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A strategic plan is your road map. But sometimes there’s a turn in the road!

Whether your plan sets a path forward for three years or longer, it’s essential that you review it annually to determine if you are on track and if the same goals and objectives are realistic for the coming year.

Annual plan reviews will provide a clearer focus for your nonprofit organization, producing more efficiency and effectiveness.

An agency can go through a seismic shift that could require that the plan be refreshed. Often, this could be something unforeseen or out of your control that provides a risk or an opportunity, like an increase or decrease in funding, a leadership change, market shift, legislation changes, etc.

Once a year, have your leadership team go through this thoughtful process and consider all aspects of your work: governance, management, operations, finances, fundraising, facilities, and programming.

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Here are some questions that you should ask yourselves:

REFLECT

• What has been accomplished since we started this strategic plan? What results have we achieved? What are we proud of?
• Why haven’t we achieved our goals (actuals vs. projections)? What problems have we uncovered?
• Have we put the systems in place to evaluate our progress?
• What new needs, opportunities, or threats exist that were not preseent when we planned?

REFRESH

• Do our broad, “big picture” goals still feel relevant or is change necessary?
• Do we have the right leadership, structure, talent, and resources to implement them?
• What needs to change to meet our current priorities? What new strategies need to be implemented?
• What measurable objectives need to be adjusted? What reporting systems need to be refined?

REFOCUS

• Who will lead these priorities? Who will communicate the changes? Who needs to be informed of these changes?
• What action plans (team, task, timing) do we need to be successful?
• How can our leadership teams and staff take responsibility for implementation?

A strategic plan clearly defines the purpose of the organization and establishes realistic goals and objectives. It is consistent with your mission and defines a time frame within the organization’s capacity for implementation. Best wishes with your plans!

Click here to read our past blog post on planning phases and phrases you need to know.

Click here to read more about our past strategic planning clients and projects.