Please enjoy this guest article from Sam Frank of Synthesis Partnership, founding director of Nonprofit Webinars and host of IdeaEncore Network's Wednesday Webinars series.
If Strategic Planning strikes you — or your board — as a tedious, formulaic waste of time, think again. Not only is planning essential to the health of almost any nonprofit, but it can also be invigorating, enlightening, and morale-building. Engage your board and staff with your strategic plan by improving the design and execution of the process.
There is no "best" way to develop a strategic plan. Every organisation needs to follow a process designed to reflect the nature of the organisation, the prior planning experience of the staff and board, the life-cycle stage of the organisation, and the nature of the changes your organisation is facing — or creating.
When conducted effectively, a strategic planning process will help you adapt to changing circumstances, focus operations and measure results, draw on the wisdom and experience of all your stakeholders, cultivate all your stakeholders, and develop organisational strength and leadership.
— Guest post by Sam Frank, Synthesis Partnership