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Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation
Table of Contents

by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, partner in Authenticity Consulting, LLC

Description of the book is located
here.

Part I: Understanding Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning

  • What is Strategic Planning?
  • What is "Strategic"?
  • All Else Flows From Strategic Planning in Nonprofit
  • Benefits of Strategic Planning
  • Many Reasons Nonprofits Do Strategic Planning

Conducting Strategic Planning

  • Strategic Planning Framework
  • Traits of Any Strategic Planning Process
  • What Strategic Planning Won't Do for You
  • Myths About Strategic Planning
  • Three Criteria for Highly Effective Strategic Planning and Plans
  • When Should Strategic Planning Be Done?
  • Strategic Management: Strategic Planning Cycle
  • How Much Will Strategic Planning Cost?

Part II: Conducting Relevant, Realistic and Flexible Strategic Planning

Phase 1: Design Plan for a Plan

  • Ready for Strategic Planning
  • Organize Planning Committee?
  • Why Do Strategic Planning Now?
  • What is the Organizational Scope of the Plan?
  • What Strategic Planning Approach Might Be Used?
  • How Might Strategic Planning Approach Be Followed
  • What is the Time Span for the Plan?
  • What is the Schedule for Developing the Plan?
  • Who Will Be Involved From Your Nonprofit? How? When?
  • Need Outside Help? How? When? How to Get It?
  • What Materials Might Be Needed? When? How to Get Them?
  • Conventions for Terms
  • Provide Planning Guide to Planners?
  • Develop Profile of Your Organization
  • How Will You Get "Buy In" of Your Planners?
  • How Will Planners Be Trained About Strategic Planning?

Phase 2: Conduct Situational Analysis

  • Develop Mission Statement Now or Situational Analysis First?
  • Analyze External Environment -- What We Can't Control
  • Analyze Internal Environment -- What We Can Control
  • Identify Strategic Issues or Establish Strategic Goals?

Phase 3: Establish Strategic Direction

  • Develop/Update Mission, Vision and Values Statements
  • Ensure Strategic Thinking for Goals and Strategies
  • Establish Strategic Goals Now?
  • Identify Strategies

Phase 4: Develop Implementation and Finance Plans

  • Develop Action Plans
  • Finalize Action Plans -- Integration and Reality Check
  • Develop Performance Plans
  • Developing Staffing Plan
  • Develop Associated Plans?
  • Develop Operating Budget

Phase 5: Develop Strategic Plan Document

  • Draft Strategic Plan Document
  • Coordinate Reviews and Approval of Plan
  • Distribute and Communicate Plan
  • Celebrate Completion of Plan

Phase 6: Monitor Implementation and Adjust Plans

  • Leadership, Supervision and Delegation
  • Specific Approaches to Ensure Implementation of Plans
  • Specific Tools to Track Implementation of Plans
  • Adjust Plans As Needed

Part III: Foundations for Effective Facilitation

Getting Started As Facilitator

  • Understand What Strategic Planning Facilitator Does
  • Understand Yourself as Facilitator
  • Learn to Work with Diversity
  • Develop Contract With Nonprofit Organization?
  • Understand Planners' Nonprofit Organization
  • Clarify Expectations Between You and Planners
  • Establish Criteria to Evaluate Planning Effort

Facilitation Techniques and When to Use Them

  • Overview of Common Techniques and Their Applications
  • Procedures for Each Facilitation Technique

Challenges in Facilitating Strategic Planning

  • What If Board Not Ready For Planning?
  • How Do We Enhance Group Participation?
  • How Do We Resolve Differences and Reach Consensus?
  • How Do We Get Unstuck?
  • How Do We Deal With Resistance?
  • How Do We Ensure Implementation of Plan?

Appendices

Appendix A: Glossary of Common Strategic Planning Terms

Appendix B: Resources for Nonprofits

Appendix C: Nonprofit Management Indicators (Internal Analysis Tool)

Appendix D: Data Collection Guidelines

  • Conducting Interviews
  • Conducting Focus Groups
  • Basic Methods to Assess Client Needs

Appendix E: Getting and Working With Consultants

Appendix F: Understanding Nonprofits

  • Unique Culture of Typical Nonprofit
  • Organization Chart of Typical Start-Up Nonprofit
  • Organization Chart of Typical Small Nonprofit With Chief Executive Officer
  • Organization Chart of Typical Medium-Sized Nonprofit
  • Diversity of Board Structures
  • Typical Cycle of Operations in Nonprofits
  • Nonprofit Programs, Configurations and Types

Appendix G: Worksheets

  • Worksheet #1: Plan for Plan
    1.1 Is Nonprofit Ready for Strategic Planning?
    1.2 Organize Planning Committee?
    1.3 Why Do Strategic Planning Now?
    1.4 What is Organizational Scope of Plan?
    1.5 What Strategic Planning Approach Might Be Used?
    1.6 How Might Strategic Planning Approach Be Followed?
    1.7 What Time Span Will Be Used?
    1.8 What Schedule Might Be Used?
    1.9 Who Will Be Involved from Nonprofit? How? When?
    1.10 Outside Help Needed? When? How Get It?
    1.11 Materials Needed? When? How Get Them?
    1.12 Any Conventions for Use of Terms?
    1.13 Provide Planning Guide to Planners?
    1.14 Develop Organizational Profile
    1.15 How Will You Get "Buy In" When Announcing Process?
    1.16 How Will You Train About Approach to Strategic Planning?
  • Worksheet #2: Primary Client Analysis
  • Worksheet #3: Stakeholder Analysis
  • Worksheet #4: Environmental Scan
  • Worksheet #5: Collaborator Analysis
  • Worksheet #6: Competitor Analysis
  • Worksheet #7: Opportunities and Threats
  • Worksheet #8: Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Worksheet #9: Strategic Issues
  • Worksheet #10: Mission, Vision and/or Values
  • Worksheet #11: Strategic Goals
  • Worksheet #12: Strategies
  • Worksheet #13: Action Planning

Appendix H: Tools to Identify Strategies

  • Tool #1: Guidelines to Problem Solving and Decision Making
  • Tool #2: Organic Philosophy of Problem Solving
  • Tool #3: SWOT Grid Analysis
  • Tool #4: Internal Nonprofit Problems and Strategies to Address Each of Them
  • Tool #5: Guidelines for Successful Organizational Change

Our Other Useful Nonprofit Publications

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Other Authors' Publications for Nonprofit Organizations

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