What are the Basics of Strategic Planning?

As mentioned before, strategic planning identifies where your organization wants to be at some point in the future and how creates a roadmap for how it is going to get there. The "strategic" part of this planning process is the continual attention to current changes in the organization and the external environment, and how this affects the future of the organization. Strategic planning is critical to the long-term success of your organization. Remember: the planning process is never truly finished-- the planning process is a continuous cycle that's part of the management process itself. Strategic planning includes:

• Establishing statements of mission, vision and values
• Taking a wide look around at what's going on outside the organization and how it might affect the organization (an environmental scan), and identifying opportunities/threats
• Taking a hard look at what's going on inside the organization, including its strengths and weaknesses (perhaps doing a SWOT analysis)
• Establishing goals to accomplish over the next (usually) three years or so, as a result of what's going on inside and outside the organization
• Identifying how those goals will be reached (strategies, objectives, responsibilities and timelines)

Since strategic planning determines the overall direction and goals of your organization, it directly influences numerous aspects of the organization, including:

a) Products and services will be provided by the nonprofits and how those products and services will be designed

b) Organizational design and roles will be needed

c) Performance goals should be established for staff and volunteer positions

d) Development of board committees

e) Resources will be needed to achieve those goals, and consequently, how much money is needed to procure those resources -- ultimately, the goals determine the content of various budgets