Do You Need a Strategy…or Something Else?
March 20, 2025 | By David M. Wagner
I’m a big fan of strategy. (Duh.)
I firmly believe that intentionally setting a strategic direction is essential for focusing activities, harnessing collective capacity, and creating lasting impact for your community.
However, even if you lack an effective strategy, a strategic plan might not be the solution to your problems.
Pointing a Nonprofit Away from Strategy
A nonprofit approached me last year to assist with their strategy.
Their board was struggling. Revenue was dropping. Leadership was concerned about the organization’s sustainability.
They did not have a strategic plan. So did I recommend developing one?
Nope.
It was quickly apparent that a strategy would not solve their problems. They needed help developing their board and fundraising capacity. (I connected them with an excellent fundraising expert.)
When to Focus on Strategy
Do you need a strategy? Well…maybe.
Strategies guide decisions by articulating who you are, what you do, why you do it, where you’re going, and how you’ll get there.
You may need a strategy if:
There is uncertainty or conflict about your organization’s identity (e.g., differing opinions about program priorities)
Stakeholders have divergent understandings of your mission (perhaps it’s too broad or messaging is unclear)
You’re responding to major structural change (navigating significant growth, decline, changing program demands)
You need a unifying plan to guide team and stakeholder efforts (creating alignment around a direction change)
You need to significantly adapt to succeed (for any number of additional reasons)
In fact, in these cases, moving forward without a clear strategy could be calamitous.
Alternatives to Strategy
I’ve seen nonprofits get excited about strategy when they really needed something else:
If you have a strategy that’s sitting idle, a new one is unlikely to solve the problem. First figure out why the current one didn’t pick up steam and decide where to go from there (capacity building? Better internal communications? Aligning performance goals to strategic ones? Re-scoping the plan?).
If you’re dealing with a significant problem or decision that doesn’t imply a question about your organization’s identity – like how to attract more people to your programs – you may just need a tactical plan to address that issue, like I produce with my clients in my Roadblocked to Resolved service.
If you’re contemplating a major change to a program – such as whether to expand or reduce services – you might need a feasibility study or help with program planning.
If you’re struggling with one functional area – like fundraising or communications – you might need a targeted plan (like a marketing strategy) or advice from a specialist.
To be clear, each of the above is easier to address if you have an otherwise working strategy. It’s just important to pick a solution that matches your problem.
Whether you need a new strategy, help processing a major challenge, a pointer to the right specialist, or you’re still not sure what you need – set a time to talk with me. I’d be happy to help.