Rethinking Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning has come into the crosshairs lately—given the way things are changing, how can you possibly plan for the next 3-5 years?  That mindset, I think, turns strategic planning into action planning.

There is nothing wrong with planning — indeed, it is critical for any sort of success.  However, if you look at definitions for strategy, it is often tied to the military.  Two out of three of the definitions in The American Heritage of the English Language turn toward Mars:

1  The science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war.

2 The science and art of military command as applied to the overall planning and conduct of large-scale combat operations.

3 A plan of action resulting from strategy or intended to accomplish a specific goal.

Perhaps this is the problem.

Most nonprofits (and do remember 92% of all nonprofits in the US are laboring with budgets under $1M) are not well-oiled combat-ready machines.  Rather, they are under sourced and over extended. To do strategic planning correctly, takes a lot of work.  The real question is whether all this work actually makes the organization stronger with a greater capacity to grow (whether in size, resources, money)?
For the few organizations who do strategic planning because they truly believe having a roadmap for who they want to be in the next 3-5 years, clearly the answer is yes.  But too many nonprofits do strategic planning because funders demand they have one or their board thinks they are necessary.

But they are not always necessary.  Perhaps, for some organizations, a focus on the board would be more beneficial; or working with a consultant who can help them figure out their best way to raise funds…and coach them in order that they implement the plan.

This is not to say strategic planning is not useful; for certain organizations at a specific time in their development, it definitely is.  But there needs to be clarity about where they want to be heading, why that matters, and conviction that they can get where they want to go.