How to Write a Strategic Plan: A Simple Outline

This is a simple outline for writing a strategic plan. So, if you read it as an outline and work through the answers in each area, you will have a strategic plan that can also double as a grant proposal.

Cover Page

Include the Mission Statement desktop published on a single sheet.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Write this last. It is a brief description of what you plan to do over the next 5 years. It is the summary of the entire plan, so it can't be written until the plan is written. This is the most important section of the plan. You may use this for grant writing purposes as well. Most lenders will decide by reading this summary if the rest of the document is worth reading.

Statement of Community Need

Initial Information: How did you determine that a need was present? Strategic Marketing? Surveys? Focus Groups? Patterns and trends in the types of clients served or service requests?

Statement of Need: What vital need are you responding to?

History

Creation of the Organization: When and why was the organization created? What was the story of its inception?

Major Accomplishments of the Past: Show how these accomplishments related to the community needs. How did you know that you were successful?

Present Situation: How have the community needs changed since the creation of the organization? What are the presenting needs now? How have these changing needs lead you to a need to change?

Mission

Mission Statement: Mission statements should be one sentence long and include; service, to whom, guiding value, success measure and uniqueness.

Interpretation of the Mission: Narrative definition of the mission. Be sure that you describe your uniqueness? Why you and not some one else.

Boundary Clarification: Board & staff responsibility to the mission

Vision

Vision Narrative: What is the direction you are going with this organization? What is your definition of growth? New services? New clients? New Methodologies?

Strategies

Methods of Service: What service vehicles will you use?

Approaches: Will you partner with any organizations or entities to accomplish your goals? How will you know that you are having the desired impact?

Marketing Plan: How will you get the word out about your services? Networking? Materials? Media?

Organization

Organizational Chart: Do not put names here, just identify key roles. Attach resumes and job descriptions as part of the appendix

Board: Show board positions, major responsibilities and major committees. Keep and up to date listing of names and resumes of board members.

Staff: Include job descriptions, titles and reporting relationships

Goals and Objectives

Goals: Identify no more than three organizational goals. Goals should be broad but measurable. Goal themes will be the same for board and staff.

Staff Objectives: Objectives are specific ways in which you intend to achieve the goals and should answer; who, what, where, when and how questions.

Board Objectives: Objectives will answer the same questions above and will connect back to the same goal themes.

Success Measures

Definition of Success: How will you know that you are having the desire impact? What are you measuring exactly?

Measurement Tools: What tools or instruments will you use to measure success? What data based decision making plan do you have?

Continuous Quality Improvement: What will your process be for keeping staff competent and qualified? What is your training plan? How will you insure that board members are kept current?

Budget

Total Operating Budget: Year one through five. While you may have an actual budget for year one. Years two through five will be projected budgets. They can be depicted by percentages or pie graphs. Make sure you depict future trends in income and expenses.

What Money will need to be Generated: By direct services, grants, fund raising efforts, contracts, other?

What is needed to Succeed

Define Needed Support: This is more for grants and can be re-written to suit each grant seeking occasion. Some of this information can also be used in the front summary section if you are using part of this document for grant seeking purposes.

Appendix

Articles of Incorporation as a 501c3

Resumes of Key Staff and a List of Board Members

Brochures or other Marketing Tools

Articles Written about the Organization

Letters of Recommendation (You may want to pull quotes from these and include them in your summary statement)

Last Years Budget

Anything Else that would impress