Strategic Planning
By Kylee Harrison, Community Development Agent
In last month’s blog, I discussed vision boards and how that can be helpful in developing your personal goals. It is equally as important that we develop goals in our professional life as well. Using a strategic plan, which is an intentional effort to shape and guide your organization, can aid you in reaching your long- and short-term goals. Strategic plans can be beneficial for your business, non-profit or board that you serve on. Let’s take a deeper look at just how to achieve development of a strategic plan.
Whether you are developing a strategic plan for the very first time, or updating an old one, it is important to recall how your organization has changed in the last three to five years. 2020 brought on a host of changes to everyone, so chances are, things have changed a lot! Using aspects like finances, staffing, client base, programs and stakeholders, reflect on where you are as an organization.
Next, you need to ask your group three questions. First, where are we now? This could include looking back at historical aspects of your group. This can allow you to celebrate your history and give the group a common perspective of why things were done a certain way.
Next, where do we want to be? This step often involves some type of visioning process. This likely will help to develop your organizations vision statement, which provides a clear image of the future. Some examples of vision statements include Nike’s “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
Finally, how are we going to get there? This is where you will identify your organizations priority issues. This can be done in two different ways. It may include broad, overarching objectives, or it could include measurable goals. Typically, a mixture of both is best.
