Strategic Plan or Strategic Pain? A 5-Question Checkup for Nonprofit CEOs
A new customer’s sent me a copy of their old strategic plan.
When I got it, I laughed out loud. The reference line said, “Strategic Pain.”
Was this a typo, an autocorrect, a Freudian slip, or a secret in-house name?
Let’s face it: for many nonprofits, strategic planning feels more like strategic pain.
Whether your last plan sits untouched in a drawer or was built for a world that no longer exists, it may be time to rethink how you use strategy.
If you don’t have a strategy that you use daily, you’re missing out on a significant management tool. Strategies simplify decision-making, reduce conflicts, align efforts, and shorten runways. They shrink the distance and energy required between now and reaching your goals.
Do you have an effective nonprofit strategy?
Not sure where your organization stands? Here’s a quick strategy checkup for nonprofit leaders:
Answer these five-statements. Count the assertions with which you agree.
- You can tell outsiders the overall gist of how you will win in 240 characters or less.
- Every time you meet, your board and staff reflect on the strategy as they resolve issues.
- While obtaining adequate resources remain a challenge, you have a clear understanding of how to obtain the funds you need.
- In the commotion of operating your nonprofit, you know you’re solving today’s challenges and building a better future.
- Instead of hashing of fighting over big ideas about what to do next, your staff, volunteers, and board grapple with the best option to achieve strategic goals.
How did you do? If you answered yes to the whole list, you have an effective strategy. If you scored less than 100 percent, you may have strategic pain instead of a plan.
If your plan isn’t making day-to-day decisions easier, it’s not doing its job. Let’s fix that.
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