At Mission Met, we frequently say that nonprofit executive directors are the heroes of the social sector. But what would a hero be without a cape? 

Enter the CAPE Cycle. The CAPE Cycle is a simple four-step strategic planning process that helps executive directors and their teams approach strategic planning as a process, not as an event. Implementing the CAPE Cycle ensures that nonprofits get the maximum impact from their strategic planning efforts. 

CAPE is an acronym for the four steps of the cycle: Champion, Assess, Plan, and Execute. 

Below is a summary of the four steps. 

Step 1: Champion

Like so many things, leadership is critical to your strategic planning success. That’s why it’s the focus of the first step of the CAPE Cycle – “Champion”.

In this step, you’ll identify one or two people that will champion the overall strategic planning process. This may seem rather obvious to do, but all too often a nonprofit makes the fatal mistake of charging into strategic planning without any clarity about who will ensure the long-term success of the effort.

In most cases, the executive director serves as an overall champion. However, what we strongly recommend is that the executive director partner with another team member to “co-champion” the process. Having two people work together in this way creates mutual accountability that helps to guarantee the positive impact of your plan.

Step 2: Assess

In the second step of the process, you’ll conduct an assessment of your organization. 

Your assessment should help you get clarity on both the current and desired future state of your organization. The plan that you end up creating will then bridge the gap between where your organization currently is and where you want it to be.

In addition to collecting organizational insights and data, your assessment is an excellent opportunity to involve your staff and board and get their buy-in to the planning process. 

We recommend that you conduct some form of an assessment annually so that you can keep your thumb on the pulse of your organization’s needs. 

Step 3: Plan

With the information you gathered in Step 2, it is then time to build your plan. Your plan presents an internal vision for your organization that should be simple and easy to communicate. 

We recommend that the core of your plan contain just two sections. Section 1 is what we call “Our Compass” and contains guiding elements such as a mission statement, vision statement, and organizational values. Section 2 is what we call “Our Actions” and revolves around a small set of goals that are organized by “Focus Areas” such as Programs, Board Development, and Fundraising. 

At Mission Met we provide our customers with easy-to-use strategic planning software, Mission Met Center, that simplifies and strengthens the creation of your plan. We also provide a service called INSPIRE where we capture your plan in a customized and graphically appealing document that you can share with your staff, board, and funders. 

Step 4: Execute

Perhaps the biggest problem with nonprofit strategic planning is that the plans often end up on the shelf collecting dust. That’s why the last step of the CAPE Cycle – Execute – is arguably the most important of the four steps. 

In this step, you and your team will commit to a regularly scheduled process of reviewing and measuring your plan. Individuals on your team will own different elements of the plan, report progress, and recommend changes so that the plan remains relevant. 

Do not create a plan without documenting and committing to a process of executing it. 

The CAPE Cycle in Action

One of our favorite strategic planning success stories comes from an environmental education organization called Vida Verde.

Many years ago, their nonprofit was in a crisis, and their leaders, Shawn and Laura, feared that they’d have to close their doors. Despite their excellent programs, their funding was not sustainable and they struggled to run the organization day-to-day while also expanding its capacity. 

If you ask Shawn and Laura, they’d tell you that what helped them reverse their fate was the implementation of the concepts in the CAPE Cycle. The two of them committed to championing the process, conducted a simple and replicable organizational assessment, created a practical and easy to communicate plan, and faithfully measured and revised their plan on a regular basis. 

The planning process became a part of their operational DNA, and Vida Verde evolved into a wildly successful organization. They regularly exceed their fundraising goals, have a tremendously engaged staff and board, and most importantly, they have strengthened the life-changing experiences for the children they serve. 

Conclusion

The CAPE Cycle is a cornerstone of our teachings at Mission Met. Approaching strategic planning as a process – not as an event – is critical to ensuring your strategic planning success.

If you’d like to transform your strategic planning process with these four steps, you may be interested in learning about our online strategic planning course called START. You can also schedule a free consultation to learn more about our consulting and facilitation services. 

The CAPE Cycle is the model we use in our new online strategic planning course called START. START provides organizations with a practical strategic plan that they can successfully achieve. Learn more about how START can transform your organization at missionmet.com/START.