strategic plan

Do you have a strategic plan?  That’s a good question and there is a high probability that the answer is no. What is it that stops small organisations from preparing a strategic plan?

  • Firstly, many small clubs and NFPs don’t see the need for a strategic plan because what they are doing, they are doing well.  So they wonder what needs to change.  Why change things if they are working?  In some cases there may be nothing that they need to change, but there are still significant benefits in preparing and managing a strategic plan.  We’ll talk about them later.
  • Another reason some clubs and NFPs don’t like preparing a strategic plan is that they see it as a complex exercise which can be time consuming and too hard to manage.  Often the thought of preparing a strategic plan can seem daunting. It may even seem that to them that they require a consultant with an MBA to come in to do it – at a high cost, of course.  

This is simply not the case. Often the strategic plan is simply a process of getting the main ideas and processes down in a systematic way for the future.  It provides a method to identify key issues that can be prioritised and then linked to other elements of your organisation.

The main components of the strategic plan are usually the key objectives that are linked to actions or activities that must be undertaken to be successful. It also includes key performance indicators so some form of measurement can be made to see how the club is progressing against the achievement of the objectives.

Furthermore, these elements are also important as they are directly linked to other planning in the organisation such as the budget, cash flow, fundraising, human resources, investing activities, grant acquisition just to name a few.

Whether you are running a small one or two person community organisation, a sporting club, a kindergarten or any other not for profit organisation, the next posts outline an easy and effective way a strategic plan can be prepared and managed.