November 21, 2024 | By David M. Wagner

You’ve heard the trope: the board retreat to write a 5-year strategic plan, only for the document to go ignored and unimplemented.

Even if such a plan were implemented, it can be difficult to justify the expense for something that might pay off in 5 years’ time.

But that premise is misleading!

Effective strategy is a process, not just a document.

And there are (at least!) 5 immediate benefits your organization can reap by engaging in a thoughtful strategy process.

1. Deepen Stakeholder Relationships

Strategic planning presents an enormous opportunity to tighten ties with your most important stakeholders.

I can’t tell you how often, and how sincerely, I’ve been thanked by funders and other partners simply for the opportunity to weigh in on my clients’ strategy.

Your core stakeholders are no different – they care about your mission and want to be deeply involved!

Foster a sense of stakeholder ownership or even rekindle stale ones during your strategy process, not just over time.

2. Resolve Major Questions

Every one of my strategic planning clients has wrestled with some kind of important decision.

Whether to expand services. The nature of their brand. How to improve their sustainability or governance.

Your strategy process creates space for having intentional conversations to resolve those tough topics in the near-term.

3. Improve Brand Messaging

When I interview client stakeholders, I sometimes get conflicting answers to the question, “what is this organization all about?”

That conflict suggests confusion about your organization’s brand.

Creating a strategic vision is a powerful tool for getting everyone on the same page about your organization’s identity – which makes it easier to create consistent messages about your brand, right now.

4. Simplify Decision Making

Even without a plan in place, a clear vision makes tough choices much easier.

I worked with an organization that was absolutely committed to their vision: if a new opportunity did not fit with their purpose, values, specific mission, or target goals, they wouldn’t pursue it.

You can start screening difficult decisions more readily, right away!

5. Improve Planning and Leadership

At the risk of stating the obvious, having a plan makes leadership much easier.

When I help my issue processing clients build a roadmap to overcome their roadblocks, they express huge relief at simply knowing what steps lie ahead.

Knowing the plan is half the battle, and you can start making budgets or directing your team without delay.

Yes, the goal of strategic planning is to set your organization up for long-term success. And done effectively, you can leverage the benefits of that process – from deeper stakeholder engagement to easier decisions – immediately.

If any of these benefits of strategy would make your life easier, don’t put off that planning process any longer. Make a no-obligation appointment with me to talk about how to get started on making a strategy that matters for your nonprofit.