Your total guide to putting a powerful management tool to work in your organization

Why strategic planning? Because a well wrought strategic plan helps you set priorities and acquire and allocate the resources needed to achieve your goals. It provides a framework for analyzing and quickly adapting to future challenges. And it helps all board and staff members focus more clearly on your organization's priorities, while building commitment and promoting cooperation and innovation.

But to be effective, your plan will need to address the special needs of the nonprofit sector. And for more than a decade, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations has been the number-one source of guidance on all facets of strategic planning for managers at nonprofits of every size and budget.

This thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded edition arms you with the expert knowledge and tools you need to develop and implement surefire strategic plans, including tested-in-the-trenches worksheets, checklists, and tables—in print and on the companion CD-ROM—along with a book-length case study that lets you observe strategic planning in action. Packed with real-world insights and practical pointers, it shows you how to:

• Develop a clear mission, vision, and set of values
• Conduct SWOT analyses and program evaluations
• Assess client needs and determine stakeholder concerns
• Set priorities and develop core strategies, goals, and objectives
• Balance the dual bottom lines of mission and money
• Write and implement a solid strategic plan
• Develop a user-friendly annual work plan
• Establish planning cycles, gauge progress, and update strategies

Practical, easy-to-follow planning strategies geared to the special requirements of the nonprofit

This very accessible resource from a team of experts in the nonprofit sector adapts basic business concepts to the unique structure and goals of nonprofit organizations. Breaking the planning process into six steps, the book covers it all--from getting ready and articulating the mission to monitoring and adjusting the finished plan.

* Sample worksheets, checklists, and tables are included in the book--and on a 3-1/2 IBM-compatible disk

JUDE KAYE and MIKE ALLISON (both of San Francisco, California) are executives with The Support Centers for Nonprofit Management.

A complete and flexible guide to strategic planning — specifically designed for nonprofits

Strategic planning is one of the most powerful management tools available to help your organization do a better job — if you know how to use it. This comprehensive book/disk set shows you how to create and implement an effective strategic plan using a simple, seven-phase process that covers everything from defining your mission and setting your course to initiating, monitoring, and streamlining your plan.

The workbook is designed for nonprofits of all shapes, sizes, and budgets, and can be easily adapted to fit any time frame. The package comes with field-tested worksheets, checklists, and tables in both print and disk formats, plus a sample case study that demonstrates strategic planning in action from start to finish. Filled with real-world insights, planning tips, and useful pointers, this accessible guide is a must for every forward-thinking nonprofit professional. Topics covered include: How to construct clear mission and vision statements How to conduct SWOT analyses and program evaluations How to assess client needs and determine stakeholder concerns How to set priorities and develop core strategies, goals, and objectives How to write and adopt a solid strategic plan How to develop a user friendly annual work plan How to establish planning cycles, evaluate progress, and update strategies.

System requirements for accompanying computer disk: IBM PC or compatible computer with 386 or higher processor; Windows 3.1 or higher; Microsoft Word version 2.0 or higher, or other word processing capable of reading Microsoft Word 2.0 files. Includes bibliographical references (p. 265-266) and index.

'What You Will Find in This Book.

Introduction to the Second Edition.

Acknowledgments.

Chapter1:Introduction to Strategic Planning.

What Is Strategic Planning?

Why Plan?

What Strategic Planning Is Not.

Keys to Ef fective Strategic Planning.

Summary of Key Concepts.

Different Types of Planning.

The Strategic Planning Process.

The Language of Strategic Planning in the Nonprof it Sector.

How Much Time and Money Does It Take To Do Strategic Planning?

Chapter2:Phase 1: Get Ready.

How Do We Get Started?

Step 1.1: Identify the Reasons for Planning.

Step 1.2: Set Up Your Planning Process for Success.

Step 1.3: Develop a Plan for Gathering Information from Internal and External Stakeholders.

Step 1.4: Design Your Strategic Planning Process to Meet Your Organizational Needs.

Step 1.5: Write a Planning Workplan.

Case Study: Worksheet 1.

Case Study: Worksheet 2.

Case Study: Worksheet 3.

Case Study: Worksheet 4.

Chapter3:Phase 2: Articulate Mission, Vision, and Values.

Why Do We Need a Mission Statement?

Step 2.1: Write (or Reaffirm or Rewrite)Your Mission Statement.

Step 2.2: Write Your Vision Statement.

Step 2.3: Articulate the Fundamental Values that Guide Your Work.

Case Study: Worksheet 5.

Case Study: Worksheet 6.

Case Study: Worksheet 7.

Chapter4:Phase 3: Assess Your Situation.

Review History and Current Scope and Scale of Operations.

Step 3.1: Prepare a History and Descriptive Profile of Operations.

Step 3.2: Articulate Previous and Current Strategies.

Overview of Information Gathering.

Step 3.3: Gather Information from Internal Stakeholders.

Step 3.4: Gather Information from External Stakeholders.

Step 3.5: Gather Information from Documents and Other Sources.

Step 3.6: Summarize Information into a Situation Assessment.

Case Study: Worksheet 8.

Case Study: Worksheet 9.

Case Study: Worksheet 10.

Case Study: Worksheet 11.

Case Study: Worksheet 12.

Chapter5:Phase 4: Agree on Priorities.

Overview of Phase 4.

Step 4.1: Analyze Data, Review Progress to Date, and Update Workplan.

Step 4.2: Use Business Planning: Tools for Assessing Your Program Portfolio.

Step 4.3: Agree on Each Program’s Future Growth Strategy and Develop Your Program Portfolio.

Step 4.4: Confirm Your Future Core Strategies.

Step 4.5: Agree on Administrative, Financial, and Governance Priorities.

Case Study: Worksheet 13.

Case Study: Worksheet 14.

Case Study: Worksheet 15.

Case Study: Worksheet 16.

Chapter6:Phase 5: Write the Strategic Plan.

Step 5.1: Create Goals and Objectives.

Step 5.2: Understand the Financial Implications of Your Decisions.

Step 5.3: Write the Strategic Planning Document.

Step 5.4: Adopt the Strategic Plan and Next Steps.

Common Obstacles Encountered in Phase 5.

Case Study: Worksheet 17.

Case Study: Strategic Plan.

Chapter7:Phase 6: Implement the Strategic Plan.

Step 6.1: Plan to Manage Change.

Step 6.2: Develop a Detailed Annual Operation Plan.

Sample (Annual) Operating Plan: Program Goal for an Economic Development Agency.

Fund Development Goal for Museum (from Annual Operating Plan).

Case Study: Worksheet 18.

Chapter8:Phase 7: Evaluate and Monitor the Strategic Plan.

Step 7.1: Evaluate the Strategic Plan and the Strategic Planning Process.

Step 7.2: Monitor the Strategic Plan and Update as Needed.

Life After the Strategic Plan Is Done.

Conclusion: A Word to Leaders.

Case Study: Worksheet 19.

Case Study: Worksheet 20.

Appendix A: Blank Worksheets.

Appendix B: Sample Workplans for Abbreviated, Moderate, and Extensive Planning Processes.

Appendix C: Elements of an Effectively Managed Organization (EEMO2™): An Assessment of Your Organizational Capacity.

Appendix D: Self-Assessment of Board of Directors.

Appendix E: Sample Techniques Used in Client Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation.

Appendix F: Conducting Focus Groups.

Appendix G: Techniques and Tools for Managing Group Process: A Toolbox of Meeting Process Tools and Techniques.

Appendix H: Tips on Using Task Forces.

Appendix I: Templates for Strategic and Operational Plans.

Appendix J: External Stakeholders: Process Recommendations and Suggested Questions.

Appendix K: Selected References.

Index \n

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