Strategic Planning

Success Story Lutherwood, Waterloo

“We recently went through a process of updating/refreshing our strategic plan, which was approximately five years old.  As part of this process we developed three working groups – historical reference group (focused on core activities/defining moments in organization’s history and factors that impacted directions), trends (what are the trends in our current environment and anticipated future trends that will impact our services) and reviewing the vision, mission and values.  The working groups included representatives from front-line, management and Board.  Following the development of the draft, reps from these groups visited all of the staff teams, shared their ideas, the draft plan and solicited feedback.  This feedback went back to the working groups to incorporate.  Through involving all key stakeholders from the start and building a plan which incorporated their ideas, we were able to develop a strategic plan which staff, management and Board have not only adopted but embraced, with a full understanding of the context in which we operate.”

Success Story Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres (OAYEC)

“Revenue diversification is an explicit element of our strategic plan. The plan does not specify how we will achieve this. Rather, that is left up to staff to do the operational and business planning and come up with recommendations. This has allowed us to pursue and prioritize different revenue streams without confining us to a single project or specific WAY of generating that funding.”

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Food For Thought

Often agencies become too reliant on a strategic plan.  It is important to set clear intentions and to have an idea of where you want to go, but don’t get too tied to the results.  There are too many things that we have no control over.  Only try to control what you can control and do that well.

Notes from the Field

“Our strategic plan is on a placemat, which we have available at staff, senior management and board meetings, particularly as we are working through challenging situations.  It helps us to evaluate activities/decisions within the context of our plan.”

Lutherwood, Waterloo

Recommended Resources

From the Free Management Library, an on-line service which provides free and easy-to-access resources regarding the leadership and management for the non-profit sector.  This document is a well-written guide to strategic planning for non-profits that has a very detailed section on SWOT analysis.

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