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Strategic Planning
The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide
defines strategic planning as a “complex, ongoing, and
future-focused process of organizational change based on trends and
analysis of internal and external data.” CenterPoint Institute guides
leaders and decision-makers in the process of envisioning their
organization’s future and developing the strategies necessary to achieve
that future.
Strategic planning enables leaders to define the best
approaches to achieving the organization’s mission. A strategic plan
provides guidance for staff and a tool for the board to hold the
organization accountable to fulfilling its mission. The plan sets
priorities and gives stakeholders, funders, and clients/members an
opportunity to more effectively support the organization’s mission.
Strategic planning is appropriate for organizations of all
sizes and shapes, from local grassroots organizations to national and
international organizations. There are as many different recipes for
strategic planning as there are for chocolate cake. For CenterPoint,
each strategic planning engagement is unique; our consultants design
processes to fit the client’s available resources and use terms that fit
the client’s organizational vocabulary and culture.
Design and Facilitation
CenterPoint consultants customize the planning process for each client.
We believe that the “planning to plan” step is crucial and one that
organizational leaders and consultant must take together. Many decisions
made at the outset determine the planning process: Who will be included
on the planning team? Who will champion the plan? How much time can be
devoted to planning? What is the budget?
CenterPoint consultants are trained in a variety of
facilitation methods. Our tool kit includes appreciative inquiry, future
search, nominal group technique, ToP® participatory strategic
planning, and others. We are known for combining methods, too, when
organizations have particular circumstances that require innovation.
Analysis and Scanning
Generally, strategic planning includes scanning activities to identify
and analyze factors in the external and internal environments that have
positive or negative impact on the organization. CenterPoint gathers
information or helps your staff and volunteers gather the information
needed to understand the organization’s operating environment.
Vision and Mission Development
Vision and mission play crucial roles in organizational success by
providing shared statements that describe the organization’s essential
purpose and envisioned future. CenterPoint guides your organization to
examine its mission and articulate its vision through facilitated
discussion and group work.
Strategy Development
CenterPoint assists the planning team in identifying strategies to
actualize the vision. Clear and appropriate strategies lead to
measurable action.
Action Planning
Strategies alone do not go far enough. Action plans detail how the
strategies will be implemented to achieve the envisioned future.
CenterPoint helps organizations breathe life into their plan by helping
to identify what will happen, who will do it, when it will be completed,
what resources are required, and who the potential collaborators might
be.
Documentation and Implementation
CenterPoint helps clients understand how to keep the strategic plan they
invested in alive and actively guiding the organization’s leaders. Plans
that “sit on the shelf” serve no one.
Budgets
Planning costs money, either in direct cash outlay or redistribution of
staff time. Use CenterPoint’s experience with strategic planning to
create a transparent budget for board, staff, donors, and volunteers.
Project Management
Coordinating all the pieces of the strategic planning puzzle requires
focused attention and a strong partnership with organizational leaders.
CenterPoint Institute will manage and facilitate the steps that guide
your organization to an actionable strategic plan.
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