Building Blocks of Strategic Planning

The strategic planning process is all about defining the future, setting goals, and creating actionable steps. But as the saying goes, you can’t move forward until you look back. What has been accomplished already? What was the impact? And what's next? All of these questions and analysis should happen within the context of the organization’s mission, vision, and values. You might be thinking, “well, obviously!” But it’s actually very easy to get caught up in the opportunities and aspirations of strategic planning, and unintentionally move away from the core tenants of the organization. 

The mission and vision of an organization are relatively stable and do not change much over time. Core values, however, can shift or perhaps become more of a priority at times. For example, inclusivity has become a priority for many organizations within the social sector. Here’s an example of a values statement from the National Council of Nonprofits:

The National Council of Nonprofits stands with others for equity and justice and in denouncing racism, intolerance, and exclusion. Yet taking a stand is not enough. We, along with many other charitable nonprofits, have been on a path of exploration to identify how to build the core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all our nonprofit’s operations, as well as model those values as we advance our mission.

Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter for Nonprofits

A shift in organizational values has implications for the future - both for operations and governance. How will the board and staff live out these values? We have developed a very simple worksheet that can be used to brainstorm core value statements, definitions, and applications. Check it out HERE.