Strategic Living

Many thanks to the Board Members who spent their Saturday morning at Boot Camp. We really appreciate their dedication to the nonprofit community.

We had two tracks to Boot Camp on Saturday. In the advanced track we looked at Strategic Thinking. How do you take the energy from your Strategic Planning and incorporate that into the Board work throughout the year?

A few ideas:
Stakeholder interviews during the process provided you with feedback from all directions. Keep that going by focusing on a different set of stakeholders throughout the year. The process does not have to be elaborate. It can be a five question survey after a service is provided; a short survey in the newsletter once a year; or a focus group lunch with the employees.

Periodically evaluate the financial condition of the organization to make sure you have the financial ability to continue to pursue the goals of the plan. Revisit funding goals and initiatives to make sure you are staying on track. If planned funds are not coming in, you will need to cut back on programs.

Set aside time at Board Meetings to discuss strategic items in more detail as necessary. The strategic plan will have scheduled times for the completion of certain items. Schedule these time frames on your Board agenda.

Modify the plan as necessary to address identify opportunities or threats. The Strategic Plan needs to be a living document, not a binder on the shelf that you dust off every three years.