With the funding landscape shifting rapidly, some organizations may find themselves with little to no money to put towards a strategic plan. However, as I discussed in my previous blog, sometimes a period of uncertainty is exactly when you need a plan the most. So today I’m describing different budget options for strategic planning.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

There are three main cost drivers of developing a strategic plan:

  1. A facilitator for a retreat(s)
  2. Someone outside the organization writing the plan itself
  3. Any research to inform the planning process

When it comes to cutting costs, sometimes using existing data and research (e.g., reviewing existing reports, reviewing internal data, etc.) can inform the planning process [see our literature review post], since gathering new data (e.g., conducting interviews, a survey, focus groups, etc.) is generally more expensive. But there are options for organizations with any size budget. Here are my suggestions at 3 different budget levels for a strategic plan.

The zero cost option

A DIY strategic plan is definitely doable, but it does require more work from your board and staff; therefore, you must set aside board and/or staff time to have a strategic conversation. Ideally this is in person for 3+ hours. If online, maybe schedule two 1-2 hour conversations. It can be really helpful to have two longer meetings with time in between to process and think about the discussion. But really, any time is better than no time.

Ahead of these conversations, try to get a sense of what the people/the community/your stakeholders you serve need, whether any other organizations are meeting those needs, and what your organizational strengths are. If you can, use existing data to answer some or all of these questions. At minimum, have your board and/or staff think about these three categories and bring their ideas to the meeting.

During the meeting itself, review any data that you pulled together. Have a conversation about your unique position. That is, what does your organization do well that people need and can’t get somewhere else. Then confirm: your mission (what difference do you make in the lives of those you serve), a shared vision (a short term 2-3 year vision is more manageable), and 1-3 big goals to get you there. The real value comes from the time you dedicate to big-picture thinking and the conversations you have about how you will be relevant in the future. The document you create after the fact does NOT need to be fancy. You can create a very basic write up to summarize the conversation and decisions or even create a one pager with your mission, your vision, and your big goals. Commit to revisiting these goals annually to update your action plan.

Small budget option (~$3,000 to $10,000)

If you have a little budget, bringing in an outside facilitator for a strategic conversation or retreat can be very beneficial. A facilitator means that the entire board (and staff) can participate fully, and the facilitator can bring an outside perspective when listening to the conversation. A facilitator can be especially valuable if you have unresolved disagreements or if your organization has been having the same conversations repeatedly without moving forward. If you have a tiny bit more budget, it also can be great to have a little bit of research done, like stakeholder interviews or some secondary data analysis.

Medium budget and beyond option ($10,000+)

Any budget beyond the initial two levels can go to research or to plan writing. I would argue that research is often more difficult to obtain on your own, so it might be worth investing more there. However, if your board is stretched thin, having someone else write up your plan may be the only way that it gets documented somewhere. Also, organizations often use their strategic plan to market to funders, so it may be worth paying for a more professional-looking version of the plan.  

As the funding landscape evolves, so does our approach to strategic planning. A plan can be written on a slim budget, but consider the internal costs of staff and board time. If you have a bit more budget, consider hiring a facilitator or investing in research.