Operationalizing a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

Eric Moraczewski, CEO of NMBL Strategies, SEMC Business Associate Member

How does one operationalize a strategic plan? NMBL Strategies offers the following key considerations when it comes to operationalizing specifically for a nonprofit.

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN

Valuable time, money, and resources are needed to operationalize a strategic plan. Make sure they are properly allocated at all levels and that every group within the nonprofit organization understands their role within the plan. Providing necessary tools to make the organization’s team successful is critical from the outset. For example, if one part of the team is anticipated to double membership over the next five years, be prepared to include budgets and staff time for mailings, speaking engagements, salons, events, etc.

One opportunity that unfortunately often gets overlooked is engaging the Board during the process of operationalizing the plan. The Board’s focus is rightly on their fiduciary and governance duties; however, also include in each Board Member’s annual overview that they will be responsible for assisting with operationalization needs in addition to fiduciary and governance duties. If the Strategic Plan identifies a Finance & Endowment Policy and in turn, the CFO/ Director of Finance is charged with developing it, be sure to actively engage the Board Finance Committee or Fundraising Committee for input, insights, and referrals to develop the right policy.

ASK FOR HELP

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of self-awareness; however, it can also be one of the hardest things for which to ask. As a part of the planning process, it is good to acknowledge strengths and weaknesses. For example, if an organization plans to run a capital campaign, but has no development staff or anyone to run said campaign, engaging the right partner to lead them through the process will be the difference between success and failure. Whether an organization identifies the need for help from a consultant or another staff member or board member, early identification means not having to backtrack. This also allows the responsible party to stay on schedule and means opportunities for future collaboration and cross-training. By seeing assistance as an opportunity, not a weakness, the organization is set up for a stronger, more collaborative future.

DEVELOP CHECK POINTS

When setting out on a long road trip, one does not just look at the map and say, here is where to leave from and here is where to go. One plots out where to stop for gas, eat or stay for the night on the journey. Checkpoints in operationalizing a plan work much the same way. Using the aforementioned example of doubling membership, an organization might consider the following steps. The organization might look at hiring a mail house, enlisting a designer for a direct mail campaign, looking at the frequency of mailings, determining the content in each mailing, targeting the mailing audience, utilizing tracking on response and data, and using that information to inform future mailings. Each step in this process is a checkpoint to plan for and know of ahead of time. The same holds true for each step in operationalizing a strategic plan. Be honest, fair, and hold the team accountable, but also recognize that the only constant is change.

FOLLOW UP AT ALL LEVELS

All levels of the organization need to keep operationalization of the strategic plan at the forefront of their work. The Board of Directors cannot simply say — strategy is our role and operations is the role of the staff. They need to hold the team accountable by regular check-ins and likely some form of a dashboard. The staff cannot say — I am not a part of this piece of the plan, so therefore I will be disengaged with other aspects of the work. Instead, everyone needs to work as a team to seamlessly execute the best possible outcome. For example, it might be easy for the team to say membership is only part of Development/Fundraising; however, in all actuality, strong programs and marketing are equally critical to membership and, thus Programs/ Operations team and Marketing/Communications team need to be actively involved. Finally, engaged clients, donors, and partners are essential to a good strategic plan. Keeping them engaged and updated ensures their buy-in and acknowledgment of their value to your organization.

Whether an organization is looking to develop a strategic plan or wants to complete one in progress, NMBL Strategies has considerable experience operationalizing Strategic Plans, including their most recent work with America’s Black Holocaust Museum.