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Nonprofit Organizational Assessment Tool
Strategic Planning
by: Andrew Lewis*
University of Wisconsin Extension
This section of the Nonprofit Organizational Assessment Tool can help guide a group discussion about an organization's strategic planning process. This group discussion ideally should include board members, staff, volunteers, and service recipients, but could be used as a self-assessment tool by anyone associated with a nonprofit organization.
Review the assessment form below. First, check the indicators that have been completed or accomplished. Next, indicate the amount of improvement that you think is needed for that indicator (None or Not Applicable, Some, or much improvement needed). It is your perception of the organization. There are no right or wrong answers. If used with a group, each individual should complete the assessment tool. After allowing adequate time, compare responses and discuss any areas where there were different perceptions. As a final step, identify the top 2-3 priorities where there was a high level of consensus on an indicator needing "much" improvement. If you are doing this as a group, have each individual select their top three priorities and then tally the "votes" for the group to identify the top three. Begin developing an action plan that would address these issues (A suggested action plan format can be found at the end of the document). After successfully implementing your action plans that address your top priorities, revisit your assessment tool and begin developing action plans for the other indicators that need attention.
This particular section of the assessment tool focuses on the strategic planning process and concepts presented during the educational programs produced by the Learning Institute for Nonprofit Organizations collaboration. The complete Nonprofit Organizational Assessment Tool is comprised of nine sections based on the programs that make up the curriculum of the Learning Institute for Nonprofit Organizations. The Learning Institute for Nonprofit Organizations was a collaboration involving the University of Wisconsin Extension and the Society for Nonprofit Organizations. The University has ended its formal relationship with the SNPO, but videotape presentation kits reside in most of the University of Wisconsin Extension County offices.
*LI faculty contributor for this section: Frank Martinelli, President of the Center for Public Skills Training, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Strategic Planning Assessment Tool**
Operational
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The organization has a written, updated strategic plan. |
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| 2. The organization periodically reviews its written strategic plan. |
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| 3. If no formal written strategic plan exists, has the organization convened a meeting to discuss strategic planning and its relevance to the organization in the past year? |
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| 4. The organization encourages strategic thinking. |
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| 5. The organization includes outsiders in the planning process. |
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| 6. The organization is strongly committed to the strategic planning process. |
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| 7. The organization has oriented its board, staff and volunteers to the strategic planning process. |
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| 8. The organization has developed a structure for ongoing board planning and the development of strategic planning skills within the staff. |
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Information Gathering & Analysis
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. A written strategic plan has been developed by researching the internal and external environment. |
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| 2. The organization frequently evaluates its relevancy, by soliciting community input. Does its mission and activities provide benefit to the community? |
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| 3. The organization purchases, or has access to resources that can help it think about changes and trends that will affect the organization. |
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| 4. Board, staff, service recipients, volunteers, key constituents and general members of the community participate in the planning process. |
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| 5. The strategic plan identifies the changing community needs including the agency's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. |
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| 6. The strategic plan identifies key constituents, their service expectations, and how the organization will respond to them. |
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Identification of Critical Issues Facing the Organization
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The organization has a planning process that identifies the critical issues facing the organization. |
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| 2. The organization takes the time to identify challenges facing the organization. |
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| 3. The organization encourages and examines major shifts in the way individuals and the agencies examine problems and opportunities. |
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| 4. The organization has invested time in identifying potential blocks or impediments that could get in the way of progress. |
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Development of a Strategic Vision and Mission Statement
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The organization has a clear, meaningful written mission statement, which reflects its fundamental purpose, values and people served. |
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| 2. The board and staff periodically review the mission statement and modify it to reflect changes in the environment. |
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| 3. The organization has developed a vision statement that communicates the organizations "future direction" and desired results. |
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| 4. Does the mission statement duplicate the mission of any other organization? |
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| 5. Programs of the organization are congruent with the agency's mission identified in the strategic plan. |
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| 6. The mission statement is widely understood, agreed upon, and communicated, by the board, staff, volunteers, constituents, and community. |
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Development of Goals and Strategies
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The strategic plan sets goals and measurable objectives that address identified critical issues for the next 3-5 years. |
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| 2. The plan integrates all the organization's activities around a focused mission. |
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| 3. The plan prioritizes the agency goals and develops timelines for their accomplishments. |
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| 4. Strategies have been developed that clearly describe the approach or method for attaining goals and resolving specific issues. |
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Development of Operational Plans
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The plan establishes an evaluation process and performance indicators to measure the progress toward the achievement of goals and objectives. |
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| 2. Through work plans, human and financial resources are allocated to insure the accomplishment of the goals in a timely fashion. |
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| 3. The plan is communicated to all stakeholders of the agency -- service recipients, board, staff, volunteers and the general community. |
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| 4. The organization networks and/or collaborates with other organizations to produce the most comprehensive and effective services to clients. |
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| 5. Stakeholders are involved in the evaluation process. |
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| 6. The evaluation includes a review of the organizational programs and systems to insure that they comply with the organization's mission, values and goals. |
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| 7. The results of the evaluation are reflected in the revised plan. |
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| 8. Periodically, the organization conducts a comprehensive evaluation of its programs. This evaluation measures program outcomes. |
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Sample Action Plans:
Use the following format to begin formulating an action plan that would improve your organization's performance relative to a specific indicator listed above.
Indicator: The Organization purchases or has access to resources that can help it think about changes and trends that will affect the organization.
Task |
Time Line |
Who |
Will Do What |
Evaluation Measure |
Task #1 |
7 days |
Jim (chair), Claudette, and Jill
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Research written publications (Jim), web (Claudette), and other resources (Jill) that would assist with identifying external trends, changes |
# of resources identified at next weeks staff meeting. |
Task #2 |
14 days |
Jim
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Determine costs of resources and/or public access locations.
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Number of public access points identified, costs identified for all resources.
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| Task #3 |
30 Days |
Staff - mtg. Called by Jim
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Prioritize resources that need to be purchased, and recommend public access points for other resources.
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Budget for resources prepared, resources purchased. |
**Part of an 9-part
series of assessment tools that address critical management issues within a
nonprofit organizations. This tool was developed for the Learning Institute
for Nonprofit Organizations and is based in part on two existing tools:
Community Organizational Assessment Tool, Bright, Robert D., University of
Wisconsin Extension, 1995 (Adapted from Citizens Involvement Training Program., University
of Massachusetts, Amherst).
Checklist of Nonprofit Indicators, United Way of Minneapolis Area, 1998.
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