Strategic Planning.
When you have an influx of funding you want to utilize thoughtfully, it’s an amenity.
When a funder insists on it, it’s a requirement.
When you and your staff barely have time to get through your to-do list, it’s a burden.
When leadership vision is out of sync, it’s a lifeline.
When you have a mission, it’s a necessity.
Over the past 20 years, Amy Fiore, leader of The Bixel Group's planning work, has facilitated the journey from discord to consensus, provided support in times of challenge, guided pivotal discussions, and provided clarity when an organization realizes it is, in fact, time for a strategic plan.
Years ago, as a manager, I went through my first strategic planning process. I shared my observations in a confidential interview, hoping we would finally take a hard look at our budget and find ways to support the staff. After weeks of waiting, I received a 35-page draft that was 34 pages preamble and 1 page of actual goals. I then sat through a long retreat where Board members—who didn't understand our daily work—agreed on grand ambitions without any practical details on how to achieve them. I probably still have that document today, sitting exactly where I put it the day it was delivered.
Planning is meant to be tactical, efficient, and thoughtful.
You started your organization with a mission to help your community in a meaningful way. And that meaningful way sometimes needs to evolve with changing populations, technology, and staff. The initial intention can get muddy with new opportunities, inconsistent funding sources, differing opinions, capacity, and talent. In trying to do as much good as possible, the path can become less clear. When that happens, it’s helpful to get back to the basics of what you are trying to achieve and how.
Trends, acronyms, and corporate practices often distract from the essential work.
You already know your strengths & weaknesses and don't need to see them reflected back to you in a flashy presentation. Your time is better spent identifying and overcoming whatever obstacles are in between you and your goals.
95% of the time, that obstacle is money. But often, that money problem is because your board knows they need to fundraise and are just afraid to admit that they have no idea where to start. Or, because the strategies you have implemented do not match your organization’s ability to execute. Or, because what you have always done has ceased to work but no one has time to figure out a new way to be successful.
The “Strategic Plan” is not the same as strategic planning.
Whether your goals take eighteen months or six years to achieve, the focus should be on progress, not arbitrary deadlines.You, as a leader, board, and staff, get permission to move milestones when they stop making sense and the flexibility to shift deadlines when other priorities arise. When you learn how to be strategic, adjusting the path becomes far less detrimental than abandoning the goal because the timeline was too rigid.
Centering Your Greatest Asset: Your People
A plan is only as strong as the people who execute it. While funder desires are important, they shouldn't drown out the voices of your staff. For a strategy to succeed, your team needs:
Targeted training: equipping staff with the skills to meet new challenges.
Functioning technology: removing the digital roadblocks to efficiency.
A seat at the table: the people doing the daily work often have the most efficient solutions—they just need to be heard.
Practical Pathways, Over Pretty Documents
We won’t leave you with poll results that yielded more questions than answers, or a glossy chart designed only for your website’s "About" page. When the process is complete, you are empowered with a practical roadmap and clear delineations of what needs to be done, who is going to do the work, and how they are going to do it.
A Process that Produces Curiosity, Camaraderie, and Clarity.
In working with numerous organizations, I have learned that this process isn’t meant to be the burden, nor the lifeline. Instead, it should be a constant effort of evaluation, consensus gathering, and thoughtful implementation.
Your mission exists to make the world a better place. Let’s build a plan that actually helps you do it.
