There is no perfect one-size-fits-all strategic planning model for every nonprofit at all times. The approach or model that best meets an organization’s needs depends on various factors. This workshop will introduce several strategic planning approaches, starting with a basic, comprehensive model and then moving on to other options:  Focused issue-based approach, scenario planning, strategic program planning, and others. The workshop will also offer guidance on determining which approach to utilize. The session will also address several other choices when designing a strategic planning process, including who makes what decisions. Should we involve external stakeholders in addition to internal stakeholders? And how long will the process take?

Who Should Attend:

Nonprofit and foundation leaders, including board members, executive staff, chairs of strategic planning committees, and others interested in deepening their understanding of nonprofit strategic planning.

Session Topics:

• The nature and role of strategic thinking and planning
• Overview of approaches to strategic planning
• Preparing your nonprofit for planning
• When, where, why, and how your board, staff, and community stakeholders should be involved
• Types and sources of data to support your strategic planning efforts
• Techniques for planning formulation, implementation, and assessment

Key Takeaways:

• Engage in interactive group exercises stimulating critical steps in the strategic planning process.
• You will leave with a collection of tools, worksheets, and an annotated resource bibliography for exploring and selecting from the range of available planning approaches.
• Discover the connections between strategic planning, board governance, and leadership succession.
• Learn how to ensure your strategic planning is really “strategic.”

Session Presenter: Frank Martinelli, The Center for Public Skills Training

Frank Martinelli has over 40 years of work, training, and consulting experience with various nonprofit and public sector organizations. He is president of the Center for Public Skills Training, specializing in strategic planning, governing board development, building organizational capacity for advocacy and systems change, and community partnership and alliance building. Many professional staff, board members, and other volunteer leaders have benefited from Frank’s practical, results-oriented training and consultation. Frank is the author of “Encouraging Visionary Board Leadership,” which appears in You and Your Nonprofit Board: Advice and Practical Tips from the Field’s Top Practitioners, Researchers, and Provocateurs and is published by Charity Channel Press. From 1981 to 1992, Frank served as Coordinator of The Resource Center, a primary training provider to nonprofit groups in southeastern Wisconsin. A graduate of Marquette University with a BA in Sociology and the University of Wisconsin with an MS in Urban Affairs, Frank has conducted numerous workshops and written extensively on nonprofit management topics with particular emphasis on the involvement of the board of directors in strategic planning. Frank has completed the Advanced Board Consultant Training Program offered by BoardSource. Frank has also completed the Distance Education Professional Development Certification Program at the University of Wisconsin, which provides a range of online offerings for nonprofits. From 2005 to 2015, Frank published the Strategically Speaking Blog, offering his reflections on strategic planning in the nonprofit sector.

Register Now – $75.00

Increasing the Impact of Your Strategic Planning Efforts