This is article 1 of a series on the principles of successful nonprofit strategy.

As nonprofit strategic planning consultants at Mission Met, we serve as guides to help leaders of small and medium-sized nonprofits discover the right strategy for their unique organization.

But, that begs the obvious question: what, exactly, is a “right” strategy?

Well, the answer is as diverse as the nonprofits we work with. Strategies are like fingerprints, each one tailored to the organization's size, location, budget, and culture.

But fear not – there are some timeless concepts that lie at the heart of most successful strategies. This article is the first in a series that will unravel these foundational components, equipping you, the nonprofit leader, to craft a strategy that will shine bright in your strategic plan.

In this article, we'll kick things off by delving into the #1 challenge that plagues nonprofit strategy – poor execution. 

The stories in this are from the introduction to my book, Mission Met: Proven Strategies to Help You Build a Financially Secure and Impactful Nonprofit. (The title of this article is taken from Laura Stack’s book of the same title.)

The #1 Problem with Nonprofit Strategic Planning

I’d like to tell you a little story.

Alyssa Robinson is the executive director of a nonprofit whose mission is to protect the wildlife of San Francisco Bay. Well liked by everyone on her team, Alyssa has an infectious passion for her organization’s important educational and advocacy work.

When she became the executive director four years ago, she was asked by her board chair to lead the creation of a strategic plan to address the longstanding issues of inadequate funding, high staff turnover, and mission creep that were having an impact on the quality of their work. 

Having not created a plan before, Alyssa did some research and received pro bono guidance from a local consultant. After a few weeks, she completed a draft plan and presented it to the board at a one-day planning retreat. She then incorporated the board’s feedback into a final plan that contained nine core strategies and twenty-one goals spread out over five years. The plan didn’t clarify who would do what, or by when, but Alyssa figured they’d address that over time. 

The plan had the immediate impact of satisfying her board chair and attracting the attention of a new individual donor. However, the urgency of the day-to-day distracted Alyssa, and the plan—like so often happens—began to collect dust.

Today, despite her passion for the cause, the organization hasn’t risen above the revenue and staffing challenges present when she got the job. The board is now weighing the possibility of shutting the nonprofit down.

Let’s consider a different story...

Leslie Brown is the executive director of a state association of high school principals. Having been a successful principal for over twenty-one years, she took the job three years ago to help principals get the resources they need to positively impact their schools.

Like Alyssa, Leslie stepped into an organization with significant financial, staffing, and programmatic issues. After six months of observing and getting to know her staff and board, she initiated a strategic planning process. Her hope was that the association would benefit from the same type of strategic planning success she had experienced as a principal.

Her approach to planning was completely different from Alyssa’s. From her prior experience, she knew that creating a plan wasn’t too difficult. The challenge was executing it.

As such, she focused on developing an ongoing planning and execution process that included:

1. Developing an annual calendar with monthly and quarterly plan reviews by the staff and board.

2. Documenting a simple-to-communicate, two-page strategic plan that included:

• Four “focus areas” and seven one-year goals

• Persons responsible

• Clear start and due dates

• Refined one-sentence mission and vision statements

3. Using simple cloud-based planning software to capture, communicate, and measure progress on the plan.

4. Ensuring that everyone understood that she and her executive assistant would “co-champion” the process and provide the necessary support to the key team members who were executing the plan.

Two short years after the planning process was initiated, Leslie and her team had experienced the following benefits:

• Six foundations committed to multi-year grants to address their operational needs.

• They raised 11% more than they had projected.

• High staff turnover became a thing of the past.

• The association received its highest ever satisfaction ratings from the members.

• An organizational culture took root that exudes optimism about the future.

Leslie’s focus on executing the plan made all the difference.

And, so, your first strategy should be to make sure that you and your team are set to execute upon your strategy and plan consistently, year-after-year.

Throughout my book I provide specific guidance and tips about how to make sure that your organization is well-prepared to execute your plan. Some examples are:

• Make strategic planning a part of your job description (p. 12)

• Using a co-champion (p. 13)

• Get your team’s buy-in (p. 17)

• Use a step-by-step planning cycle (p. 25)

• Create a simple two-section framework for your plan (p. 38)

• Use process-based goals (p. 46)

• Measure and analyze monthly (p. 57)

• Leverage technology (p. 80)

Other Elements of Your Strategy

If you and your team approach strategic planning like Leslie, you’re on your way to creating and leveraging an effective strategy. 

In subsequent articles, I’ll address other topics of successful strategy, such as:

• The Power of a Focused Programs Strategy

• Creating a Strong Culture is Extremely Strategic

• Having a Clear Organizational Vision

• Ensuring a Common Strategic Planning Language

• Your Strategic Plan May Need to Have an Operational Focus

• If Your Leadership isn’t Aligned, Your Organization Won’t Be Either

Stay tuned!