Strategic planning is an essential practice for any successful organization. As mentioned in my blog post, Why Your Nonprofit Needs A Strategic Plan, this process provides clear direction and purpose for your organizational growth.
In other words, the strategic planning process helps you to set goals, identify strategies for achieving those goals, and create systems for measuring progress.
When it comes to strategic planning within an organization, a collaborative approach is best.
Unless you are planning to achieve an individual goal that involves and affects only you, it’s best to incorporate the thoughts, opinions, and knowledge of others. In other words, you need to identify your strategic planning team.
Why?
In any organization, there are many different roles. Each person has their own perspective and knowledge derived from their experiences.
When you involve others in the planning process, you will have a more accurate picture of the current strengths and weaknesses of your organization and will better be able to identify realistic goals for future growth.
On a practical level, the success of a group requires the cooperation and engagement of all members.
In order to create a positive organizational culture that fosters collaboration and hard work, each member must feel as though their perspective and needs are being heard and considered by the leadership.
Now, the question I’m sure you’ve been wondering…
When assembling your strategic planning team, WHO do you actually include?
That depends on the size and structure of your organization.
In small organizations, it’s possible that each team member could be involved in the strategic planning process.
However, in larger organizations, including each team member at the same level is difficult (if not impossible) to coordinate and can compromise the collaborative nature of the group. When too many people are involved, you likely have a “lecture style” presentation rather than a truly collaborative meeting.
In these situations, a representative of each department or group is included in the planning. They act as a proxy for the shared voice in their department, offering key ideas and concerns on behalf of the group.
Strategic planning team members may include:
- Executive Team Leaders
- Representatives from the Board of Directors
- Staff Representatives
- Funders
- Volunteers
- Clients/Community Representatives
Your strategic planning team should be comprised of members in each of these different categories, to ensure that the opinions and perspectives of all involved are being heard and taken into consideration.
Putting together a solid team is essential for a successful strategic planning process. Ultimately, you want to end up with a plan that is embedded in the culture and daily activities of the organization.
If you are a nonprofit executive director interested in refining and embedding your strategic planning practices into the fabric of your organization, you are invited to join our Intentional Nonprofit Leaders Membership Community waiting list.
In this group, we help nonprofit executives lead strategically and achieve impact in the world — all while staying heart-centered and true to who they are. We go into the nuts and bolts of the strategic planning journey and provide support and coaching as you implement.
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
