Most nonprofit organizations are operated and governed by volunteer boards – busy professionals, who have agreed to serve, because they are passionately devoted to the cause and/or wish to give back to their community. Another common thread among nonprofits is the tireless commitment of a small, frequently overburdened staff, with little time for long-range planning.
However, having a strategic business plan provides direction, promotes efficiency, and enables the organization to manage and track performance. Additionally, a strategic business plan and progress against that plan are valuable tools for evaluating the organization and securing funding.
Developing a long-range, strategic business plan, beginning with clear mission, vision and values, is a task of the organization’s board and a process that Second Act can facilitate – delivering measurable action plans in record time.
In the current economy, it’s also important that organizations periodically review where services compete, overlap or are duplicated, and explore collaborations, strategic alliances and partnerships that might better meet community needs in a more cost effective manner. A process that facilitates establishing common, agreed upon goals and results in a detailed transition plan can ensure buy-in, support and smooth implementation. Encouraging collaboration in a non-threatening environment, where creative approaches/options can be explored and assessed, is another service of Second Act.
Can you answer “yes” for your organization?
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Organization has written mission, vision and values |
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The work of the organization reflects mission, vision, values |
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Organization has a current three-year plan document |
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Organization has a current year action plan document |
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Organization has a process to update plan documents annually |
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Volunteer board members are fully engaged, informed, conversant |
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Staff members have written, job-specific goals and objectives |
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Job-specific goals and objectives reflect mission, vision and values |
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Board is able to measure staff and organizational performance |
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Organization maximizes resources |
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Board and staff have adequate time for planning |
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Assessment of services recently conducted |
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Sufficient performance information is available for grants, grantors |
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Stakeholder expectations are known |
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Stakeholders are engaged, informed, conversant |
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Potential partners are identified |
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Areas for collaborations, strategic alliances, partnerships identified |
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Feedback from service recipients is captured |
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Measurement of service quality is in place and continuous |
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Organization makes effective use of volunteers |
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Benchmark organizations identified and best practices adopted |
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