If you’ve followed me for any length of time, it’s no secret that I love strategic planning! I know, it comes up a lot in my writing. You’ve probably read a blog post or two, (or let’s be honest, three or four) in which I’ve outlined different aspects of the strategic planning process.
There’s a reason for that. And no, it isn’t because I’ve run out of other things to talk about.
Strategic planning has become an important practice in my own life and business and one that I am fortunate to guide other organizations and individuals through.
BUT, as with all things, big concepts and theoretical ideas can only get you so far! Real-life examples are worth their weight in gold.
With that in mind, would you like some real-life examples? I’ve taken the liberty of interviewing different leaders of nonprofit organizations about their use of the strategic planning process. This blog post begins the first in a series that I’d like to call: Strategic Planning Spotlights.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sue Meuschke, the long-time executive director of the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCEDSV). This organization works as a collaborative, uniting service providers from around the state of Nevada who is dedicated to addressing and preventing domestic violence.
Throughout the thirty-two years that Sue has worked with the coalition, they have been using strategic planning to guide their work. Since each organization approaches planning in a slightly different and unique way, Sue was courteous enough to share the details of her organization’s approach.
Here they are:
WHO: Her strategic planning team is a group of 25-30 individuals made up of board and staff members, community service providers, and individuals receiving and benefiting from services offered by the coalition. As this is a large group and it’s important to make sure each voice is heard, Sue has found it helpful to bring in outside consultants to lead the team through the planning process.
WHEN: The team meets yearly to create an annual strategic plan. However, Sue was honest in sharing that sometimes the goals outlined in their strategic plans have been, well, ambitious. There have been years where their “annual” plans have turned into multi-year projects. This is very common.
WHAT: Throughout the planning process, the team meets to identify targets and goals for the work they hope to accomplish in the coming year. They discuss projects that went well in the previous planning cycle as well as important tasks to address in the upcoming year.
Although Sue’s organization has used strategic planning for many years, they’ve come to have a renewed appreciation in the strategic planning process over the course of the last twelve months.
It’s obviously no secret that 2020 was a wild ride and in many cases, 2021 has just continued that trend. Organizations everywhere had to pivot their plans and systems at a moment’s notice to accommodate for the rapid changes that social distancing and working through a pandemic brought.
Thankfully for the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, they had previously identified technology as a target area for focus, growth, and improvement.
That’s right.
Thanks to strategic planning and having well-articulated and outlined goals, they had already been developing systems for using technology to provide services.
Unlike many other organizations, when March of 2020 hit and the whole world turned upside down, this coalition was prepared and ready to adapt to a situation that no one saw coming. To learn more about the work of this longstanding, trusted, and statewide collaboration, visit their website or connect with the NCEDSV on social media using the handle @NNEDV.
If you enjoyed this real-life spotlight and would like to hear more stories and examples how organizations are putting impactful strategies into practice, CLICK HERE to subscribe to my mailing list. This way, you’ll be up to date on the latest blog posts, podcast episodes, and future spotlights!
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
