Strategic planning is a valuable tool for nonprofit professionals. The process enables professionals to develop a clear vision of short and long term goals as well as procedures for ensuring these goals are met. This clarity reduces the difficulty nonprofits often experience in substantively measuring performance.

In my experience, an organization struggled with budgetary constraints, weak community participation, and inadequate leadership competencies that did not ensure stability went on to receivership and closure. Treatment of clients, cultural values, people engagement, business processes, service quality, and client satisfaction are important for strategic initiatives. (Kash et al., 2018).

A stakeholder analysis is a great way for the organization's decision-makers and planning team to network and politics amidst the organization. (Bryson, 2018). A stakeholder analysis will help clarify whether the organization needs to have different strategies and missions and what its strategic issues are. (Bryson, 2018). Stakeholders play an important part of strategic planning.

References:

Bryson, J.M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (5th ed.) Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kash, B.A., Spaulding, A., Johnson., C.E., & Gamm, L. (2014). Success factors for strategic change initiatives: A qualitative study of healthcare administrators' perspectives. Journal of Healthcare Management 50(1), 65-81