board Leadership principles to guide your strategic planning process. While this centers around the four principles, in particular, equity mindset and authorized voice and power, can drive the change that most organizations need to take board leadership and thinking to new heights. It is vitally important that organizations incorporate and amplify the voices of the communities served to remove any systemic inequities and lead to greater social impact. As you clarify your organization’s strategic priorities, you may find that they are best accomplished in partnership with others. Consider a strategic alliance with another organization to accelerate your mission work and unlock new opportunities for impact.

BoardSource has also seen a shift away from traditional strategic plans based on three- to five-year time horizons and long planning processes. There has been a move toward strategic frameworks articulating organizational priorities, business plans that combine programmatic and operational goals with financial forecasts, as well as more robust annual plans with clear metrics and timelines.

Whether the path is more traditional or a new framework,  the most important planning tool a nonprofit has is the strategic planning process, and this should reflect a shared board and staff vision of the organization’s role, values, and priorities. It should also include a clear focus on the purpose of your organization and the community it serves. Nonprofits need to ensure that those most impacted by the plans have a voice in the planning. According to Leading with Intent, strategic planning remains among the top areas in need of board improvement, and the following resources are designed to help.

The following resources are designed to help boards improve their performance in the area of strategic planning. According to Leading with Intent , strategic planning remains among the top areas in need of board improvement.

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Free Strategic Plan Templates for Nonprofits

By Joe Weller | June 1, 2023

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In this article, you’ll find a collection of the most helpful strategic plan templates for nonprofits in Google Docs and Microsoft Word formats. These templates are customizable and unique. 

On this page, you’ll find a sample strategic plan template for nonprofits that includes a section for measuring your success , step-by-step instructions for creating a nonprofit strategic plan , the benefits of using a strategic plan template , the key differences between a strategic plan and a business plan , and 12 PDF examples of nonprofit strategic plans .

Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word  

Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template

Download the Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word  

Whether your goal is to increase profits or reach a wider audience, this template gives you the tools for success. Introduce your organization by briefly describing its origin, impact, and focus. Next, fill in the mission statement, vision statement, and core values sections. Collectively, this information builds a foundation for future goal setting. Then you can focus on documenting the direction of your nonprofit by completing the goals section. This section includes space for action steps and metrics that you can use to track progress.

Check out this wide variety of free strategic planning templates to help you meet your strategic goals.

Basic Nonprofit 5-Year Strategic Plan Template  

Basic Nonprofit 5-Year Strategic Plan Template

Download a Basic Nonprofit 5-Year Strategic Plan Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Use this simple nonprofit strategic plan template to document your organization’s goals over the next five years. This template provides space for all the functional areas of a nonprofit, including finance, marketing, community engagement, and operations. The template is customizable, so you can remove columns if you need to shorten the timeline or add goal categories to better align with your overall strategy.

Strategic Plan Template for Nonprofits for Microsoft Word

Sample Strategic Plan Template for Nonprofits

Download the Sample Strategic Plan Template for Nonprofits for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Strategic Plan Template for Nonprofits for Microsoft Word

This nonprofit strategic plan template helps you clearly define all aspects of your nonprofit, from background and values to development and budget. One version includes sample data that you can use as a guide for your own organization. Complete the SWOT analysis section to gain a better understanding of which areas of your group require attention. You can also use the template to measure your success in order to stay on track. Moreover, you can use this tool to conduct a retrospective concerning your past growth initiatives.

What Is a Nonprofit Strategic Plan?

A nonprofit strategic plan is a well-researched approach for planning and accomplishing goals over a three-to-five-year timeline. An organization uses its mission and vision statements as a foundation for establishing growth targets.

Common targets include reaching new markets, offering new products, or recruiting more volunteers. A nonprofit strategic plan paints a picture of your organization’s potential future and enumerates the steps you need to take to get there. 

In addition to a nonprofit plan, you should use a marketing plan. Check out these free nonprofit marketing plan templates and SMART goals for more information.

How to Create a Nonprofit Strategic Plan Outline

In order to create a successful nonprofit strategic plan, you must identify a set of essential elements in a specific sequence. First, define your organization, then in a series of steps, explain what it will accomplish in the future. 

For more information, check out this comprehensive guide to writing a strategic plan . 

Make sure to address all the elements from the list below in order to develop a successful and streamlined strategic plan. 

  • Who you are
  • What you do
  • Accomplishments
  • Mission statement
  • Vision statement
  • Core values
  • Board of directors
  • Why they’re important 
  • Action steps 
  • Success metrics/key performance indicators (KPIs) 
  • Start and end dates
  • Key stakeholders

How to Create a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

Creating a nonprofit strategic plan starts with a desire to grow or improve your organization. Bringing together your key decision makers is the first step toward setting your organization’s future goals. 

Check out this example of a long-term nonprofit strategic plan for more information. You can also learn how to plan for and use strategic frameworks and models to boost your strategy. 

Follow the steps below to create a detailed and effective strategic plan. 

  • Build a Strategic Planning Committee Start by identifying committee members. This is the group of people who evaluate the current position of the organization and make decisions about its growth. Committee members typically include board members, key personnel from different departments, a facilitator (internal or external), and stakeholders. It’s best to keep the committee small and make sure that roles are well defined. 
  • Identify Areas for Development and Growth Determine where you want to focus your strategy. Use strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis to pinpoint the most important thing your organization needs in order to advance. Check out this SWOT analysis template for more information. In addition, ask board members and other key players for their input regarding the future direction of your organization. 
  • Set Goals for 3 to 5 Years from Now Identify the areas in which you want your organization to improve or grow. Example goals include establishing more partnerships, increasing advocacy, and raising more funds. Once you know your goals, you need to develop the action steps to reach them. Include metrics and performance indicators, so you can easily track progress. Include a budget to make sure that the organization doesn’t overspend. 
  • Research Determine the resources you need to accomplish your goals. Execute this step by researching the goal-setting processes of your competitors. In addition, review your organization's past strategic plans. Performing these steps allows you to see how the organization arrived at its current status. 
  • Develop an Action Plan Formulate action steps for each goal. Present your plan to stakeholders and ask them for feedback. Be sure to allot enough time for each action step, so you can reach all of your long-term goals. Check out this additional information about building action plans . 
  • Implement the Plan After you document the plan, put the systems and processes in place. Assign responsibilities and tasks to the appropriate people to ensure accountability. Follow your timeline so that you stay on track. Review your KPIs regularly to guarantee that you’re reaching your short-term targets.

Why You Should Use a Strategic Plan Template

A strategic plan template provides a number of benefits: It offers a transparent, coherent timeline for the planning process; delineates the goals of the plan and any related actions, strategies, and tactics; and facilitates overall success.

Following are the additional benefits of using a strategic plan:

  • Aligns staff members and stakeholders
  • Boosts operational efficiency
  • Helps inform decision making
  • Increases employee satisfaction
  • Manages expectations
  • Provides a reference point for other nonprofits
  • Stimulates collaboration

Nonprofit Strategic Plan vs. Nonprofit Business Plan

A strategic plan is a high-level outline of an organization’s future goals and a description of the specific steps needed to achieve such goals. A business plan focuses on establishing the details of the organization’s operations, production, sales, and marketing. 

The image below provides a quick glance at the differences between a strategic plan and a business plan. Check out this additional information about nonprofit business plans .

12 PDF Examples of Nonprofit Strategic Plans

The wide range of nonprofit strategic plans that are available to the public act as an invaluable resource for startup nonprofit organizations. These plans help new nonprofits understand how to structure and specify their own strategic plans. 

The list below includes 12 categories of nonprofits, each representing a distinct industry and mission. Select a link to view a specific strategic plan and gain insight into how different organizations carry out their missions. 

  • Cultural Nonprofit Strategic Plan: With offices in Washington, D.C.; Suitland, Md.; and New York City, the Smithsonian runs the National Museum of the American Indian. Here is the organization’s current strategic plan: National Museum of the American Indian Strategic Plan 2022-2026 .
  • Domestic Needs Nonprofit Strategic Plan: With the goals of increasing membership, revenue, and diversity, the American Red Cross created this plan: American Red Cross Tiffany Circle Strategic Plan 2020-2023. 
  • Education Nonprofit Strategic Plan: The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools, which focuses on the concept that “investing in our children today strengthens our community tomorrow,” offers this plan: Foundation for Orange County Public Schools Strategic Plan 2020-2025 .
  • Faith-Based Nonprofit Strategic Plan: The Evangelical Alliance shares this plan on its website: Evangelical Alliance Strategic Plan 2021-2024 .
  • Environmental/Animal Nonprofit Strategic Plan: The World Wildlife Fund is the world’s largest conservation organization. Here is its Colombia-specific plan: World Wildlife Fund Colombia Strategic Plan 2020-2025 .
  • Health Nonprofit Strategic Plan: Established in 2011, the Center for Global Health (CGH) is part of the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Here is the CGH’s plan: Center for Global Health Strategic Plan 2021-2025 .
  • Human Services Nonprofit Strategic Plan: With a mission to “improve the lives of people with disabilities or other disadvantages,” Goodwill of Northwest Ohio shares this strategic plan on its website: Goodwill of Northwest Ohio, Inc. Strategic Plan 2016-2019 .
  • International Needs Nonprofit Strategic Plan: Striving for "a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live," Habitat for Humanity lays out its plan on its website:  Habitat for Humanity Strategic Plan 2021-2024 .
  • Medical Nonprofit Strategic Plan: As Canada’s leading integrated health system, Sinai Health follows this strategic plan: Sinai Health Strategic Plan 2020-2025 .
  • Public Affairs Nonprofit Strategic Plan: The ACLU of Ohio adheres to this plan: ACLU of Ohio Strategic Plan 2021-2024 .
  • Social Justice Nonprofit Strategic Plan: Human Rights Watch “conducts fact-finding investigations of human rights abuses and monitors various countries to ensure they are not in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).” Here is the organization’s plan: Human Rights Watch Strategic Plan 2021-2023 .
  • Youth Nonprofit Strategic Plan: Igniting “the unlimited potential of kids and teens by creating safe, inclusive, and engaging environments,” Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta created this plan: Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta Strategic Plan 2021-2025.

Reach Your Nonprofit’s Goals with Strategic Plan Templates from Smartsheet

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The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Smartsheet has goal-setting software that can make your nonprofit’s future goals a reality. We help you manage and track your plan, as well as share it with stakeholders and team members. For additional information about Smartsheet resources for nonprofits, visit /solutions/nonprofit

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

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Strategic Planning for a Nonprofit Organization

strategic planning for nonprofits

Your organization’s strategic plan should be a living document that is reviewed, assessed, and updated regularly.

It is also an integral part of grant applications and fundraising efforts.

This article will provide a step-by-step process for developing and implementing your nonprofit’s strategic plan.

What is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is a written document that outlines your non-profit organization’s mission statement , goals, and the strategies that will be used to meet those goals.

Strategic planning keeps organizations focused on the big picture, keeps them accountable for results over time, provides inspiration for staff members and volunteers, keeps financial resources in line with organizational priorities, and demonstrates how you are meeting your mission.

Strategic Planning Overview

Strategic planning is an ongoing process that provides the direction for where you (and your organization) are going by connecting organizational resources with organizational visions and goals.

It also serves as a vehicle for effective decision-making, resource allocation, and execution of the plan. A strategic plan can be used to manage people, plans, and projects.

Strategic Planning vs. Business Planning

Strategic planning is different from a non-profit business plan , which is more of a snapshot in time that looks at the current operation.

When an organization starts out, it might need to have both kinds of plans—a short-term business plan for starting a nonprofit organization and making sure the doors are open, and a long-range strategic plan for setting goals and an action plan for achieving them. Some organizations might not need both plans, but one or the other will be necessary to guide their direction.

How To Write a Strategic Plan for a Nonprofit

Your strategic plan is a roadmap that can help you reach your charitable goals. Here’s how it works:

1) Set Your Goals

The first step is to define the goals you want to achieve with your organization. Goals should be specific, measurable, and time-bound. For example: “Increase revenue by 10% by June 1st.”

2) Identify Strategies for Achieving Your Goals

Once you’ve established your goals, you can move on to developing strategies that will help you get there. Strategies should be targeted and specific, such as: “Increase revenue by 10% through increased membership.”

3) Develop an Implementation Plan for Achieving Your Goals

The final step of the process is to develop a plan of action, including timelines and milestones, roles and responsibilities, and identifying resources needed. For example: “Using the nonprofit marketing plan we created in step two, hire a part-time development officer to help us reach our goal of 10% revenue growth by June 1st.”

4) Monitor and Assess Your Plan

Once you’ve completed your strategic plan, it’s important to monitor and assess its progress. By having specific and measurable goals and strategies for achieving them, you are able to measure progress and determine when it’s necessary to revise your plan.

Tips for Successful Strategic Planning for a Nonprofit

A strategic plan can be as simple or as complex as your organization needs. Detail is not necessary, but it does help to have a starting point and structure to build on. It’s also helpful to work with a group of staff members and/or board members in developing the plan.

Some questions to consider when developing your strategic plan include:

  • What are the problems that need solving?
  • What can you do to solve them?
  • How will you know if the problem has been solved?
  • How long will it take to solve them (timeframe)?
  • Who is responsible for solving them?
  • What resources (money, time, volunteers) will you need?
  • How will success be defined?
  • How often should the plan be reviewed and updated?

Be sure to seek input from staff members and stakeholders when writing your strategic plan. It’s also a good idea to solicit feedback once the plan is complete and in place.

Include your mission, vision, and values in the strategic plan—and use them as a guideline for decision making and action-taking. And remember, a strategy is just a piece of the larger plan that will help you achieve your goal.

Strategic planning is a key management tool for nonprofit organizations to set goals and accomplish them. This process can be as simple or as complex as your needs require. The objectives and strategies included in the plan must be specific, measurable, and time-bound.  

Other Helpful Nonprofit Business Plan Articles

  • Non-Profit Business Plan
  • How to Write a Nonprofit Business Plan
  • 10 Tips to Make Your Nonprofit’s Business Plan Stand Out
  • 3 Sample Nonprofit Business Plans For Inspiration
  • How to Write a Mission Statement for Your Nonprofit Organization
  • How to Write a Marketing Plan for Your Nonprofit Business
  • 4 Top Funding Sources for a Nonprofit Organization
  • What is a Nonprofit Organization?
  • 20 Nonprofit Organization Ideas For Your Community

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How Nonprofits Can Keep Strategy Front and Center

  • Alan Cantor

how to strategic plan nonprofit

A guide to setting a strategy-centric agenda for board meetings.

Nonprofits boards are notoriously bad at strategy, in part because when they meet they tend to focus all of their time and energy on operational details and routine reporting. To do their work effectively, however, boards need to make strategy a priority — all the time. The author, a consultant to nonprofits, lays out several ways that nonprofit boards can and should overhaul their agendas to put strategy front and center.

As a consultant to nonprofit organizations, I often hear board members complain, “We almost never have time in board meetings to talk about strategy. We’re too busy with  board business !”

  • Alan Cantor is founder and principal of Alan Cantor Consulting LLC , which supports nonprofit organizations in the areas of development, governance, and strategy.  

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Webinar Alert! February 22: Strategic Planning Success Blueprint for Nonprofits

How to Ensure Your Strategic Planning Powers Organizational Success

Are you ready for a strategic plan? Strategic plans are incredibly valuable tools, particularly for nonprofit organizations that are always trying to balance meeting the needs of those they serve with often increasingly fewer resources. BWF’s Tracey Storey dives into the questions you should ask yourself as you consider undertaking a strategic planning process.

How to Ensure Your Strategic Planning Powers Organizational Success

  • Tracey Storey
  • Strategic Planning and Support

Strategic plans are incredibly valuable tools, particularly for nonprofit organizations that are always trying to balance meeting the needs of those they serve with often increasingly fewer resources.

Strategic planning is a critically important way to align the deployment of those scarce resources with your organization’s mission and vision. Writing one that reflects the real challenges and opportunities you and your team face, and that serves as a meaningful touchstone for all staff, is worth the extra effort and hard work of really listening to your constituents and being bold enough to say no to some things so you can say yes to those that will truly serve your community and grow your organization.

Are you ready for a strategic plan?

Download the Whitepaper

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Related Thought Leadership

how to strategic plan nonprofit

How to Ensure Your Strategic Plan is More Than Just a Plan

Strategic planning is a cornerstone of organizational success. So how can you ensure that your plan is more than just a plan? This article takes you through five steps to develop a good strategic planning process that encourages you to adopt a strategic thinking mindset and be flexible without being inconsistent.

how to strategic plan nonprofit

Who Gets a Seat at the Table When Writing a Strategic Plan?

As you begin to draft a new strategic plan, there are two questions you must answer early in the process: Who will you involve in the planning process and when? Involving a diverse range of stakeholders in the strategic planning process can greatly enhance the effectiveness and impact of your nonprofit’s strategic plan.

how to strategic plan nonprofit

Are You Ready for a Strategic Plan?

How do you make sure that your strategic plan does more than sit on a shelf and gather dust? How do you know when your organization is ready to write its first strategic plan or update its existing plan? BWF’s Tracey Storey answers the questions you should ask yourself as you consider undertaking a strategic planning process.

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Nonprofit Consultant Explains How Leaders Can Reduce Mission Creep

Veronica LaFemina - Guest Contributor profile picture

Veronica LaFemina - Guest Contributor

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Capterra interviews Veronica LaFemina on the changes in nonprofit culture and how leaders can overcome burnout.

The pandemic drove nonprofits to embrace new technologies and new ways of working. While some of these changes were sustainable, others were temporary measures only, says Veronica LaFemina, founder and CEO of LaFemina & Co., a woman-owned advisory firm that helps nonprofits strategically plan for the future. [ 1 ]

Today, nonprofit leaders need to analyze what they learned from the past three years and figure out what strategies from the pandemic-era—and pre-pandemic-era—still serve them, and what may be necessary to let go. Pinpointing what still works will help nonprofit leaders prevent staff burnout and mission creep, gain strategic clarity, and drive future success.

Continue delivering on your organization’s mission by addressing employee burnout

The emergence of B corporations and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives have shifted the landscape of purpose-driven careers, which in turn is affecting nonprofit organizations’ ability to attract and retain staff at all levels.

“Twenty years ago, nonprofits offered employees a greater sense of purpose than they could hope to achieve in the commercial sector,” says LaFemina. “Now, people have more options for fulfilling work. Many nonprofit professionals are leaving the sector for good, and folks who may have been interested in nonprofit work in the past are finding purpose in other emerging sectors.”

Employee burnout is also hitting nonprofits much harder than the corporate sector in the post-COVID era, LaFemina says. To retain critical staff and continue delivering on your organization’s mission, leaders must pay careful attention to signs that individual workers may be overwhelmed, fatigued, or stressed.

"If you notice burnout symptoms in a team member, it’s important to take time to understand their struggles and find ways to offer relief."

Headshot of Veronica LaFemina

Veronica LaFemina

nonprofit leadership consultant

Happily, LaFemina does see some positive trends emerging in the nonprofit sector that will help with staff retention. This can include sabbaticals for employees, and “fair pay is obviously important,” she says.

“Focus on long-term strategies, not stop-gap measures, to maintain workers’ joy and energy,” says LaFemina. “Burnout can’t be cured with webinars or a day off now and then.”

But she sees mission creep as a common cause of burnout. Nonprofit leaders need to work toward true strategic clarity to better motivate staff and make them feel valued. This means concentrating on “strategic prioritization” or slowing down, learning to focus, and saying “no” to projects outside your core mission.

The most important elements to addressing nonprofit burnout

“Individualizing the way you manage employees can help,” says LaFemina. Steps you can take in this regard include:

Understand how individuals prefer to be recognized for their successes.

Learn how to prioritize where employees spend their time and effort.

Figure out how to integrate more tech-savvy, and—increasingly—remote workers into your organizational culture.

Professional development opportunities can make a difference, especially when it comes to retention. To grow their skills, help each employee identify their unique strengths and work together to chart a course forward that includes mentoring, building soft skills, creating on-the-job learning opportunities in a remote environment, and leveraging technology effectively to improve collaboration, coordination, and time management, says LaFemina. These efforts can help your employees be more successful today while preparing them to step into leadership roles in the future.

How to gain strategic clarity moving forward

Gaining strategic clarity all comes back to being crystal clear about your organization’s core identity. “Your identity starts with your vision, mission and values,” she says, “but it’s essential to also determine your organization’s role in your community or the issue you’re addressing, your main areas of focus, and what you don’t do.” This will make it easier to make better decisions about what your team should—and shouldn’t—be working on, enabling you to reduce burnout while growing your organization’s impact.

“When everyone—staff members as well as donors—is certain about your prime objectives, they have your explicit permission to focus on what really matters,” LaFemina says.

Practical tips for getting past the daily grind to more strategic work

Ensure consistent financial support by diversifying revenue streams

In times of economic uncertainty, charitable donations decline. This happened post-COVID, when donations declined precipitously between 2021 and 2022—only the fourth time in 40 years that donations did not increase year over year, according to the Giving USA 2023 report. [ 2 ] Total giving decreased 3.4% in 2022 to $499.3 billion in current dollars, a drop of 10.5% when accounting for inflation.

The current decline comes at a time when many nonprofits—especially ones providing services to those in urgent need—report an increase in requests for help. To fill that gap, nonprofit leaders “must consider how best to diversify their revenue streams to ensure a steady flow of funds,” says LaFemina. For some organizations, this may mean leaning into a fee-for-service model for specific programs. For others, a focus on improving or enhancing each area of their individual giving program may be the better strategic move. She recommends the following:

Graphic showing how to ensure consistent funding for nonprofits

Make sure your software helps you accomplish your nonprofit’s mission

As a continuous stream of new nonprofit technologies keep coming to market, the question, says LaFemina, is which tools make the most sense for your organization and how can you optimize their usefulness? “This is an important question. A lot depends on your technology choices, and how you deploy them.” 

It’s critical that the technology you purchase and use is actually what your staff needs in order to efficiently accomplish your nonprofit’s objectives—it’s also important that you work with the vendor you choose to make sure your team is appropriately trained. “Having competent vendor or consultant support to assist your team in effectively adopting new technologies is critical to avoid investing in tools that just sit on the virtual shelf,” she says.

Focus on your core identity for sustainable growth

When asked about tactics nonprofits can deploy to accelerate growth, LaFemina suggests taking a different approach.  “ In the nonprofit world, growing fast is tricky. Because of that, speed shouldn’t necessarily be your goal. Instead, aim to grow sustainably.”  

Go back to your core vision, mission, values, and role, and ensure your goals and the work you choose to focus on align with those identity elements. Use your strategic identity to guide decision-making and to prevent taking on initiatives outside of your nonprofit’s specific objectives. This will help you retain your employees, maintain consistent funding, and sustain clarity as you continue to grow your successful nonprofit.

For more insights from LaFemina on nonprofit strategy, check out her previous articles:

How Nonprofit Leaders Can Facilitate Better Decision Making

4 Practices To Take Your Nonprofit Organization From Stressed to Strategic

7 Steps to Build Your Nonprofit’s Capacity to Manage Change

Veronica LaFemina , LinkedIn

Charitable giving in 2022 drops for only the fourth time in 40 years: Giving USA report , AP News

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About the author s.

Veronica LaFemina - Guest Contributor profile picture

Veronica LaFemina is founder and CEO of LaFemina & Co., an advisory firm supporting nonprofits and social impact businesses at the intersection of strategy, culture, communications, and change management. During nearly two decades as a nonprofit executive and high-impact consultant, Veronica’s work has been featured by Inc. Magazine, the Today Show, NPR, CNN, and in news outlets nationwide. Veronica blogs regularly about nonprofit leadership, strategy, and culture at lafemina.co.

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Capterra is the #1 destination for organizations to find the right software and services, so they can save time, increase productivity and accelerate growth.

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How to Grow Venture Philanthropy in 2024

Giving compass' take:.

  • Here are five reasons why venture philanthropy could be part of your strategic giving plan in 2024 to contribute more to the broader philanthropic ecosystem.
  • What are the barriers to venture philanthropy?
  • Learn more about venture philanthropy's inner workings. 

What is Giving Compass?

We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us .

It feels good to donate to organizations and causes we believe in. In the United States,  60%  of households participate in some sort of charitable giving. Whatever the motivation to donate money, everyone shares the desire for their philanthropic efforts to be as effective as possible.

One avenue to consider is venture philanthropy, which approaches charitable giving as an investment. This approach can be an excellent way to make the most of your donor-advised fund (DAF), family foundation or other philanthropic resources.

My vantage point for proposing venture philanthropy as a worthy investment strategy is my role as the executive director of a leading social enterprise accelerator. And full disclosure: Our organization has an impact-first investment fund that qualifies as venture philanthropy. But the ideas here apply to any and all venture philanthropy efforts.

Venture philanthropists operate through foundations, education capital funds and private firms that give grants and other capital to social entrepreneurs and nonprofits. The investment goals of venture philanthropy focus on portfolio organizations’ social and environmental impact in addition to financial metrics.

As you plan both your philanthropic and investment strategies for 2024, here are five reasons why directing some of your philanthropic giving to venture philanthropy can be a good idea.

  • Provide flexible capital that helps de-risk and strengthen social ventures.
  • Multiply your impact and generate leverage on your philanthropic capital.
  • Give in a way that’s more economically sustainable over time.
  • De-risk your own philanthropic efforts.
  • Contribute to the development of a strong impact investment ecosystem.

Read the full article about venture philanthropy by Brigit Helms at Forbes. Read the full article

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42 episodes

Six Degrees of Associations is a weekly podcast dedicated to real-world professional development knowledge for individuals working within all facets of associations. Folks wear many hats in an association, and our podcast keeps up with the shifting demands of today’s nonprofit workforce by interviewing today’s most influential people in the association universe, including consultants, to uncover what’s working, what’s not, and how the future will shape out. If you are an 'association lifer' like we are, make Six Degrees of Associations part of your Wednesday morning routine!

6 Degrees of Associations: Presented by Core Adventures Core Adventures

  • 5.0 • 2 Ratings
  • FEB 21, 2024

Expert Strategic Planning Advice for Nonprofits to Thrive

Carol Hamilton, the founder of Grace Social Sector Consulting, is our guest this week on the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast. Carol is a dedicated, proven and deeply respected expert in the nonprofit sector, specializing in strategic planning, evaluation, and serving as an equity-focused nonprofit strategy consultant. Her focus is to assist associations and nonprofits that are ready to envision their future direction, design key goals through strategic planning, and, most importantly, enjoy the process. Visit her website: https://www.gracesocialsector.com/ Carol is also the host of “Mission: Impact”, a podcast for nonprofit leaders who want to do good in the world “without being a martyr to the cause.” You can follow her podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mission-impact/id1525965563 As a strategic planning expert, she emphasizes the importance of inclusive decision-making and discusses how organizations can balance ambitious goals with realistic outcomes. Additionally, Carol highlights the significance of integrating an equity lens into the strategic planning process, fostering a more inclusive and impactful future in the nonprofit sector. About This Podcast Welcome to the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast: Presented by Core Adventures. Six Degrees of Associations, presented by Core Adventures, is a weekly podcast dedicated to real-world professional development knowledge for individuals working within all facets of associations. Folks wear many hats in an association, and our podcast keeps up with the shifting demands of today’s nonprofit workforce by interviewing today’s most influential people in the association universe, including consultants, to uncover what’s working, what’s not, and how the future will shape out. If you are an 'association lifer' like we are, make Six Degrees of Associations part of your Wednesday morning routine. Learn More: ⁠https://coreadventures.com/⁠

  • FEB 14, 2024

How to Help Volunteers and Leadership from Damaging Your Association

Andrew Chamberlain is truly one of a kind. With a robust background as a former association CEO, he boasts an impressive 15-year tenure in executive roles within professional membership bodies across the UK. Since 2016, he has expanded his expertise globally as a renowned consultant in non-profit business development, leadership, strategic planning, and effective governance. Andrew brings a unique passion and fire to the association world, on a mission to address the challenges faced by Boards of Directors and Volunteers who are set up to fail in their associations. While volunteers are the lifeblood of associations, there are many ways they can inadvertently damage their association when set up for failure. As the Chief Development Officer & Co-Founder of Elevated, an international consulting firm dedicated to supporting non-profit and association business growth, Andrew is at the forefront of driving positive change. Learn more about Elevate: https://www.you-elevated.com/ Andrew is also a prolific podcaster, co-hosting the Association Transformation Podcast alongside Elisa Pratt, MA, CAE. Follow their podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/association-transformation/id1523269873 Other themes explored in today’s episode include how groupthink can crush institutions, education being at the heart of successful associations and board governance, and the unique (and untapped) position associations are in to literally change the world, one community at a time. About This Podcast Welcome to the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast: Presented by Core Adventures. Core Adventures (formerly Core Affinity) works tirelessly to advance the value of affinity by working with association leaders to strengthen the connection with their members and increase the overall benefits of membership. When you win, we win. On this channel you can be sure to get connected to relevant news, best practices, and other important information for the association management industry and the larger business of marketing and revenue generation. Check back every week for a new episode featuring the best in the business as we feature guests from across the sector to include association leadership, world class marketers, affinity partner organization leadership, and much more! Learn More: ⁠https://coreadventures.com/⁠

  • FEB 7, 2024

Identifying and Engaging Your Association's 'Influencer' Members

We explore the difference-making abilities of influential members within associations this week on 6 Degrees of Associations with our guest, Brandon Lawrence. Brandon is an Executive Director with the Oncology State Societies at Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). Discover the strategies behind identifying and effectively engaging these influential figures, gaining insights that resonate in the evolving landscape of associations. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the pivotal role "Influencer" members play in ensuring a relevant, thriving association during this time of drastic technological change and marketplace volatility. About This Podcast Welcome to the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast: Presented by Core Adventures. Core Adventures (formerly Core Affinity) works tirelessly to advance the value of affinity by working with association leaders to strengthen the connection with their members and increase the overall benefits of membership. When you win, we win. On this channel you can be sure to get connected to relevant news, best practices, and other important information for the association management industry and the larger business of marketing and revenue generation. Check back every week for a new episode featuring the best in the business as we feature guests from across the sector to include association leadership, world class marketers, affinity partner organization leadership, and much more! Learn More: ⁠https://coreadventures.com/⁠

  • JAN 31, 2024

Effective Communication Habits for the Hybrid Work Environment

Six Degrees of Associations producer, Casey Callanan, sits down with longtime association world executive Kathy Zwarick Shanley, PhD, CAE, ACC, this week on our podcast. Kathy shares key trends in the association world, focusing on the shift to hybrid work models and the challenges of effective communication. She emphasizes the importance of thoughtful decision-making, setting boundaries, and understanding diverse work styles. Kathy is a leadership coach, strategist, and Forbes Council Member. After decades of leading associations from the executive suite, Kathy currently serves as the CEO and President of Statice. Statice is a coaching consulting partner helping association executives and teams get an edge on the competition with proven, interactive, results-based strategy. This is Kathy’s second appearance on our podcast, you can watch her first episode with us here: https://youtu.be/nbjeSsv4Nhc Learn about Statice: https://www.think-statice.com/ About This Podcast Welcome to the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast: Presented by Core Adventures. Core Adventures (formerly Core Affinity) works tirelessly to advance the value of affinity by working with association leaders to strengthen the connection with their members and increase the overall benefits of membership. When you win, we win. On this channel you can be sure to get connected to relevant news, best practices, and other important information for the association management industry and the larger business of marketing and revenue generation. Check back every week for a new episode featuring the best in the business as we feature guests from across the sector to include association leadership, world class marketers, affinity partner organization leadership, and much more! Learn More: ⁠https://coreadventures.com/⁠

  • JAN 24, 2024

Adapt or Get Crushed: The Undeniable Changes Coming to Association Leadership

Change can be exhilarating, necessary, and anxiety-provoking. It is the undisputable champion when it comes to being a catalyst for growth. In the week’s edition of our 6 Degrees Associations Podcast, we enjoy a visit with Sara Wood for a conversation about the best ways to navigate change in the association world and beyond. This interview covers Sarah's keynote presentation on modern leadership and the importance of building trust within teams. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity, transparency, and creating a "trusted space." Sara is an association management professional who works with Management Solutions Plus (MSP) in Maryland, an association management company (AMC). With MSP, she currently serves as Executive Director at the North American Association of Commencement Officers (NAACO) and the Public Media Business Association (PMBA). Additionally, she is the Deputy Executive Director at the Association of Water Technologies (AWT). She is a strategic facilitator, speaker, mentor, and catalyst, and as listeners of our podcast will soon find out… she is an incredibly engaging speaker and thought leader in our field. About This Podcast Welcome to the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast: Presented by Core Adventures. Core Adventures (formerly Core Affinity) works tirelessly to advance the value of affinity by working with association leaders to strengthen the connection with their members and increase the overall benefits of membership. When you win, we win. On this channel you can be sure to get connected to relevant news, best practices, and other important information for the association management industry and the larger business of marketing and revenue generation. Check back every week for a new episode featuring the best in the business as we feature guests from across the sector to include association leadership, world class marketers, affinity partner organization leadership, and much more! Learn More: ⁠https://coreadventures.com/⁠

  • JAN 17, 2024

Global Engagement Strategies to Enhance Your Association's Value

We are pleased to welcome Jeanette Gass, CAP, ACNP, DES, to our 6 Degrees of Association Podcast this week. Jeanette is the Senior Program Manager for Global Engagement with International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Jeanette joins our show to talk about the importance of global partnerships and other relationship building techniques she has seen bare fruit with ICMA. This work has ultimately improved the value ICMA has brought to its membership base and the lessons she shares are transferable to many different organizations. Jeanette shares insights into ICMA's global engagement strategies, highlighting the importance of partnerships and the challenges of expanding a U.S.-based association internationally. She discusses the value of continuous learning and recounts a humorous yet instructive experience during her travels in the Philippines, emphasizing the significance of asking questions for effective cross-cultural communication and collaboration. About This Podcast Welcome to the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast: Presented by Core Adventures. Core Adventures (formerly Core Affinity) works tirelessly to advance the value of affinity by working with association leaders to strengthen the connection with their members and increase the overall benefits of membership. When you win, we win. On this channel you can be sure to get connected to relevant news, best practices, and other important information for the association management industry and the larger business of marketing and revenue generation. Check back every week for a new episode featuring the best in the business as we feature guests from across the sector to include association leadership, world class marketers, affinity partner organization leadership, and much more! Learn More: ⁠https://coreadventures.com/⁠

  • © Core Adventures

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  2. The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning (2023)

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  3. The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning (2023)

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COMMENTS

  1. Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Ultimate Guide + 7 Examples

    Nonprofit strategic planning can help your organization meet challenges effectively and take advantage of new opportunities. Despite the many benefits that strategic planning can bring, 49 percent of nonprofits lack a strategic plan. Organizations that do have a strategic plan continually express the advantages that this type of preparation gives them.

  2. Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Your Complete Guide

    Your strategic plan does four important things that other plans are simply not designed to do: Provide a 3-5-year vision for your nonprofit, including goals, objectives and benchmarks to evaluate success. Articulate an overarching strategy for the organization as a whole.

  3. Strategic Planning for Nonprofits

    Strategic Planning for Nonprofits. A strategic planning process identifies strategies that will best enable a nonprofit to advance its mission. Ideally, as staff and board engage in the process, they commit to measurable goals, approve priorities for implementation, and also make a plan to revisit the strategy on an ongoing basis as the ...

  4. Free Nonprofit Strategic Plan with Examples [2023] • Asana

    Before you can create an action plan or a roadmap for your nonprofit that drives results, you need to walk through the following three steps of strategic planning: Step 1: Assess your current situation. Step 2: Develop your strategy. Step 3: Build your strategic plan. Once you've built your strategic plan, you can set KPIs and schedule the ...

  5. A Comprehensive Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Plan

    1. Meet with your key stakeholders. Your first step is to meet with key stakeholders for your organization to establish your goals. This will include board members, chief officers, and sometimes department heads. You can also check in with major donors to learn what they envision for the future of your nonprofit.

  6. Crafting an Effective Nonprofit Strategic Plan: A Guide for Success

    By charting a clear and well-defined path, your nonprofit can unlock its true potential and thrive in its mission-driven endeavors. Here are some key benefits that strategic planning brings to your nonprofit: 1. Vision Clarity and Alignment: A strategic plan helps crystallize the vision and mission of your nonprofit.

  7. Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: Templates/Guide

    Definition: A nonprofit strategic plan is a summary of the organization's specific objectives and the methods of their achievement. Such a plan will typically feature research data, people, procedures, schedules, and more. The overall strategic planning process varies depending on the organization's standing in the community, the external ...

  8. Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Key Steps + Top 10 Examples

    A nonprofit strategic plan is a bold plan of action that aligns an organization's goals with its values to provide a dynamic performance map for future endeavors. It is, of course, impossible to anticipate all of the slowdowns or obstacles that might arise throughout a specified time period.

  9. PDF STRATEGIC PLANNING: A Step-by-Step Guide for your Nonprofit Organization

    Strategic planning is a vital process for any organization that wants to achieve its goals and fulfill its mission. In this pdf, you will find a comprehensive guide to strategic planning, based on the proven methodology of Brighter Strategies, a leading organizational development consulting firm in DC. You will learn how to assess your current situation, define your vision and values, set ...

  10. Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: A Guide to Future Success

    For nonprofits, strategic planning refers to the process of creating an actionable roadmap that defines how your organization will achieve its long-term goals over a specified period of time. Typically, this process involves assessing your nonprofit's current state, identifying opportunities and challenges, engaging stakeholders, and ...

  11. Nonprofit Strategic Plan: A Rundown & How To Create Your Own

    A nonprofit strategic plan is a document that lays out the goals that will get you closer to accomplishing your mission. Think of your strategic plan as a way of transforming your nonprofit's ideals—such as the impact you'd like to have on the community in which you operate—into specific actions your organization can accomplish within a ...

  12. The Essential Components of A Nonprofit Strategic Plan [With Template

    A nonprofit strategic plan is a living document, which means it is flexible enough to adapt with the environment and the nonprofit's need for change. This is why having regular team meetings is key—that way, the team can assess whether the strategic plan is on track or adaptations are needed to better meet the goals.

  13. Strategic Plan For A Nonprofit + Template & Examples

    A strategic plan is a roadmap that helps an organization define its vision, mission, and goals. It provides a clear picture of where the organization wants to go and how it plans to get there. For nonprofit organizations, writing a strategic plan is essential to outline the steps they need to take to achieve their social impact goals.

  14. The Best Time to Say "Yes": How Strategic Planning Can Help

    Today, our thinking has evolved. We envision strategic planning as a highly collaborative process to create a tool that helps you focus on key priorities and enables you to make decisions over the next few (1-3) years, while also adapting to new conditions and opportunities as they arise. Ideally the strategic planning process should answer ...

  15. Maximizing Impact: Strategic Planning for Nonprofits [+Examples]

    A strategic plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a nonprofit organization's goals, objectives, and priorities. It is a tool that helps nonprofits identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and develop a clear roadmap for the future. Strategic plans typically include an analysis of the organization's current ...

  16. Nonprofit Strategic Planning

    Importance of Nonprofit Strategic Planning. One of the board's primary responsibilities is to set direction for the organization through strategic planning. A strategic plan or framework serves as a roadmap and as a tool for assessing progress. Working side-by-side with staff leadership, your board should play an active and substantive role ...

  17. Free Strategic Plan Templates for Nonprofits

    Download the Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template for Microsoft Word. Whether your goal is to increase profits or reach a wider audience, this template gives you the tools for success. Introduce your organization by briefly describing its origin, impact, and focus. Next, fill in the mission statement, vision statement, and core values sections.

  18. How Can A Strategic Plan Advance Your Nonprofit?

    2. Always keep the plan visible. It's difficult to ensure that the strategic plan is serving as a navigation tool for your nonprofit if the plan is saved or shelved and is not part of routine ...

  19. Strategic Planning for a Nonprofit Organization

    Strategic planning is different from a non-profit business plan, which is more of a snapshot in time that looks at the current operation. When an organization starts out, it might need to have both kinds of plans—a short-term business plan for starting a nonprofit organization and making sure the doors are open, and a long-range strategic ...

  20. How Nonprofits Can Keep Strategy Front and Center

    Alan Cantor. Summary. Nonprofits boards are notoriously bad at strategy, in part because when they meet they tend to focus all of their time and energy on operational details and routine reporting ...

  21. 50+ Strategic Plan Examples to Inspire Your Nonprofit

    Strategic plan examples from 50+ nonprofits. See strategic plans from environmental nonprofits, human services nonprofits and more.

  22. What Is a Strategic Plan for Nonprofits? How To Create One

    Follow these steps when creating a strategic plan for a nonprofit: 1. Understand your strategic plan's purpose. Before writing a strategic plan for nonprofits, you pre-plan a few important factors. Start by creating an overarching organizational strategic plan. These plans cover three to five years, and strategic plans focus on reaching these ...

  23. The Importance Of Strategic Planning For Nonprofit Organizations

    Strategic planning is integral to the success of every nonprofit organization. These plans serve as road maps that guide nonprofits, ensuring actions align with an organization's mission and ...

  24. How to Ensure Your Strategic Planning Powers Organizational Success

    Strategic plans are incredibly valuable tools, particularly for nonprofit organizations that are always trying to balance meeting the needs of those they serve with often increasingly fewer resources. Strategic planning is a critically important way to align the deployment of those scarce resources with your organization's mission and vision.

  25. How to Create an Innovation-Focused Plan for Your Non-Profit

    Be the first to add your personal experience. Innovation is crucial for any organization that wants to adapt, grow, and create positive social impact. However, innovation is not something that ...

  26. Nonprofit Consultant Explains How Leaders Can Reduce Mission ...

    Nonprofit leaders need to work toward true strategic clarity to better motivate staff and make them feel valued. This means concentrating on "strategic prioritization" or slowing down, learning to focus, and saying "no" to projects outside your core mission. "Individualizing the way you manage employees can help," says LaFemina.

  27. How to Grow Venture Philanthropy in 2024

    As you plan both your philanthropic and investment strategies for 2024, here are five reasons why directing some of your philanthropic giving to venture philanthropy can be a good idea. Provide flexible capital that helps de-risk and strengthen social ventures. Multiply your impact and generate leverage on your philanthropic capital.

  28. 6 Degrees of Associations: Presented by Core ...

    Expert Strategic Planning Advice for Nonprofits to Thrive Carol Hamilton, the founder of Grace Social Sector Consulting, is our guest this week on the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast. Carol is a dedicated, proven and deeply respected expert in the nonprofit sector, specializing in strategic planning, evaluation, and serving as an equity ...