The overall goal of this Planning Process is to clarify the Vision, Mission and Values of the organization, examine the environmental factors that influence the attainment of the Mission, and set focused strategies to achieve the Mission, including identification of required resources. (1) The following is a summary of key steps in completing this process.

• Needs Assessment/ SWOT Analysis (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) The Needs Assessment and SWOT analysis explore both the external and internal environmental factors that influence the strategic direction as well as operations of the organization. Some questions that will be reviewed with this assessment include:
• How do we know if we are providing needed services?
• Who uses our services now and what are the demographics of that population?
• What other services might be needed?
• Are we the right organization to provide these services and why?
• What organizations are providing like, complimentary, competing services/products? How are they doing? Are there partnering opportunities with them or other organizations? Do they impose any threats to our success?
• What are the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization (including core competencies) that will influence our success?
• What are the socio-economic trends shaping our service constituency?
• Have we involved the community/our customers in our planning process?
• What are the trends in this industry that may influence the direction over the next 10-20 years?
• What successful national/regional models are there that we might adopt?

• Vision/Mission/Values Clarification This process will include review of the current V/M/V and a renewal of these key components. This refresh of the Vision/Mission/Values will be based on the needs of the community, and how best the organization can meet those needs.

• Development of Strategic Initiatives During this process, we will identify and prioritize the key strategic initiatives that the organization needs to accomplish to best meet the Vision and Mission.

• Development of Goals, Objectives & Action Plans Goals, Objectives and Action Plans (including key steps, responsible parties, dates, and required resources) will be identified. These objectives will be those actions required to best meet the Strategic Initiatives. The information created in this phase will help serve as the guidelines for operational, financial, marketing and fundraising planning.

• Performance Measurements (Critical Success Factors): Each Goal that is created must be measurable. Key stakeholders, including Board and Funders must be able to have clear evidence that a goal has been achieved. Therefore, clear performance measurements will be identified for each Goal that is created. These measurements become key for monitoring of the plan.

• 3 – 5 Year Staffing Plan & Budget : Based on identified goals and objectives, including programming plans, etc. a long-term staffing plan will be developed. From that, a long-range operational budget can be created, incorporating the staffing, programs and other initiatives identified in the Strategic Business Plan.

• Guidelines for Maximum Use of the Strategic Business Plan : A Strategic Plan, when utilized appropriately, is never truly “completed”. Rather, it serves as a roadmap for the organization in moving forward towards meeting its Mission and Goals. This plan can be a critical tool in tracking and assessing the organization’s success. Therefore, we will provide guidelines to the Board and Staff that will help them maximize the use of the plan, thus enhancing the value of their investment in it’s creation.

• NOTE: Some key questions that will be addressed during the Strategic Initiative, Goal setting and subsequent planning processes include:

• How should we organize our programs and staff to best provide our services?
• Where could there be more efficiency in our operation?
• Should we conduct an organizational audit?
• What successful national/regional models might we adopt?
• What services will our organization be providing this year, next year, the next 5-10 years?
• How do we anticipate that our services might change or expand in the next 10-20 years based on trend information?
• What will be the timeline and cost for projected expansion or reduction in services?
• Does our staff retention/turnover reflect a positive work environment?

(1) The details of this Planning Process include recommendations from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation “Technical Assistance Grant Program”

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