Guidance

Our Process

The CAPE Cycle is a strategic planning model developed by Mission Met that we use as the cornerstone of all our strategic planning services. Watch Eric Ryan explain the CAPE Cycle and the benefits of practical strategic planning.

Causey

Mission Met's software catalyzes a nonprofit organization's strategic planning effectiveness and process. Based on 20+years of strategic planning experience, and a focus on simplicity, our software serves as a home for all things related to your organization's strategy and execution, making your job as an executive director and board member easier.

Introduction

How can strategic planning transform your organization? Learn more about Mission Met, our methodology, and the power of strategic planning for nonprofits. Also, read testimonials and stories from some of our customers.

The Do’s and Don'ts of Choosing a Nonprofit Strategic Planning Consultant

Having a strategic planning consultant partner can be one of the best—or worst—decisions you’ll make in your planning process. As consultants ourselves, we wrote a 23-page eBook to help you find some “do’s” and “don'ts” of finding the right consultant for your nonprofit organization.

Organizational Check-up

When was the last time you gave your organization a check-up? Utilize this free document to take a moments check on your organization. Complete this assessment alone or with others in your organization.

 

Video Series

In Spring 2021, Eric Ryan, our lead consultant, appeared on The Nonprofit Show. Check out this three-part series called Strategic Planning Killers.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Check out more informative videos from our YouTube channel.

 

The Best of The Executive Director

Below are our top 5 best blog articles hand-curated by the Mission Met Team. Happy reading!

Featured
Want a One-member Board?

How would you like it if your nonprofit had a one-member board?

If you're an executive director that is struggling with your board then this may be a dream come true. The same may be true if you're a frustrated member of a large, slow-moving and fractious board.

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Top 10 Quotes for Strengthening Your Organization

In my customer work I try to communicate powerful concepts in simple and memorable ways. One of my favorite tools to do this is using relevant and powerful quotes.

To that end I've collected scores of quotes during my career. Whittling that collection down to a "top 10" for this article was a tough exercise. Many excellent quotes didn't make the final list.

I ended up choosing this list because these are the quotes that I find most inspiring for myself and our customers. I hope you find them helpful.

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Death by Meeting

I've borrowed the title for this blog entry from one of my favorite business books, Death by Meeting by Pat Lencioni. The basic idea of the book is not that you'll die by meetings. Rather, you might die from awful meetings.

As you know, awful meetings happen all the time. They take too long. They wander aimlessly. They don’t start or end on time. You’d pretty much rather be anywhere else.

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One of the Best Strategic Plans Ever

A couple of years ago I came across an online critique of strategic planning titled “The Perils of Strategic Planning.”

One section, in particular, caught my attention. The author, James Hollan, wrote…

One of the very best plans I’ve ever seen in the nonprofit sector was just two pages. At the top of page one was a brief statement that basically said, “We are doing a very good job and we believe that these three things will make this organization even better. We believe they are three things we can accomplish next year.”

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Why I Quit An Executive Director Job (Or, The Importance of a Common Organizational Vision)

Several years ago I had a part-time job as the executive director of a small nonprofit. It was a great job in many ways. I loved our mission, the people we served, and the challenges we faced. Plus, at the time the job was a perfect complement to my other consulting work.

However, I had one main problem with the job: the board chair (also the founder) and I had dramatically different visions for the organization. He wanted us to be a somewhat regional program that used our nonprofit status primarily to qualify for funds. I, however, wanted us to become a strong nonprofit organization with a larger and larger national reach.

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