Make Time to Review, Revise and Revitalize Your Strategic Plan
Creating a non-profit strategic plan is only the beginning. The real value comes from regularly stopping to ask:
How are we doing?
What have we accomplished?
Where are we falling behind?
What needs to change?
Reviewing progress toward strategic goals and the annual action plan shouldn't happen only when it's time to create a new plan. It should be built into your organization's Board, management, and operational calendars.
Put Strategic Reviews on the Calendar
Non-profits are busy. Programs need to be delivered, staff and volunteers supported, funding secured, and changing community needs addressed. Without dedicated time for strategy, urgent operational work can quickly take over.
Build strategic accountability into your organizational rhythm through:
monthly operational action-plan check-ins;
quarterly management reviews;
quarterly or semi-annual Board progress discussions; and
an annual strategic review and action-planning session.
The schedule may vary. What's important is making the review intentional.
Start With Your Annual Action Plan
Your annual action plan connects long-term strategic goals with what needs to happen this year.
It should answer:
What are we trying to accomplish?
What actions need to happen?
Who is responsible and by when?
How will we know we've succeeded?
During each review, compare what you intended to accomplish with what has actually happened.
Look at Progress—and Results
Some priorities will move faster than others. Identify what's completed, on track, needs attention, not started, or no longer relevant.
Then look beyond completed tasks.
Review your KPIs, milestones, organizational data, community feedback, and other measures of success.
Ask:
What has changed because of our work?
Are we moving closer to our strategic goals?
What are our results telling us?
An activity can be completed without producing the result you expected. That's important information too.
Understand What's Getting in the Way
When progress isn't happening, get curious rather than assigning blame. Staffing may have changed. Funding may not have materialized. Community needs may have shifted. Capacity may be stretched.
Ask:
What's getting in our way?
Do we have the resources and capacity we need?
Are responsibilities clear?
Does this action still make sense?
Understanding the obstacle helps determine what happens next.
Revise and Revitalize
A strategic review isn't only about looking backward. Use what you've learned to strengthen the months ahead.
Consider:
What should we continue, change, stop, postpone, or prioritize?
Where do we need additional resources or support?
What new actions should be added?
Strategic plans shouldn't be so rigid that organizations keep pursuing activities that no longer make sense. Circumstances change, priorities evolve, and organizations learn.
Your annual action plan is a living document that evolves as conditions change.
Celebrate What's Working
Don't make your review entirely about what's unfinished. Recognize the partnerships strengthened, systems improved, programs expanded, capacity built, funding secured, and community impact achieved.
Celebrating progress reminds Boards, staff, volunteers, and leadership that their work is moving the organization forward.
Make Strategic Review Part of How You Operate
Don't depend on someone remembering to pull the strategic plan off the shelf. Put reviews on Board agendas. Include them in management meetings. Connect staff workplans to the annual action plan. Use KPIs and progress reports to guide decisions.
And at least once a year, intentionally step back to review, revise, and revitalize your plan.
The goal isn't to follow the original plan perfectly. It's to keep your organization intentionally moving toward its strategic goals, mission, and desired impact.
If reviewing your strategic plan isn't already on your organizational calendar, what makes you think you'll find the time when everything else gets busy?
Comments