Does Planning Really Matter?

“Cheshire Puss,” Alice began, “Would you tell me please which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a great deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.

“I don’t much care where,” said Alice, “so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
— Lewis Carroll

What is strategic planning? It can be defined as a program incorporating a strategy for achieving organizational goals and objectives within a specific timeframe and with substantive support in the form of methods, priorities and resources.   

Most strategic planning involves a three-year time period. The board and staff develop the strategic plan, with input from the various constituencies. A strategic plan will take several months to develop and a planning committee needs to be established. This committee should include board members, staff from each department of your organization, and representatives of membership. The strategic plan needs to cover all aspects of your club-program, finance, facilities, marketing and development. The plan includes goals and objectives as well as strategies to reach these goals and objectives.

Goals are the broad based aspects of the plan. A goal might be "to increase awareness of your club in the community." An objective, on the other hand, needs to be measurable, attainable and specific. An example of an objective might be to "develop an interactive website by June 2011."

Examples of strategies you might use to reach the objective of developing an interactive website might include: selecting a website designer, determining the content desired by visitors to the website, or developing a plan to regularly update the content of the web pages.

Each department then develops their own action plan, which includes timelines, budgets and responsibilities. The plan will be meaningless if it doesn't include the factors to implement the plan-how much will it cost? When will it be done? Who is responsible for implementing this strategy?

The plan also needs to include a process for evaluation and must be measured at least quarterly to track progress. The best plan in the world doesn't work if it sits in a drawer. It must be dynamic and flexible.

All strategic planning must begin with your mission statement. A good mission statement should be just a few sentences and should tell what the organization does and whom it serves. If your mission statement does not fit on a business card, it is probably too lengthy. Often the mission statement is developed or revised during a strategic planning process. Your board needs to approve the mission statement and one of their major roles is to assure that programs and all operations are done in relationship to the mission of the organization. Put the mission statement on all your business cards, newsletters, brochures and other communications including your website. Remind board members of the reason they serve the organization by putting the mission statement at the top of every board meeting agenda.

Unlike the mission, which is a good snapshot of where your club is right now, the vision statement is a statement of where you want to be. This is the place to dream. The vision statement talks about where your organization wants to be in the future. Your vision statement is important because your organization needs to know both where it is now and where it is going before developing a plan on how to get there. The vision, like the mission, needs to be adopted and approved by your board of directors as well as your staff. Everyone can work towards a common vision once it is developed or confirmed through the planning process.

Values are the things you hold near and dear, the things on which you will not comprise. You could think of your values as your "line in the sand." Some examples of values might include a commitment to excellent services, innovation, diversity, creativity, honesty, integrity, and so on.

Before planning how to reach your vision, you must first define where you are now. Like Alice, you have to take stock of your current situation and then find the right path to success through strategic planning. You can begin this process by doing a thorough SWOT Analysis that looks at both the internal and external environments of the organization, the acronym stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats; strengths and weaknesses being internal, and opportunities and threats being external.

In one of the premier books on strategic planning for nonprofits, Allison and Kaye define strategic planning:

Strategic planning is a systematic process through which an organization agrees on — and builds commitment among key stakeholders to — priorities which are essential to its mission and responsive to the operating environment.

Allison and Kaye say that strategic planning:

• Views the future as unpredictable
• Views planning as a continuous process
• Expects new trends, changes and surprises
• Considers a range of possible futures
• Asks, "What business should we be in? Are we doing the right thing?"

A Definition to Remember:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
— Albert Einstein

A system to monitor your plan is critical. A key person, often the vice president of the board, must be assigned to monitoring the plan on a regular basis, holding accountable all those who are involved in the implementation of the plan, and being prepared to make adjustments to the plan when necessary.

A final thought on planning:

"The future has several names.
For the weak it is impossible,
For the fainthearted, it is unknown,
For the thoughtful and the valiant, it is ideal.
The challenge is urgent, the task is large, the time is now."
— Victor Hugo

Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE is President/CEO of CAPITAL VENTURE, consultants to nonprofits offering strategic planning, board development and fundraising services. Click here to contact Linda.

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