This is the last episode of Season 2 of the Nonprofit Jenni Show! I expect to begin Season 3 in October, but I need your support and ideas to continue the podcast. Please consider donating $1, $5, or $7 per month to help me cover the costs of production!
In Season 2, Episode 12, I spoke with George Hsieh from Community Resource Exchange and Corey Gephart from St. Luke’s Community House to learn about the strategic planning process for nonprofit organizations. George Hsieh is a seasoned nonprofit consultant who coaches nonprofit organizations in New York City through the strategic planning process, and he shared the basic steps to writing a strategic plan. Corey Gephart’s organization recently completed a strategic planning process, and she shared her experiences with her board and strategic planning committee, as well as some advice for other nonprofits starting the process for the first time.
Do you want to start getting these post-show checklists emailed right to your inbox?
Click here to sign up for my email list... And don't worry--I will only email you a MAXIMUM of oncer per week with show notes and other updates I have for you.
Here is this week's checklist:
☑️ Prioritize the questions you want to answer with your strategic plan.
What questions or issues are keeping you up at night? Your strategic plan should focus on the most important and pressing questions. (Listen to the podcast episode for George and Corey's advice on narrowing down the questions you want to address with your strategic plan!)
☑️ If you can't afford a consultant to get you started, use CRE's four step approach to strategic planning.
Corey talks about how helpful her consultant was in guiding her planning committee in the right direction--but maybe you can't afford a consultant right now. George's four planning steps include asking questions, market research, goal setting, and implementation. (Listen to the podcast episode for further details on each step.)
☑️ Make sure your planning team is representative of all your stakeholders.
All of your stakeholders should be represented by the planning team that makes final decisions.
☑️ Write flexibility into your strategic plan.
You will never be able to anticipate all future needs or events that will affect your nonprofit, so make sure your strategic plan is flexible! (Listen to the podcast episode for George and Corey's advice on allowing for flexibility.)
☑️ Make sure your strategic plan is a living, breathing document.
Plan to regularly evaluate your progress, continuously incorporate your plan into your regular operations, and make adjustments as necessary.
And if you need more help...
☑️ Email me and tell me what's going on at your nonprofit.
What are your current goals? What issues are you facing? Give me some background information, and we'll go from there! I never charge for an initial consultation, and I'll be honest if I can't help you. I'll also be happy to connect you with the other resources in my network who may be able to provide better advice or services for your situation.