Having said which, I acknowledge that my version of strategic planning is so concrete that it could benefit from more attention to the environment in which a given nonprofit works, and less to the workings of the given nonprofit. That is, let’s not forget to ask, “What are we trying to do, and for whom? Are we succeeding? If not, what’s in the way?” and (yet another step removed) “Is what we’re trying to do worth doing?”

Meanwhile, thanks to Ms. Schwartz and Mr. Friedman for their votes of confidence in the system, and their contributions to explaining how it might actually work in the trenches.

I spent the best part of the afternoon working on Next Steps, NFP’s strategic plan. One of the items in the plan is to tell you, and others that Next Steps, NFP’s has a web site And the web site has my blog. I should tell you that the nonprofiteer is part of the inspiration. Of course, since I have not told anyone about the web site and blog, although it is in the strategic plan, I am mostly talking to myself.

A strategic plan by definition is one that involves fitting the organization into a broader picture, and for a small organization (meaning under $100 million or 1,000 staff) will always mean charting a path toward either exponential growth or merger into another organization.

When a foundation says it is looking for a strategic plan, it is a polite way of telling you that your idea is not novel, and you need to link up with the other people who had the idea before you.

Just an opinion.

Best,
Nancy, Publisher, GettingAttention.org