Simplify to Strategize
Susan Aloi, Business Professor, Davis & Elkins College
Track: Leadership
Audience: Nonprofit Organizations, Executive Directors, Board Members, Volunteers
Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Learning Objectives
- Participants will understand the crucial role of strategic planning in nonprofits.
- Participants will engage with various tools/worksheets that can be used in a basic strategic planning process.
- Participants will be able to implement a simplified, focused strategic planning process.
Brief Summary
Strategic planning doesn’t have to be an expensive and time-consuming experience that results in a quickly discarded document. Real planning is a discipline that helps nonprofits make decisions focused on their mission, increasing their impact over time. Workshop participants will begin by exploring the “why” behind their organization – its mission, vision, and core values – and gain skills to lead this discussion with their boards and staff. The basics of conducting an environmental scan will be practiced in order to make the exercise useful and avoid common pitfalls. Building on this analysis, the workshop will transition into how to identify strategic priorities to connect insights into future direction. Last, participants will focus on translating strategy into impactful action by focusing on implementation. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with practical tips, useful worksheets and templates, and increased confidence in taking charge of their organization’s future.
Detailed Summary
Simplify to Strategize: Planning is a process; streamline the process to focus on what matters. This is an interactive, application-focused workshop designed to equip nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members with clear and simple tools to develop actionable strategic plans. While the “why” of strategic planning will be discussed, the workshop does not treat planning as a theoretic exercise. Instead, we will emphasize clear, mission-focused tools and processes that enable the participants to leave with more than just ideas.
The workshop begins with thoughtful discussion on the foundation of strategy and how to guide nonprofit stakeholders toward understanding and articulating the organization’s “why.” Through individual reflection, guided discussion, and real-world examples, participants will explore the purpose of the organization’s mission, vision, and core values. Worksheets and examples are provided to enable participants to design, redesign, or affirm their organization’s purpose in a way that resonates with internal and external audiences.
Next, the workshop turns to the importance of deeply understanding the environment in which the nonprofit operates – its internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external opportunities and threats it encounters. Realizing the crucial purpose of a comprehensive environmental scan will better prepare the participants to participate in, and lead, a thorough and useful SWOT analysis for their organization. Examples of effective, and not-so-effective, SWOTs will be shared and templates provided to guide the participants as they practice a process that leads to meaningful insights.
From the SWOT analysis, participants will be led in a logical transition toward setting strategic direction. Working through a worksheet provided, we will use SWOT findings to identify potential strategic priorities, evaluate options, and make informed decisions about the organization’s future direction.
Next, participants will practice breaking down strategic priorities into an implementable action plan that can be embedded into the daily operations of the nonprofit. Using an implementation table, participants will be guided to define responsibilities, align resources, and identify ways to measure progress. This practice will help participants lead their organization in the development of actionable plans that clarify the steps specific individuals will need to take to move the nonprofit toward the desired future.
Lastly, we will discuss the challenges of effective strategic planning as well as the pros and cons of internally-led planning processes and the use of consultants. Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in reflection, discussion, and hands-on practice. By the end of the session, participants will understand the importance of strategic planning in fulfilling a nonprofit’s mission, have practiced simple and focused steps, and have gained confidence in leading or actively participating in a strategic planning process that will increase their organization’s impact.