Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook

In my research to figure out what’s unique about NPO’s, I purchased the book by Michael Allison and Jude Kaye of CompassPoint. I quickly finished the book and even used its framework to complete planning for my own business. The workbook format is a meaningful way to learn about strategy and solidify the concepts.

My favourite things about this book were:

• The worksheets – great templates for organizing your thoughts on strategy and for working through the exercises in the book.
• Guidelines for small, medium, and large assignments. The authors identify which worksheets should be completed for each type of assignment, which provides the reader with a quick reference for what will, or won’t, be covered by each size of assignment.
• Sidebars and Cautions to Facilitators. If you flipped through, read only these sections, and reviewed the worksheets, it would help you assess whether and where you may need a consultant’s help.

Other things that were reinforced for me were:

• There are many synergies between strategy planning for NPO’s to planning for public sector pension plans, where my previous client strategy projects were completed. Stakeholders and their relationships, in particular, are complex and important to understand early in the process.
• Capacity is likely to be an issue, but so is budget, so the most judicious use of external consultants is essential.
• Planning is an important exercise, but is just that if the plan isn’t completed and the implementation isn’t monitored.

I would highly recommend this book as a place to start for Nonprofit, or any, organizations considering a strategic change project.