We at SEA know…
- You are a busy executive director, school leader or a small business owner.
- You’ve heard about strategic planning but think it is mostly for big businesses.
- You have neither the time nor the resources to spend on planning.
- You think strategic planning is tedious and difficult.
But wait… do you know what a strategic plan could do for your organization? Maybe it’s time to do a strategic plan!
It’s hard to accomplish anything without a plan. Whether you’re coaching a soccer team, cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or leading an organization, you need a plan.
A strategic plan, when done well, will do the following:
1. Create – or revisit – the mission and vision of your organization: why you exist and what you hope to accomplish.
2. Give you a real, fact-based assessment of where your organization is right now.
What is your organizational environment? What are the strengths and the weaknesses, both within and outside of your organization?
3. Help your organization prepare for the future.
What are the opportunities and the possible threats to your organization? What are the forces that could have a bearing on your organization?
4. Identify what is most important for your organization.
Set the direction for the future of the organization. What are the priorities for moving forward?
5. Define success.
Clear goals will be established and the organization will make a commitment to what it intends to achieve.
6. Create a roadmap of what lies ahead.
Multiple options exist for moving forward. The strategic plan will help you decide how to achieve the goals and choose the best navigational tools for doing that.
7. Drive organizational alignment.
The strategic plan will provide clarity and consensus so your frontline team understands where you are headed and how you will get there.
8. Simplify decision-making.
When organizational goals are clear, decision-making will also be clear. You will know what resources are needed to accomplish the goals.
9. Develop a system to measure progress.
Your organization needs to know when its goals are achieved. Setting key performance indicators and measuring the progress will supply that information.
10. Provide evidence to funders and sponsors
Provide evidence to funders and sponsors of the careful planning and progress. A strategic plan communicates your organization’s unique position and is a valuable asset in development.
Sandpiper Evaluation is skilled at leading organizations through strategic planning. From 1-day workshops to year-long work, we tailor the process to your organization’s needs. Please contact us to talk about your strategic planning questions and how we can support your work.
Two good resources on strategic planning: