A new year approaches, and your nonprofit is eager to raise more than ever before. You don’t have a set plan in place, but as long as you host a series of fundraising campaigns and reach out to your major donors every now and then, you should be on track to meet your goals, right?

Think again! You might have a strong guiding mission motivated by a worthy cause, but if you don’t have a roadmap to carry out that mission effectively, it’ll be much more difficult to see your goals through. Strategic planning gives your organization the foundation it needs to weather any storm and stay on track to completing your objectives.

In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about nonprofit strategic planning, including:

• Nonprofit Strategic Planning FAQs
• Steps for Creating a Nonprofit Strategic Plan
• The Essential Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template
• Top Ten Examples of Nonprofit Strategic Plans
• Tips for Maintaining Your Nonprofit’s Strategic Plan
• How a Nonprofit Consultant Can Support Strategic Planning

Backed by a comprehensive strategic plan, you’ll be able to advance your mission and power more good in your community. Let’s begin!

Nonprofit Strategic Planning FAQs

Before we jump into how to create your strategic plan, you’ll need to have the basics down. Let’s break down what a strategic plan is and how it can benefit your organization.

What is a strategic plan for nonprofits?

A nonprofit strategic plan is a bold plan of action that aligns an organization’s goals with its values to provide a dynamic performance map for future endeavors. 

It is, of course, impossible to anticipate all of the slowdowns or obstacles that might arise throughout a specified time period. However, a strategic plan allows your organization to face any challenges that may come your way with a unified mindset driven by an overarching blueprint.

The strategic planning process involves assessing your organization’s current situation, consulting with team members and formalizing findings into an action plan.

What are the different types of strategic plans?

Your organization may desire a strategic plan to help get through a specific initiative or unexpected event, or you may just want guidelines for the years ahead. There are different types of strategic plans based on your nonprofit’s primary objective, including:

• Standard strategic plan: Like its name suggests, a standard strategic plan is the typical model for creating a roadmap for achieving your overarching long-term goals. This conventional planning model is best suited for nonprofits whose internal and external conditions are stable. For instance, if your nonprofit has good standing in its community, isn’t experiencing any political or economic threats and has consistent donor support, you can benefit from this traditional strategic approach.

• Issue-based strategic plan: Unlike a standard strategic plan, an issue-based strategic plan is favorable for nonprofits that are experiencing a specific internal problem. For instance, consistently falling short of your online fundraising goals or experiencing increased staff turnover would constitute a need for issue-based strategic planning. Your goals for an issue-based strategic plan will be more specific than those of a standard strategic plan so you can correct the given issue.

• Organic strategic plan: An organic strategic plan is similar to an issue-based strategic plan, but is ideal for nonprofits that are facing an external threat. For example, a new government policy that affects your nonprofit’s work might prompt your organization to create this type of plan. An organic strategic plan allows you to consider how this external threat is affecting your nonprofit and how you can proactively make adjustments to better meet your future goals.

• Real-time strategic plan: A real-time strategic plan is necessary for nonprofits that are experiencing an unexpected event, like a natural disaster. For example, if you’re an animal rescue organization and a hurricane damaged several of your shelters, you’ll need this plan to act fast. Rather than making long-term goals for the future, this plan involves setting short-term goals to quickly solve the problem at hand.

• Alignment strategic plan: An alignment strategic plan seeks to improve collaboration between different teams at your nonprofit. For example, if your fundraising team isn’t in constant communication with your marketing committee (and vice versa), you’ll likely have a gap in how well you’re able to promote your fundraising needs to your donors. This type of planning involves brainstorming ways your team members can better work together and laying out a framework for more seamless communication, such as establishing monthly check-in meetings between different teams.

Consider the different obstacles and opportunities your nonprofit is facing to help you decide which type of strategic plan makes the most sense for you to create at this time. Keep in mind that while the situational factors that inspire these different types of plans may differ, the core planning process is the same. Backed by a comprehensive plan, you’ll be able to lay out a clear framework for turning your goals into reality.

Why should your nonprofit create a strategic plan?

Without a strategic plan, it’s very challenging to keep your organization on track and complete goals in an efficient manner.

For example, you might want to tap more donors to power your community initiatives. But how many donors are necessary? How will you measure your success? What campaigns or stewardship activities will you lead? Without clear answers to questions like these, you won’t have the necessary preparation to confidently tackle your objectives.

A strategic plan helps simplify decision-making whenever your organization reaches a crossroads or an unexpected situation. It synthesizes the various teams within your nonprofit so that everyone, from your board to staff leaders, is on the same page.

What are the benefits of strategic planning for nonprofits?

As mentioned previously, there are numerous benefits of nonprofit strategic planning, from simplifying decision-making to helping achieve goals promptly. These benefits are multiplied when your board members and staff leaders are engaged and in agreement with your nonprofit’s strategic plan from the start.

Involving your top leaders and decision-makers in strategic planning ensures these important stakeholders feel a sense of ownership over the plan. This leads to greater accountability when carrying out the plan because each individual feels more responsible for seeing it come to fruition.

Additional benefits of strategic planning include:

• Better time management. You’ll gain a better sense of which tasks you can eliminate from daily activities to save time. If something doesn’t align with your priorities, you can rearrange your staff’s responsibilities to reorient the team around your strategic plan.
• Ability to say no to activities or projects that don’t align with your priorities. Whenever new ideas arise, you’ll have a clearer sense of direction for which ideas should be pushed forward and which shouldn’t.
• Improved staff and board management. A strategic plan ensures staff and board members understand their roles and have clearly defined responsibilities.
• Better understanding of your guiding principles. Undergoing the process of reviewing your organization’s principles and modifying your approach to achieving your goals can help rally everyone around your guiding priorities.
• Opportunity to clarify/strengthen your organization’s mission statement. Use the strategic planning process as an opportunity to carve a niche for your nonprofit in the industry by strengthening your mission statement. Get to the heart of your mission by inviting input from individuals both inside and outside of your organization.
• Opportunity to assess results. When top leaders are involved in both goal-setting and follow-through, they’ll be more likely to set realistic goals and understand their role in working toward those goals.

If you decide to invest the time and energy into strategic planning, the benefits can positively influence your organization for years to come.

Steps for Creating a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

Aly Sterling Philanthropy recommends adopting an individualized strategic planning model that focuses on strengthening your nonprofit’s financial health, capacity, effectiveness and relevance within the community. This process involves a partnership with an experienced nonprofit consultant who brings robust planning tools and resources, and your nonprofit leaders themselves who have insider knowledge of your organization.

The essential steps of this strategic planning approach include:

1. Assess

The strategic planning process begins with a pre-planning session between the consultant and organizational leaders. In this meeting, you’ll take a deep dive into your organization to assess its history, infrastructure, core programs and vision for the future.

Another element of the pre-planning process is surveying stakeholders to gather insights and opinions. Depending on your nonprofit’s situation, your stakeholders may include:

• Current and past board members
• Current and past annual, major and planned giving donors
• Influential community members such as political leaders, foundations or trust officers and church leaders
• Prominent business owners
• Volunteers and staff
• Certain recipients of your services, such as patients, alumni or consumers

When conducting these interviews, it’s important to choose participants carefully. Seek a variety of perspectives, including from individuals who’ve expressed discontent with certain aspects of your organization. These perspectives can provide the tough love needed to help your organization grow and become more effective.

Donor or volunteer surveys are also a great way to continue your supporter stewardship efforts. Supporters are typically flattered to be asked to participate and offer their points of view.

2. Align

The next step to strategic planning is engaging your board and staff members in a dynamic strategic planning retreat. This encourages organizational leaders to consolidate and discuss their thoughts in a dedicated, action-oriented forum.

Within this half-day retreat, leaders will establish priorities and start to visualize what success looks like with the help of the consultant. In this time, the consultant will build consensus and seek suggestions for short- and long-term opportunities and hurdles.

3. Act

In the final strategic planning step, your nonprofit’s consultant will summarize their findings and offer a recommended plan of action to your organization’s leadership. The consultant will review the highlights and top insights from the planning retreat to highlight key priorities.

Your partner will continue to provide dedicated support as your nonprofit identifies responsibilities for each leader, key objectives, performance indicators and a timeline for completion. This encourages accountability throughout the implementation process.

In the Aly Sterling Philanthropy strategic planning model, a consultant leads your team through each step of the process. This specialist facilitates everything from managing the stakeholder surveys to the planning retreat and final strategic plan document.

By the end of the strategic planning process, your organization will be equipped with a dynamic plan of action.

The Essential Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template

Your organization’s strategic plan will be based on several guiding pillars. These pillars are the elements within your organization that require the most attention. In this section, we’ll present a template for what your organization’s plan might look like and explain each element.

Let’s walk through an example of a strategic plan for a nonprofit that focuses on these five pillars:

• Mission clarity: Why are you in operation? What does your nonprofit do to make a difference in the community?
• Marketing and PR: How do you communicate your mission to a wider audience?
• Financial sustainability: How do you sustain your operations?
• Community engagement: How do you raise awareness of your mission in the community and earn support?
• Infrastructure and process: Is your organization’s infrastructure aligned with your strategic goals?

Here is an example plan for the fictional XYZ Foundation. The first page of this strategic plan summarizes each of these pillars, including the specific goal and action steps associated with each:

Use this blank version to add your nonprofit’s pillars and action steps:

Next, you can break down each pillar into its own chart to pinpoint specific actions and tasks associated with every priority:

For each priority, determine the associated action steps, timeline/milestones, leaders, necessary resources and future/ongoing actions:

• Action steps: What tasks, projects or events are necessary to complete the priority? List out each required step that will allow your team to complete the goal.
• Timeline/milestones: When should you complete each task? Having a set timeline for each step is a great way to foster accountability.
• Leaders: Which team member(s) will take responsibility for each task? Ensure each person is aware of their role and the associated timeline for completing their tasks.
• Necessary resources: What resources will you need to be able to complete each task? These might include people, databases or input from board members or staff members.
• Future/ongoing actions: How will you ensure that the task or project will remain ongoing instead of fizzling out? Determine the timeline and team member responsibilities for maintaining each priority.

These documents will provide a tangible resource your team can turn to for guidance as they carry out your strategic plan. Fill out these templates using your organization’s top priorities and tasks associated with each step.

Top Ten Examples of Nonprofit Strategic Plans

While your strategic plan should be individualized to your nonprofit, it can be helpful to draw inspiration from other organizations to guide your approach. See what’s possible for your nonprofit by exploring this list of the top nonprofit strategic plans.

1. Boys and Girls Club of America

The Boys and Girls Club of America is dedicated to creating brighter futures for young people across the country. As a national organization with an ambitious mission, it was essential for the Boys and Girls Club of America to craft a comprehensive strategic plan that unites their Club partners and families around their vision for the future.

In their strategic plan titled “Great Futures 2025,” the Boys and Girls Club outlines four strategic priorities that will help them cultivate young leaders:

1. Increase program quality
2. Strengthen organizations
3. Advocate for youth development
4. Reach more youth

To reach these goals, this nonprofit has outlined specific initiatives they’ll lead, such as improving program effectiveness through establishing quality standards, increasing government funding for youth development and building strong partnerships with schools. This level of specificity gives the Boys and Girls Club a clear framework to achieve their goals over the next few years.

2. Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles seeks to achieve equal justice for impoverished individuals in the greater Los Angeles area. To bring this mission to fruition, the Legal Aid Foundation created a dynamic strategic framework that addresses the specific actions they’ll take over the course of five years.

The Legal Aid Foundation lays out the following seven strategic priorities:

1. Legal services
2. Staff development
3. Technology
4. Governance
5. Community
6. Pro bono
7. Financial & fund development

Not only does this organization detail what these priorities are, but they also identify the staff leads, the specific goals and the metrics that will be used to measure success for each priority. Plus, the Legal Aid Foundation explains how each strategic priority connects back to their cause and founding principles, helping to ground their plan in their mission.

3. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio aims to enrich the lives of sick children and their families through providing housing, resources, educational programs and more. This charity created a strategic plan for 2022-2025 to become a leader in access to healthcare for children.

Their plan is organized around strategic initiatives like building capacity to support the programmatic needs of the community and identifying and implementing opportunities to enhance quality healthcare access. With these guiding priorities in place, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio can effectively rally their team around their goals and put their dreams into action.

4. Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio

Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio is devoted to eliminating barriers to work and providing opportunities for people to reach their full potential. Guided by their philosophy of the “power of work,” Goodwill needed a strategic plan to help community members live independently, earn a fair living wage and meet their personal goals.

Their 2022-2024 strategic plan begins by outlining their vision and values, including integrity, passion and respect. Next, the plan identifies specific objectives to transform lives in their community, organized into categories like financial sustainability and community. This guide is a great reference point for their staff and ensures everyone is on the same page.

5. Metroparks Toledo

Metroparks Toledo is a park district that is committed to conserving the region’s resources through the management of natural parks and open spaces. As explained in the introduction of their strategic plan, Metroparks hopes to not only improve outdoor spaces for the enjoyment of the public, but also cultivate high performance and satisfaction among park employees.

In their strategic plan, Metroparks kicks off with an overview of who they are, their mission and vision for the future. Then, they break down the following strategic priorities:

• Maintenance of core services
• Organizational health
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• Becoming the leader in natural resource conservation
• Engagement in our story
• Strategic community partnerships
• Sustainability of funding

Following the Aly Sterling Philanthropy strategic planning model, Metroparks outlines a plan of action for each of these priorities, including key objectives and key performance indicators to measure their progress. This helps Metroparks’ community members and employees understand the actions this organization will take to advance their mission.

6. Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association seeks to end Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia through conducting global research, driving risk reduction and early detection and improving access to quality care. This organization released a 2023-2025 strategic plan to accelerate their mission and change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s for millions of people.

The Alzheimer’s Association builds a strong case for support in their strategic plan by identifying relevant statistics, like the rising costs of Alzheimer’s in the nation which is projected to be more than $1.1 trillion in 2050. After explaining that there’s no time like the present for accelerated progress, they then cover their strategic priorities, including advancing public policy, increasing revenue and boosting awareness.

To establish a clear framework for their projected progress, the Alzheimer’s Association outlines strategic, measurable objectives. For instance, they explain that they’ll accelerate research by providing more funding opportunities, aiming to invest $110 million by the end of 2025. This specificity will provide their entire team with the clarity necessary to complete their responsibilities and contribute to the Alzheimer’s Association’s success.

7. Bryan Area Foundation

The Bryan Area Foundation is a community foundation that strives to improve the lives of individuals living in Williams County, Ohio. One of their central projects is providing millions of dollars to worthy community projects and scholarships, and to continue this charitable giving (along with over initiatives), the Bryan Area Foundation needed a strategic plan that outlined how to make this possible.

In their 2021 to 2023 strategic plan, the Bryan Center Foundation identifies a number of new projects for this organization to complete, including a revitalization of downtown Bryan to grow the number and quality of businesses. Since launching this plan, the Bryan Center Foundation has already created a Community Impact Project and Forgivable Loan Program, supporting their commitment to “Building for the future.”

8. DeKalb County Community Foundation

The DeKalb County Community Foundation’s mission is to benefit organizations and communities throughout DeKalb County, Illinois. In their strategic plan for 2022-2024, this foundation hopes to create change by addressing the following four key areas: Endowments and Donor Services, Stewardship, Grantmaking and Community Initiatives.

DeKalb County Community Foundation’s goals and objectives are precise, with measurable objectives like realizing a minimum 3% financial donations increase in annual contributions to Community Impact Funds. Specific, measurable goals give this foundation the direction they need to maximize their success and foster accountability across their team.

9. World Wildlife Fund of Colombia

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Colombia aims to set Colombia on a path to sustainable, low carbon and resilient development. WWF created a strategic plan for 2020-2025 to address their ambitious goals to make the country a better place for people and wildlife.

The organization’s strategic plan is centered around three main priorities:

• Mainstreaming biodiversity, conservation, and climate change planning into territorial development plans
• Promoting inclusive and equitable social, political and institutional governance
• Advocating for responsible consumption, markets and financial institutions

WWF not only addresses Colombia’s strategies and goals in their strategic plan document, but also global targets to improve people and animals’ lives worldwide. This helps to connect WWF Colombia to the core principles and mission that define WWF as a whole.

10. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass & Metrowest

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass & Metrowest (BBBSCM) was established to create professionally supported mentoring relationships and build brighter futures for today’s youth. In their strategic plan for 2020-2023, BBBSCM details their mission, vision, values and beliefs, making this a great resource for supporters getting to know their organization as well as for staff and volunteers to reference in their work.

Then, this organization goes over their top four priorities and associated objectives with each, such as increasing sustainable funding by identifying 5-10 new major donor prospects, with the goal of adding 3-5 major donors per year. BBBSCM also identifies their strengths, challenges, threats and opportunities and tailors their strategic plan to these elements.

As a result, BBBSCM demonstrates in their strategic plan document that they’re committed to seeing their mission through and will take the necessary steps to create their vision for the future.

Tips for Maintaining Your Nonprofit’s Strategic Plan

The time, energy, and funding you spend on strategic planning is an investment in your organization’s future. Don’t let that investment go to waste; instead, strive to carry out your organization’s strategic plan to the fullest. 

Here are some of our top tips for keeping your strategic plan alive:

• Fill out the above templates using information from your retreat. Make sure your plans are formalized in a document that is shared across your organization. As you fill out the template, take a “less is more” approach and only include essential information. Also, make sure you’re setting SMART goals—those that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
• Work as a group. Create a task force to work collaboratively on your strategic plan. Keep the group large enough to be helpful, but not so large as to be a roadblock.
• Present your plan to key stakeholders. Host regular check-in meetings as a team to measure progress and maintain accountability.
• Keep your plan front and center by posting it in a visible location. Print and post your strategic plan in a communal space, such as your office or conference room, and ensure it’s also digitally accessible.
• Explain your plan in a public, formal presentation. When you make your plans known to a wider audience, it increases the expectation that you will see them through. It also engages your community and stakeholders in your organization’s plans.
• Celebrate successes. Plan celebrations for when you reach key milestones throughout your plan to recognize successes and keep staff and stakeholders informed of your progress. Plus, having a celebration to look forward to can motivate your team to complete its goals!

With these tips, you’ll be able to maintain the initial excitement and momentum built during your strategic planning process. This will ensure your plan is doing what it was meant to – furthering your organization’s mission effectively.

How a Nonprofit Consultant Can Support Strategic Planning

The right nonprofit consultant will walk you through every step of the strategic planning process. By tapping into their years of expertise in working with nonprofits like yours, they’ll help you craft a dynamic framework to improve your organization’s financial health, effectiveness, capacity and relevance within your community.

Your consultant will support your strategic planning by:

• Collecting stakeholder insights in the beginning stages of the planning process
• Leading your team through a productive retreat
• Compiling findings into a plan of action and final strategic plan document

In addition to these core services, your consultant can also help you:

• Create a fundraising strategy that will lead to stronger supporter relationships and a sustainable donation pipeline
• Examine your existing tech stack and suggest solutions to augment your toolkit
• Identify donor stewardship strategies that will encourage donors to give more frequently and in larger amounts
• Strengthen your internal team, from your staff to your board members, so everyone is firing on all cylinders in pursuit of your mission

Do your research to find the right consulting firm that will thoughtfully and objectively consider your nonprofit’s current state and work with you to create a pathway to success.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to making your mission a reality and following through on your promises, don’t just wing it! A nonprofit strategic plan gives you the necessary framework to confidently tackle your goals, unify your team and leave a lasting impact on your community.

While taking an in-house approach to strategic planning is an option, it can be challenging to build a cohesive plan from the inside. Partner with the expert consultants at Aly Sterling Philanthropy to get an unbiased look at your organization and receive realistic guidance to construct your strategic plan.

For more information on nonprofit strategic planning, check out the following resources:

• Build Your Fundraising Strategy From the Ground Up. In addition to an overarching strategic plan, your organization can benefit from a blueprint made specifically to guide your fundraising. Use this guide to craft a plan that optimizes your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts.
• The Essential Fundraising Plan Template for Nonprofits. Having a formalized road map to guide your fundraising is critical to keep your organization on task. Use this template to construct your fundraising plan.
• 20+ Nonprofit Consulting Firms for Your Philanthropy Needs. Nonprofits often need guidance in a wide range of different areas. This list of top consultants includes experts who specialize in a variety of topics.