Overview

Strategic planning can be instrumental in the long-term success of a community foundation. Many community foundation are wrapped up in the day-to-day concerns and do not take the time to adequately plan for the future. Facilitated strategic planning can bring together stakeholders from all areas of the organization such as the board, staff, management, donors, and volunteers to plan for the future in a productive way.
Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. tailors strategic planning to fit the current situation and needs of the community foundation. Organizations that have participated in a strategic planning process previously are encouraged to enhance and develop their current strategic plan, while organizations new to the strategic planning process will start with simple steps to reap the benefits of strategic planning.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning has been used by community foundations to:

• Establish a common vision and focus for the community foundation
• Prioritize areas of concern for the community foundation to allocate resources effectively
• Set benchmarks for measuring outcomes and the performance of the community foundation
• Develop plans and goals for the organization in areas like marketing and fundraising
• Understand and prioritize the benefits of the community foundation to the community
• Develop goals and objectives for an awareness campaign
• Determine an appropriate message or messages for the community foundation

Strategic planning includes the review and analysis of the current situation, evaluating potential opportunities, and understanding the environment including: services, competition, fundraising, and promotional efforts. Since every community foundation is different, Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. customizes the strategic planning process to meet each community foundation’s unique needs. Once basic information is collected, Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. works with the organization to facilitate a direction for the future. One or more facilitated sessions are held with management, staff, board members, donors, volunteers, and stakeholders to reach understanding and consensus for the direction of the community foundation. The strategic plan is then formulated to reflect the goals of the community foundation while outlining the actions necessary to achieve those goals.

Strategic Planning Outline

The following outline lists topics that could be included in the strategic planning process:

Mission and Vision

• Review and confirm the mission of the community foundation
• Develop a mission statement
• Explore a three, five, or ten year vision of the community foundation
• Focus the mission or vision of the community foundation

Competition

• Determine the role of the community foundation compared to other community foundations
• Develop methods of differentiating the community foundation from others

Promotion

• Develop a plan for increasing the exposure of the community foundation
• Explore how the community foundation is perceived by donors and stakeholders
• Benchmark how the public understands the mission and services of the community foundation

Funding and Fundraising

• Examine the financial needs of the community foundation
• Explore potential funding sources and directions
• Understand why donors support the community foundation