As strategic planning models became routine and accepted as a standard of practice, those who excelled in project management and repositioning content developed an a consultant industry of strategic planners who have emerged to bring expertise to “help” organizations create high impact plans. The secret that few consultants want to admit is that strategic planning is often reduced to a cookbook that illustrated with overused “fill-in-the blank” prescriptions that result in a unimaginative plans. Quite often, strategic planning is a simplistic reordering and renaming of existing strategy and approaches. Such a focus diminishes the value of strategic planning. This premise of the declining value of traditional strategic planning was identified over a decade ago in the seminal Harvard Business Review article titled, “The Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning” by Henry Mintzberg. Mintzberg’s main criticism is that strategic planning often stymies strategy.
Performance improvement is a critical nonprofit management competency to master. The rapidly changing times demand that nonprofit organizations focus myopically on developing the highest level of organizational functioning and still reach higher…
As the current political landscape continues to promise economic uncertainty and possibly even deep cuts to the social service infrastructure, nonprofits will need to adapt and change. For many nonprofits this ability to adapt and change will be directly correlated to the focus and strength of the agency’s board. Indeed I suggest that only an effective board is capable of designing and delivering strategic guidance that will be required to navigate the uncharted waters ahead. For any agency thinking about the future, these principles of effectiveness give a point of reference by which an agency can judge the strength and direction of its board.
I have worked with many organizations where the starting point for resource development planning is next years budget. However, a “seeking support for programs” approach to resource development is an increasingly less durable way to raise revenues that support programs and program growth. As I have been arguing in my recent posts, strategy is increasingly important to nonprofit agencies. By aligning nonprofit strategic planning with impact philanthropy planning there is the potential to create more rational and sustainable funding models for nonprofit organization.
Program accountability and evaluation strengthens internal practice as a focus of continuous improvement and serves as an external benchmark to proclaim an organizational commitment to excellence. As nonprofit agencies continue to look for ways to innovate in a resource constrained environment, building and implementing strong strategic, resources, and evaluation plans will position agencies well to effectively meet compelling community needs.
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- Mark P Fulop, MA, MPH
PO Box 18144
Portland, OR 97218-0144
(503) 928-4082
mark@facilitationprocess.com Facebook Like Box
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