Leadership & Strategic Planning
The strategic plan is the essential vehicle and roadmap for nonprofits to reach their goals and achieve their mission. When creating a strategic plan in the nonprofit sector the board of directors play a key role along with the executive director. A nonprofit's performance is particularly dependent upon the effectiveness of its board of directors in creating and implementing a strategic plan. This blog will describe the role of the board of directors and an executive director in strategic planning.
The board of directors has many different roles to perform. One of these roles is to think about the big picture, both in how the organization is currently performing and where they want to be in the future. This means strategic planning. At K&J Strategic Solutions, strategic planning means longer-term planning (2 to 5 years) that solidifies the organization's priorities and outlines its strategies to achieve the goals necessary to further its mission and realize its vision.
The nonprofit board of directors has a duty to must make sure the organization they lead has a strategic plan in place and that the plan is embraced and implemented fully. There are many reasons the board of directors has difficulties with fulfilling their planning function. A common reason is a lack of understanding of the planning process, which occurs when not enough board members have strategic planning or nonprofit board experience. When this happens, the board may act as a rubber stamp, meaning they think their job as a board member is to approve the plans brought to them by management. Another reason given for delaying strategic planning is a lack of time. This often means board meetings are poorly managed and the agenda too full of routine matters or short-term issues that the idea of long-term planning never sees the light of day.
The following are some steps board members and Executive Director’s can take to make strategic planning a priority:
Speak with the executive director and board members about their duty to have a strategic plan in place at all times to ensure the proper management of the organization.
Explore how the board and staff can be involved in the strategic planning process, taking into consideration their unique size, members with prior experience, and the experience of senior managers.
Create a strategic planning committee or subcommittee responsible for creating the strategic plan. This committee will work with staff and partners to gather needed information to complete the strategic planning process.
Hire a nonprofit consultant, like K&J Strategic Solutions, to facilitate the data collection, retreat facilitation, and planning process. If you cannot afford a consultant then designate a staff member, volunteer, or board member with the proper experience to facilitate the process.
Once the strategic plan is developed it is up to the board, executive director, and staff to fully embrace and implement the plan. They must hold each other accountable for the goals and outcome measures they are responsible for achieving.
Another important factor in the strategic planning process is working with and involving the organization's executive director and other management team members. These are the people directly responsible for executing the board’s mission, vision, priorities, and objectives. The executive director knows the capacity and capabilities of themselves and their staff. The executive director and staff can provide all the information needed on the state of the organization’s external environment and internal capacity, which includes reports, statistics, stories, and other relevant information that the board may not be aware of.
In closing, the board of directors and the executive director have a duty to have a strategic plan in place. Lack of funding is not an excuse to neglect this important process, as self-guided strategic planning is available to all. Ultimately, the board of directors is directly responsible for developing and overseeing a strategic plan that drives the organization's mission and vision. While the executive director is directly responsible for carrying out the strategic plan with the help of the board, volunteers, and staff members.
