Part Two: The Six Phases of Nonprofit Strategic Planning
Part Two: The Six Phases of Nonprofit Strategic Planning
The six phases below come from the Strategic Plan Kickstarter, the process we teach and the one built into PlanPerfect. Each phase explains what to do, how to do it yourself, what good looks like, the mistakes we see most often, and a checklist you can print. Most organizations move through phases one to four in four to six months and then live in phases five and six for the life of the plan. Progress, not perfection, moves a mission forward, so start where you are.
The six phases below come from the Strategic Plan Kickstarter, the process we teach and the one built into PlanPerfect. Each phase explains what to do, how to do it yourself, what good looks like, the mistakes we see most often, and a checklist you can print. Most organizations move through phases one to four in four to six months and then live in phases five and six for the life of the plan. Progress, not perfection, moves a mission forward, so start where you are.
Phase 1: Planning to Plan
Phase 1: Planning to Plan
Typical duration: two to four weeks · Led by the executive director with the board chair · You produce: purpose, scope, roles, and a timeline
What this phase is and why it matters
Planning to plan is the short conversation that decides whether the next six months go smoothly. It sets the purpose and scope of the plan, names who is responsible for what, and gets the board and senior staff aligned before anyone drafts a word. It is the phase most organizations skip, and skipping it is the most common reason planning stalls: without an agreed purpose, every later disagreement becomes a disagreement about why you are doing this at all.
Planning to plan is the short conversation that decides whether the next six months go smoothly. It sets the purpose and scope of the plan, names who is responsible for what, and gets the board and senior staff aligned before anyone drafts a word. It is the phase most organizations skip, and skipping it is the most common reason planning stalls: without an agreed purpose, every later disagreement becomes a disagreement about why you are doing this at all.
How to do it yourself
Step one: define leadership’s point of view
Begin with a one-on-one meeting between the executive director and the board chair. This is the pre-planning meeting, not the planning meeting. Work through these decisions together and write the answers down:
Why are we pursuing a strategic plan now, and what do we hope to gain from it?
Who will serve as the executive director’s strategic thinking partner through the process: the board chair, or another trusted board member with the right mindset and respect for the executive director’s role?
Are we building a long-term plan of three to five years, an interim plan, or a focused reset? Are there transitions or events that shape the timing?
Will this plan lead into a fundraising or capital campaign? If so, resources and expectations need to be aligned from the start.
How will we include the voices of the people we serve: members, clients, beneficiaries, or constituents?
Should the executive director and board chair prepare an initial draft for others to react to, rather than launching a long process from a blank page? People are better at reacting than at starting from scratch, and no one knows the organization better than you.
Can we lead this internally, or do we need a consultant? What is a realistic budget if we do?
What system will we use to manage the process and track progress: shared documents and spreadsheets, a project management tool, or an all-in-one planning platform?
How will feedback be gathered, shared, and discussed, and who needs to be involved at each point?
Begin with a one-on-one meeting between the executive director and the board chair. This is the pre-planning meeting, not the planning meeting. Work through these decisions together and write the answers down:
Why are we pursuing a strategic plan now, and what do we hope to gain from it?
Who will serve as the executive director’s strategic thinking partner through the process: the board chair, or another trusted board member with the right mindset and respect for the executive director’s role?
Are we building a long-term plan of three to five years, an interim plan, or a focused reset? Are there transitions or events that shape the timing?
Will this plan lead into a fundraising or capital campaign? If so, resources and expectations need to be aligned from the start.
How will we include the voices of the people we serve: members, clients, beneficiaries, or constituents?
Should the executive director and board chair prepare an initial draft for others to react to, rather than launching a long process from a blank page? People are better at reacting than at starting from scratch, and no one knows the organization better than you.
Can we lead this internally, or do we need a consultant? What is a realistic budget if we do?
What system will we use to manage the process and track progress: shared documents and spreadsheets, a project management tool, or an all-in-one planning platform?
How will feedback be gathered, shared, and discussed, and who needs to be involved at each point?
Then open the calendar. Look for vacations, events, and existing meetings, and set target dates for the executive committee discussion, the board discussion, senior staff engagement, and the announcement to stakeholders. Add “strategic planning” to the next executive committee, board, and senior staff agendas. Our Board Chair Conversation Guide in the toolkit section walks through every one of these questions.
Then open the calendar. Look for vacations, events, and existing meetings, and set target dates for the executive committee discussion, the board discussion, senior staff engagement, and the announcement to stakeholders. Add “strategic planning” to the next executive committee, board, and senior staff agendas. Our Board Chair Conversation Guide in the toolkit section walks through every one of these questions.
Step two: align the board and senior staff
Bring the board and senior staff into the loop by walking through the same topics you discussed one on one. Share what you have sketched and ask for buy-in and additional ideas. You will be repeating yourself, and that is intentional. Strategic planning works by gradually expanding the circle of people who understand it, and the repetition builds ownership. Not everyone must agree at this stage, but everyone must be asked.
Bring the board and senior staff into the loop by walking through the same topics you discussed one on one. Share what you have sketched and ask for buy-in and additional ideas. You will be repeating yourself, and that is intentional. Strategic planning works by gradually expanding the circle of people who understand it, and the repetition builds ownership. Not everyone must agree at this stage, but everyone must be asked.
Step three: communicate
Once leadership is aligned, let the broader community know the process is beginning: staff, volunteers, partners, constituents, and funders. Tell them what is coming, when they will hear updates, and how they can participate. The Planning Kickoff email template in the toolkit section is written for exactly this moment.
Once leadership is aligned, let the broader community know the process is beginning: staff, volunteers, partners, constituents, and funders. Tell them what is coming, when they will hear updates, and how they can participate. The Planning Kickoff email template in the toolkit section is written for exactly this moment.
What good looks like
At the end of this phase you have a one-page internal timeline with dates, a named thinking partner for the executive director, agreed answers to the questions above, “strategic planning” on three upcoming agendas, and a kickoff announcement that has gone out. The whole phase can take two weeks if the executive director and board chair meet promptly, and it rarely needs more than four.
At the end of this phase you have a one-page internal timeline with dates, a named thinking partner for the executive director, agreed answers to the questions above, “strategic planning” on three upcoming agendas, and a kickoff announcement that has gone out. The whole phase can take two weeks if the executive director and board chair meet promptly, and it rarely needs more than four.
Common mistakes
Rushing into planning without a clear purpose or scope, so the process drifts.
Overloading the process with too many voices too early, before leadership has a point of view.
Skipping the conversation about budget and capacity, then discovering midway that no one has time.
Underestimating how planning connects to future fundraising, and leaving the development director out until the end.
Avoiding the hard conversation about priorities because it is uncomfortable, which only defers it to a worse moment.
Rushing into planning without a clear purpose or scope, so the process drifts.
Overloading the process with too many voices too early, before leadership has a point of view.
Skipping the conversation about budget and capacity, then discovering midway that no one has time.
Underestimating how planning connects to future fundraising, and leaving the development director out until the end.
Avoiding the hard conversation about priorities because it is uncomfortable, which only defers it to a worse moment.
Checklist: Planning to Plan
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Executive director and board chair meet one on one to define purpose, scope, and timing.
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Identify the executive director's strategic thinking partner.
☐
Decide whether the plan is long-term, interim, or a focused reset, and note any transitions or events that affect timing.
☐
Decide whether the plan will lead into a fundraising or capital campaign.
☐
Decide how the voices of those you serve will be included.
☐
Decide whether the executive director and board chair will prepare an initial draft for the executive committee.
☐
Decide whether to lead internally or engage a consultant, and set a realistic budget.
☐
Choose the system that will manage the process and track progress.
☐
Decide how feedback will be gathered, shared, and discussed.
☐
Review calendars and set target dates for executive committee, board, senior staff, and stakeholder communications.
☐
Add “strategic planning” to upcoming executive committee, board, and senior staff agendas.
☐
Send the planning kickoff announcement to staff and board.
☐ Executive director and board chair meet one on one to define purpose, scope, and timing.
☐ Identify the executive director’s strategic thinking partner.
☐ Decide whether the plan is long-term, interim, or a focused reset, and note any transitions or events that affect timing.
☐ Decide whether the plan will lead into a fundraising or capital campaign.
☐ Decide how the voices of those you serve will be included.
☐ Decide whether the executive director and board chair will prepare an initial draft for the executive committee.
☐ Decide whether to lead internally or engage a consultant, and set a realistic budget.
☐ Choose the system that will manage the process and track progress.
☐ Decide how feedback will be gathered, shared, and discussed.
☐ Review calendars and set target dates for executive committee, board, senior staff, and stakeholder communications.
☐ Add “strategic planning” to upcoming executive committee, board, and senior staff agendas.
☐ Send the planning kickoff announcement to staff and board.
☐ Executive director and board chair meet one on one to define purpose, scope, and timing.
☐ Identify the executive director’s strategic thinking partner.
☐ Decide whether the plan is long-term, interim, or a focused reset, and note any transitions or events that affect timing.
☐ Decide whether the plan will lead into a fundraising or capital campaign.
☐ Decide how the voices of those you serve will be included.
☐ Decide whether the executive director and board chair will prepare an initial draft for the executive committee.
☐ Decide whether to lead internally or engage a consultant, and set a realistic budget.
☐ Choose the system that will manage the process and track progress.
☐ Decide how feedback will be gathered, shared, and discussed.
☐ Review calendars and set target dates for executive committee, board, senior staff, and stakeholder communications.
☐ Add “strategic planning” to upcoming executive committee, board, and senior staff agendas.
☐ Send the planning kickoff announcement to staff and board.
In practice
The Upper Dublin Education Foundation, which supports four thousand students across six schools in suburban Philadelphia, needed a plan on a small budget and without a consultant. The foundation used the Planning to Plan process to set its scope, then refreshed its mission, vision, and values and surveyed stakeholders over eight months. Executive Director Michelle Boas described PlanPerfect as “another team member on our committee,” one that “doesn’t make us feel as just alone on an island.” KWMR Community Radio in rural West Marin, California, lost twenty-six percent of its budget when federal public broadcasting funds were cut, at the same moment its development director resigned. With no consultant budget, the station planned anyway. And Prairieland Adaptive, founded in June 2024 by physical therapist Cody Birely, planned before it had run a single program. “Having something structured that also respected how small organizations start—it helped me keep things moving,” he said.
The Upper Dublin Education Foundation, which supports four thousand students across six schools in suburban Philadelphia, needed a plan on a small budget and without a consultant. The foundation used the Planning to Plan process to set its scope, then refreshed its mission, vision, and values and surveyed stakeholders over eight months. Executive Director Michelle Boas described PlanPerfect as “another team member on our committee,” one that “doesn’t make us feel as just alone on an island.” KWMR Community Radio in rural West Marin, California, lost twenty-six percent of its budget when federal public broadcasting funds were cut, at the same moment its development director resigned. With no consultant budget, the station planned anyway. And Prairieland Adaptive, founded in June 2024 by physical therapist Cody Birely, planned before it had run a single program. “Having something structured that also respected how small organizations start—it helped me keep things moving,” he said.
How PlanPerfect handles this phase
PlanPerfect begins where this phase begins. A guided interview takes the executive director through the purpose, scope, timing, and roles questions above and turns the answers into a project timeline, so the pre-planning meeting has an agenda before it starts. If you already have a plan, you can upload it and begin from there rather than from a blank page. Getting started takes a few hours. Every plan includes unlimited users, so the board chair, the thinking partner, and senior staff work in the same place from day one, and weekly office hours with our founders are there when a question comes up.
PlanPerfect begins where this phase begins. A guided interview takes the executive director through the purpose, scope, timing, and roles questions above and turns the answers into a project timeline, so the pre-planning meeting has an agenda before it starts. If you already have a plan, you can upload it and begin from there rather than from a blank page. Getting started takes a few hours. Every plan includes unlimited users, so the board chair, the thinking partner, and senior staff work in the same place from day one, and weekly office hours with our founders are there when a question comes up.
See the guided interview in a live demo
See the guided interview in a live demo
Book a live demo
Related reading: Ready, Set, Plan: Preparing for a Winning Strategic Plan (webinar with Nonprofit Resource Hub) · Your First Year as a Nonprofit Leader: A Practical Checklist · Before You Say Yes: Questions Every Executive Director Should Ask · BoardSource on the board chair and chief executive partnership
Related reading: Ready, Set, Plan: Preparing for a Winning Strategic Plan (webinar with Nonprofit Resource Hub) · Your First Year as a Nonprofit Leader: A Practical Checklist · Before You Say Yes: Questions Every Executive Director Should Ask · BoardSource on the board chair and chief executive partnership
Phase 2: Assess and Gather Input
Phase 2: Assess and Gather Input
Typical duration: four to eight weeks · Led by the executive director with a staff lead · You produce: an environmental scan, summarized stakeholder input, and a SWOT analysis
What this phase is and why it matters
A strategic plan should be built on a deep understanding of the people and the cause you serve. This phase grounds the plan in context, first by looking outward at the environment your organization operates in, and then by listening to the people who depend on it. A plan built without this phase is a plan built in a vacuum, and stakeholders can tell. A plan built with it shows that the organization is listening, which is itself the first act of implementation.
A strategic plan should be built on a deep understanding of the people and the cause you serve. This phase grounds the plan in context, first by looking outward at the environment your organization operates in, and then by listening to the people who depend on it. A plan built without this phase is a plan built in a vacuum, and stakeholders can tell. A plan built with it shows that the organization is listening, which is itself the first act of implementation.
How to do it yourself
Step one: scan the environment
Start with a market map of organizations similar to yours in your field or region. Who else serves your audience? What do they offer? Where do you overlap, and where do you stand apart? Keep it simple: review a few peer websites and annual reports, scan sector newsletters, and use an AI tool for a quick trend scan with a prompt such as “What are emerging trends in urban farming in the United States?” or “Who is doing effective advocacy in early childhood education?” Candid is the best place to look up peer organizations’ financials and funders. If it is useful, run a lightweight PESTLE scan, noting the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors likely to affect your work over the life of the plan. If you have the capacity, benchmark your staffing model, fundraising mix, and program delivery against sector norms. The goal is enough context that your plan responds to the world as it is.
Start with a market map of organizations similar to yours in your field or region. Who else serves your audience? What do they offer? Where do you overlap, and where do you stand apart? Keep it simple: review a few peer websites and annual reports, scan sector newsletters, and use an AI tool for a quick trend scan with a prompt such as “What are emerging trends in urban farming in the United States?” or “Who is doing effective advocacy in early childhood education?” Candid is the best place to look up peer organizations’ financials and funders. If it is useful, run a lightweight PESTLE scan, noting the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors likely to affect your work over the life of the plan. If you have the capacity, benchmark your staffing model, fundraising mix, and program delivery against sector norms. The goal is enough context that your plan responds to the world as it is.
Step two: design the stakeholder engagement plan
Decide how you will gather input, matching the method to each audience. Board members and funders usually respond well to brief surveys or personal interviews. Staff give more honest input through anonymous surveys paired with team discussions. Clients, community members, and partners are often best reached through small focus groups, which build trust while they gather insight. A good survey asks fewer questions than you think. Seven that work for almost any organization:
Decide how you will gather input, matching the method to each audience. Board members and funders usually respond well to brief surveys or personal interviews. Staff give more honest input through anonymous surveys paired with team discussions. Clients, community members, and partners are often best reached through small focus groups, which build trust while they gather insight. A good survey asks fewer questions than you think. Seven that work for almost any organization:
What does our organization do best?
What should we stop doing, or do differently?
What is the biggest opportunity in front of us in the next three years?
What is the biggest threat?
If we could do only one new thing, what should it be?
How well do our board, staff, and volunteers understand where the organization is headed?
What else should we know?
Step three: reach out, then summarize
Tell people why you are asking, how their input will be used, and when they will hear back; the Stakeholder Input Invitation template in the toolkit covers this. Give the survey two to three weeks, send one reminder, and close it. Then read everything. Identify themes, areas of alignment, and the tensions that surfaced. Use the findings alongside your environmental scan to build a SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Discuss the results with the executive director and board chair first, then decide how to share key insights with the board and senior staff. Clear, focused communication at this stage builds trust and sets up the drafting phase.
Tell people why you are asking, how their input will be used, and when they will hear back; the Stakeholder Input Invitation template in the toolkit covers this. Give the survey two to three weeks, send one reminder, and close it. Then read everything. Identify themes, areas of alignment, and the tensions that surfaced. Use the findings alongside your environmental scan to build a SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Discuss the results with the executive director and board chair first, then decide how to share key insights with the board and senior staff. Clear, focused communication at this stage builds trust and sets up the drafting phase.
What good looks like
A two-page summary of what you heard, organized by theme and by audience, with the tensions named rather than smoothed over; a one-page SWOT that a board member can absorb in three minutes; and a short message back to everyone who participated, thanking them and previewing what comes next. Response rates of forty to sixty percent from board and staff and ten to twenty percent from the broader community are typical and sufficient.
A two-page summary of what you heard, organized by theme and by audience, with the tensions named rather than smoothed over; a one-page SWOT that a board member can absorb in three minutes; and a short message back to everyone who participated, thanking them and previewing what comes next. Response rates of forty to sixty percent from board and staff and ten to twenty percent from the broader community are typical and sufficient.
Common mistakes
Sending every audience the same long survey, which produces low response rates and shallow answers.
Collecting more input than anyone has time to read, so the summary is written from the first fifty responses.
Asking for input and never reporting back, which teaches stakeholders that their time was wasted.
Treating the SWOT as a brainstorm rather than as a synthesis of what people said and what the scan showed.
Letting the founder’s or executive director’s view dominate the summary, so the input confirms what leadership already believed.
Checklist: Assess and Gather Input
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Create a market map of similar organizations in your field or region.
☐
Review what peer organizations offer, and note overlaps and distinctions.
☐
Use newsletters, peer reports, or AI tools to identify sector trends.
☐
If helpful, conduct a lightweight PESTLE scan.
☐
Benchmark against industry standards (program delivery, staffing, fundraising) as capacity allows.
☐
Design a stakeholder engagement plan and choose methods: surveys, interviews, focus groups.
☐
Match methods to audiences: board, funders, staff, clients, partners.
☐
Begin outreach, clearly communicating purpose, use of input, and timeline.
☐
Gather and summarize feedback; identify themes, alignment, and tensions.
☐
Generate a SWOT analysis using the findings.
☐
Discuss results with the executive director and board chair.
☐
Share key findings with the board and senior staff to build alignment.
☐ Create a market map of similar organizations in your field or region.
☐ Review what peer organizations offer, and note overlaps and distinctions.
☐ Use newsletters, peer reports, or AI tools to identify sector trends.
☐ If helpful, conduct a lightweight PESTLE scan.
☐ Benchmark against industry standards (program delivery, staffing, fundraising) as capacity allows.
☐ Design a stakeholder engagement plan and choose methods: surveys, interviews, focus groups.
☐ Match methods to audiences: board, funders, staff, clients, partners.
☐ Begin outreach, clearly communicating purpose, use of input, and timeline.
☐ Gather and summarize feedback; identify themes, alignment, and tensions.
☐ Generate a SWOT analysis using the findings.
☐ Discuss results with the executive director and board chair.
☐ Share key findings with the board and senior staff to build alignment.
☐ Create a market map of similar organizations in your field or region.
☐ Review what peer organizations offer, and note overlaps and distinctions.
☐ Use newsletters, peer reports, or AI tools to identify sector trends.
☐ If helpful, conduct a lightweight PESTLE scan.
☐ Benchmark against industry standards (program delivery, staffing, fundraising) as capacity allows.
☐ Design a stakeholder engagement plan and choose methods: surveys, interviews, focus groups.
☐ Match methods to audiences: board, funders, staff, clients, partners.
☐ Begin outreach, clearly communicating purpose, use of input, and timeline.
☐ Gather and summarize feedback; identify themes, alignment, and tensions.
☐ Generate a SWOT analysis using the findings.
☐ Discuss results with the executive director and board chair.
☐ Share key findings with the board and senior staff to build alignment.
In practice
The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples gathered more than three hundred survey responses from visitors, members, and staff. The survey tool sorted the results into a SWOT automatically and summarized the themes, which, in the words of CEO Jonathan Foerster, “allowed us to separate feedback into two components: big overarching things” and day-to-day operational matters, without the planning committee having to do the data analysis itself. In the National Recreation Foundation cohort, five youth-development grantees ran surveys, interviews, and focus groups in parallel; Heather Kuhlken of Families in Nature said the process removed founder bias and elevated every voice, and Ben Clark of the Chill Foundation said it saved time and money while producing better results. At Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, Board Vice Chair Lisa Casey said, “The best part was having AI give me a synopsis of survey responses.”
The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples gathered more than three hundred survey responses from visitors, members, and staff. The survey tool sorted the results into a SWOT automatically and summarized the themes, which, in the words of CEO Jonathan Foerster, “allowed us to separate feedback into two components: big overarching things” and day-to-day operational matters, without the planning committee having to do the data analysis itself. In the National Recreation Foundation cohort, five youth-development grantees ran surveys, interviews, and focus groups in parallel; Heather Kuhlken of Families in Nature said the process removed founder bias and elevated every voice, and Ben Clark of the Chill Foundation said it saved time and money while producing better results. At Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, Board Vice Chair Lisa Casey said, “The best part was having AI give me a synopsis of survey responses.”
How PlanPerfect handles this phase
Discover and Review is the part of PlanPerfect clients mention first. You choose the audiences, send a link, and the survey tool collects responses, asks AI-generated follow-up questions, and produces the SWOT analysis and a cross-stakeholder summary that shows where the board, staff, and community agree and where they differ. Three hundred responses take an afternoon to absorb instead of a week. The summary and SWOT flow directly into plan drafting in the next phase, so nothing is retyped.
Discover and Review is the part of PlanPerfect clients mention first. You choose the audiences, send a link, and the survey tool collects responses, asks AI-generated follow-up questions, and produces the SWOT analysis and a cross-stakeholder summary that shows where the board, staff, and community agree and where they differ. Three hundred responses take an afternoon to absorb instead of a week. The summary and SWOT flow directly into plan drafting in the next phase, so nothing is retyped.
Watch the Discover and Review walkthrough
Watch the Discover and Review walkthrough
Watch the demo videos
Related reading: Designing Against Mission Creep · Partnerships and Mergers: Strategies for Nonprofit Growth and Sustainability · AI Is Already in Your Nonprofit · Candid for peer research and funder data
Related reading: Designing Against Mission Creep · Partnerships and Mergers: Strategies for Nonprofit Growth and Sustainability · AI Is Already in Your Nonprofit · Candid for peer research and funder data
Phase 3: Create
Phase 3: Create
Typical duration: four to six weeks · Led by the executive director with senior staff and the board · You produce: mission, vision, values, three to five goals, and measurable objectives
What this phase is and why it matters
With input and context in hand, you now build the plan itself: a living document that will guide the organization’s choices for the next several years. This phase has two halves. The first confirms or rewrites the mission, vision, and values that are the heart of the plan. The second defines the strategic goals and the measurable objectives that turn those goals into work. Everything else in the plan (the history, the executive summary, the timeline) is written around these.
With input and context in hand, you now build the plan itself: a living document that will guide the organization’s choices for the next several years. This phase has two halves. The first confirms or rewrites the mission, vision, and values that are the heart of the plan. The second defines the strategic goals and the measurable objectives that turn those goals into work. Everything else in the plan (the history, the executive summary, the timeline) is written around these.
How to do it yourself
Step one: confirm the mission, vision, and values
Host a working session with the board and senior staff, and include a few trusted partners if you can. Even if you already have these statements, pause and ask three questions. Is the mission still clear and compelling? Does the vision describe the change you want to see in the world, rather than only the future of the organization? Are the values visible in how the organization shows up, inside and out? Avoid single-word values such as “integrity” or “safety.” Write how you live them instead: “At Helmet Safe, we believe wearing a bike helmet is essential to safe riding” tells a staff member what to do; “safety” does not. Once there is alignment, draft the organizational history, the mission, vision, and values, and the planning timeline.
Host a working session with the board and senior staff, and include a few trusted partners if you can. Even if you already have these statements, pause and ask three questions. Is the mission still clear and compelling? Does the vision describe the change you want to see in the world, rather than only the future of the organization? Are the values visible in how the organization shows up, inside and out? Avoid single-word values such as “integrity” or “safety.” Write how you live them instead: “At Helmet Safe, we believe wearing a bike helmet is essential to safe riding” tells a staff member what to do; “safety” does not. Once there is alignment, draft the organizational history, the mission, vision, and values, and the planning timeline.
Step two: define three to five goals
Goals describe the broad change you hope to achieve. They should be clear enough to guide decisions and flexible enough to adapt, and they should use aspirational language that points toward a better future. Most organizations land on three to five, drawn from the areas that matter most: programs, financial sustainability, governance, people, or community engagement. You do not need a goal in every category; choose the ones that will move the mission. Apply SMART principles (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) to keep each goal focused without draining the inspiration out of it.
Goals describe the broad change you hope to achieve. They should be clear enough to guide decisions and flexible enough to adapt, and they should use aspirational language that points toward a better future. Most organizations land on three to five, drawn from the areas that matter most: programs, financial sustainability, governance, people, or community engagement. You do not need a goal in every category; choose the ones that will move the mission. Apply SMART principles (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) to keep each goal focused without draining the inspiration out of it.
Step three: write objectives under each goal
Objectives translate goals into action. Use the structure “who will do what to achieve what result.” For example: “The development team will launch a donor stewardship program by June 2027 to raise monthly donor retention from fifty-five to seventy percent.” Two to four objectives per goal is plenty. You do not need every metric and deadline finalized now, but keep them in view, because they become the implementation plan in phase five.
Objectives translate goals into action. Use the structure “who will do what to achieve what result.” For example: “The development team will launch a donor stewardship program by June 2027 to raise monthly donor retention from fifty-five to seventy percent.” Two to four objectives per goal is plenty. You do not need every metric and deadline finalized now, but keep them in view, because they become the implementation plan in phase five.
What good looks like
A board member can read the mission aloud without looking, the vision describes a changed world, the values could only belong to your organization, there are no more than five goals, and every objective names an owner, a result, and a date. The full draft, with history and executive summary, fits in fifteen pages. Our own public strategic plan is one example of what the finished structure looks like.
A board member can read the mission aloud without looking, the vision describes a changed world, the values could only belong to your organization, there are no more than five goals, and every objective names an owner, a result, and a date. The full draft, with history and executive summary, fits in fifteen pages. Our own public strategic plan is one example of what the finished structure looks like.
Common mistakes
Writing a goal for every department to keep everyone happy, which produces twelve goals and no priorities.
Listing values as single words that could belong to any organization.
Writing objectives without owners or dates, so they are wishes rather than commitments.
Copying another organization’s plan. The structure travels well; the content never does.
Spending the whole phase on wordsmithing the mission and leaving one meeting for goals and objectives.
Writing a goal for every department to keep everyone happy, which produces twelve goals and no priorities.
Listing values as single words that could belong to any organization.
Writing objectives without owners or dates, so they are wishes rather than commitments.
Copying another organization’s plan. The structure travels well; the content never does.
Spending the whole phase on wordsmithing the mission and leaving one meeting for goals and objectives.
Checklist: Create
☐
Host a workshop or working sessions with the board and senior staff on mission, vision, and values.
☐
Assess whether the mission is clear and compelling.
☐
Assess whether the vision describes your desired future.
☐
Assess whether values are visible in internal and external practice.
☐
Draft the introductory plan sections: organizational history; mission, vision, and values; planning timeline.
☐
Identify three to five strategic goals that reflect your forward priorities.
☐
Define measurable objectives under each goal, in the form “who will do what to achieve what result.”
☐
Use a planning tool or shared workspace to manage drafts, feedback, and revisions.
☐ Host a workshop or working sessions with the board and senior staff on mission, vision, and values.
☐ Assess whether the mission is clear and compelling.
☐ Assess whether the vision describes your desired future.
☐ Assess whether values are visible in internal and external practice.
☐ Draft the introductory plan sections: organizational history; mission, vision, and values; planning timeline.
☐ Identify three to five strategic goals that reflect your forward priorities.
☐ Define measurable objectives under each goal, in the form “who will do what to achieve what result.”
☐ Use a planning tool or shared workspace to manage drafts, feedback, and revisions.
☐ Host a workshop or working sessions with the board and senior staff on mission, vision, and values.
☐ Assess whether the mission is clear and compelling.
☐ Assess whether the vision describes your desired future.
☐ Assess whether values are visible in internal and external practice.
☐ Draft the introductory plan sections: organizational history; mission, vision, and values; planning timeline.
☐ Identify three to five strategic goals that reflect your forward priorities.
☐ Define measurable objectives under each goal, in the form “who will do what to achieve what result.”
☐ Use a planning tool or shared workspace to manage drafts, feedback, and revisions.
In practice
KWMR Community Radio arrived at this phase with eight goals and left with five, condensing its priorities into a plan the board could stand behind and that reflected what staff and stakeholders had said. Dare2Tri, which has removed barriers to sport for athletes with disabilities for fifteen years, needed to turn expansion ambitions into measurable steps. “PlanPerfect gave us structure,” said Executive Director Keri Serota. “The tool made it simple.” The Upper Dublin Education Foundation used this phase to refresh its mission, vision, and values before setting goals, and has since expanded its grant program to three cycles a year with broader participation from educators across every school.
KWMR Community Radio arrived at this phase with eight goals and left with five, condensing its priorities into a plan the board could stand behind and that reflected what staff and stakeholders had said. Dare2Tri, which has removed barriers to sport for athletes with disabilities for fifteen years, needed to turn expansion ambitions into measurable steps. “PlanPerfect gave us structure,” said Executive Director Keri Serota. “The tool made it simple.” The Upper Dublin Education Foundation used this phase to refresh its mission, vision, and values before setting goals, and has since expanded its grant program to three cycles a year with broader participation from educators across every school.
How PlanPerfect handles this phase
Guided Plan Creation replaces the blank page. PlanPerfect's goals and objectives builder draws on a proprietary content library built from decades of nonprofit leadership and on your own survey results, SWOT, and uploaded documents, so it proposes draft goals and objectives in your organization's voice for you to edit rather than invent. Each objective is structured with an owner, a result, and a date from the start, which means the plan is ready to track the moment the board approves it. Every draft receives expert review from our team, and the finished plan exports as a polished, board-ready document.
Guided Plan Creation replaces the blank page. PlanPerfect’s goals and objectives builder draws on a proprietary content library built from decades of nonprofit leadership and on your own survey results, SWOT, and uploaded documents, so it proposes draft goals and objectives in your organization’s voice for you to edit rather than invent. Each objective is structured with an owner, a result, and a date from the start, which means the plan is ready to track the moment the board approves it. Every draft receives expert review from our team, and the finished plan exports as a polished, board-ready document.
Start a fourteen-day evaluation and draft your first goal today
Start a fourteen-day evaluation and draft your first goal today
Start your fourteen-day evaluation
Related reading: Measuring Nonprofit Success: Financial and Impact Metrics · Glossary of Nonprofit Governance Terms · Serve the Pasta: What Strategic Planning Has in Common with Parenting · National Council of Nonprofits on running a nonprofit
Related reading: Measuring Nonprofit Success: Financial and Impact Metrics · Glossary of Nonprofit Governance Terms · Serve the Pasta: What Strategic Planning Has in Common with Parenting · National Council of Nonprofits on running a nonprofit
Phase 4: Review, Refine, and Approve
Phase 4: Review, Refine, and Approve
Typical duration: four to eight weeks, set by the board calendar · Led by the executive director with board committees and the full board · You produce: a board-approved plan with resource assumptions and a risk assessment
What this phase is and why it matters
The draft exists. This phase tests it against the people who will have to live with it, asks what it will cost, names what could go wrong, and ends with a formal board vote. It is where leadership is tested and trust is built. A board that has been invited into a thoughtful review will stand behind the plan publicly and champion it with donors. A board that sees the plan for the first time at the vote will approve it politely and forget it.
The draft exists. This phase tests it against the people who will have to live with it, asks what it will cost, names what could go wrong, and ends with a formal board vote. It is where leadership is tested and trust is built. A board that has been invited into a thoughtful review will stand behind the plan publicly and champion it with donors. A board that sees the plan for the first time at the vote will approve it politely and forget it.
How to do it yourself
Step one: gather feedback from leadership and committees
Share the draft with the executive director, board chair, and key senior staff first. Then send the relevant sections to the appropriate board committees and ask them to focus on three things: strategic alignment, feasibility, and fit with their ongoing work. This is also the moment to assess what implementation will take. What staffing, systems, and funding will be needed? How does the plan affect the operating budget and upcoming fundraising? Use the answers to strengthen and clarify each section.
Share the draft with the executive director, board chair, and key senior staff first. Then send the relevant sections to the appropriate board committees and ask them to focus on three things: strategic alignment, feasibility, and fit with their ongoing work. This is also the moment to assess what implementation will take. What staffing, systems, and funding will be needed? How does the plan affect the operating budget and upcoming fundraising? Use the answers to strengthen and clarify each section.
Step two: engage the full board
Present the full draft at a regular meeting or a dedicated session. Walk through the mission, vision, and values; the goals and objectives; and the financial and operational implications. Invite open dialogue and ask directly what concerns anyone has. End with a clear process for post-meeting feedback, so board members know how and when to share final thoughts.
Present the full draft at a regular meeting or a dedicated session. Walk through the mission, vision, and values; the goals and objectives; and the financial and operational implications. Invite open dialogue and ask directly what concerns anyone has. End with a clear process for post-meeting feedback, so board members know how and when to share final thoughts.
Step three: assess risk
Before the plan is finalized, ask what could go wrong and how the organization would respond. Enterprise risk management sounds elaborate, but at its core it is an organization-wide habit of naming risks in six categories (financial, programmatic, human capital, reputational, operational, and legal), rating each by likelihood and severity, and assigning someone to watch it. Attach a one-page risk register to the plan: the top eight to ten risks, a mitigation for each, and an owner. The audit committee, where one exists, oversees this work; where none exists, the finance committee or the full board can take it on. Our article on enterprise risk management and the audit committee explains the structure.
Before the plan is finalized, ask what could go wrong and how the organization would respond. Enterprise risk management sounds elaborate, but at its core it is an organization-wide habit of naming risks in six categories (financial, programmatic, human capital, reputational, operational, and legal), rating each by likelihood and severity, and assigning someone to watch it. Attach a one-page risk register to the plan: the top eight to ten risks, a mitigation for each, and an owner. The audit committee, where one exists, oversees this work; where none exists, the finance committee or the full board can take it on. Our article on enterprise risk management and the audit committee explains the structure.
Step four: refine, then call the vote
Integrate the feedback that aligns with the mission and strategy, finalize the goals, objectives, and resource assumptions, and bring the plan back for formal endorsement. In that final presentation, confirm alignment with three questions. Are we clear on our direction? Do our goals and metrics make sense? Is the board confident in the path forward, including any related fundraising plans? Then call for a vote and record it in the minutes. The plan is now the board’s plan.
Integrate the feedback that aligns with the mission and strategy, finalize the goals, objectives, and resource assumptions, and bring the plan back for formal endorsement. In that final presentation, confirm alignment with three questions. Are we clear on our direction? Do our goals and metrics make sense? Is the board confident in the path forward, including any related fundraising plans? Then call for a vote and record it in the minutes. The plan is now the board’s plan.
What good looks like
Committees have reviewed their sections and their comments are reflected; the budget implications are written down and the development director has signed off on the fundraising assumptions; a risk register sits in the appendix; the full board has discussed the plan at least once before voting; and the vote is unanimous or close to it, with the dissent understood. The approved plan has a date on it, and a one-page summary is ready to share.
Committees have reviewed their sections and their comments are reflected; the budget implications are written down and the development director has signed off on the fundraising assumptions; a risk register sits in the appendix; the full board has discussed the plan at least once before voting; and the vote is unanimous or close to it, with the dissent understood. The approved plan has a date on it, and a one-page summary is ready to share.
Common mistakes
Approving the plan without a conversation about what it will cost to carry out.
Presenting the plan to the full board for the first time at the meeting where the vote is scheduled.
Skipping the risk assessment because it feels pessimistic. Naming risks is how a board does its job.
Accepting every piece of feedback, so the plan loses its focus in the attempt to please.
Treating the vote as the finish line. It is the starting line for phase five.
Approving the plan without a conversation about what it will cost to carry out.
Presenting the plan to the full board for the first time at the meeting where the vote is scheduled.
Skipping the risk assessment because it feels pessimistic. Naming risks is how a board does its job.
Accepting every piece of feedback, so the plan loses its focus in the attempt to please.
Treating the vote as the finish line. It is the starting line for phase five.
Checklist: Review, Refine, and Approve
☐
Share the draft with the executive director, board chair, and senior staff for initial feedback.
☐
Share relevant sections with board committees for alignment, feasibility, and integration with committee work.
☐
Assess implementation needs: staffing, systems, and funding, and the effect on the operating budget and future fundraising.
☐
Refine the plan based on committee and leadership feedback.
☐
Present the full draft to the board at a regular or special meeting.
☐
Walk through mission, vision, and values; strategic goals and objectives; and financial and operational implications.
☐
Encourage open dialogue and set a clear process for additional feedback.
☐
Assess potential risks and mitigation strategies; attach a risk register.
☐
Refine the plan with aligned feedback, finalizing goals, objectives, and resource assumptions.
☐
In the final presentation, confirm alignment on direction, goals, metrics, and related fundraising.
☐
Call for a formal board vote to approve the plan and record it in the minutes.
☐ Share the draft with the executive director, board chair, and senior staff for initial feedback.
☐ Share relevant sections with board committees for alignment, feasibility, and integration with committee work.
☐ Assess implementation needs: staffing, systems, and funding, and the effect on the operating budget and future fundraising.
☐ Refine the plan based on committee and leadership feedback.
☐ Present the full draft to the board at a regular or special meeting.
☐ Walk through mission, vision, and values; strategic goals and objectives; and financial and operational implications.
☐ Encourage open dialogue and set a clear process for additional feedback.
☐ Assess potential risks and mitigation strategies; attach a risk register.
☐ Refine the plan with aligned feedback, finalizing goals, objectives, and resource assumptions.
☐ In the final presentation, confirm alignment on direction, goals, metrics, and related fundraising.
☐ Call for a formal board vote to approve the plan and record it in the minutes.
☐ Share the draft with the executive director, board chair, and senior staff for initial feedback.
☐ Share relevant sections with board committees for alignment, feasibility, and integration with committee work.
☐ Assess implementation needs: staffing, systems, and funding, and the effect on the operating budget and future fundraising.
☐ Refine the plan based on committee and leadership feedback.
☐ Present the full draft to the board at a regular or special meeting.
☐ Walk through mission, vision, and values; strategic goals and objectives; and financial and operational implications.
☐ Encourage open dialogue and set a clear process for additional feedback.
☐ Assess potential risks and mitigation strategies; attach a risk register.
☐ Refine the plan with aligned feedback, finalizing goals, objectives, and resource assumptions.
☐ In the final presentation, confirm alignment on direction, goals, metrics, and related fundraising.
☐ Call for a formal board vote to approve the plan and record it in the minutes.
In practice
At the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, the review phase was also a credibility test: major funders had asked to see a strategic plan, a succession plan, and evidence of governance before committing. A board-approved plan with clear priorities answered all three. “It gives us credibility, and we’re getting major funders,” said Lisa Casey, Board Vice Chair, and the board’s engagement rose with it. Dare2Tri used board-ready exports to bring a polished draft to each review, so committee members read the same version. KWMR’s board approved a plan that reflected what staff and stakeholders had said, which is the surest sign that phases two through four were done well.
At the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, the review phase was also a credibility test: major funders had asked to see a strategic plan, a succession plan, and evidence of governance before committing. A board-approved plan with clear priorities answered all three. “It gives us credibility, and we’re getting major funders,” said Lisa Casey, Board Vice Chair, and the board’s engagement rose with it. Dare2Tri used board-ready exports to bring a polished draft to each review, so committee members read the same version. KWMR’s board approved a plan that reflected what staff and stakeholders had said, which is the surest sign that phases two through four were done well.
How PlanPerfect handles this phase
Strategy and risk are built together in PlanPerfect rather than in separate exercises. As you draft each goal, the platform prompts you to name the risks that could derail it, rate them, and assign an owner, and the risk register assembles itself as an appendix to the plan. Every PlanPerfect plan includes enterprise risk management, with structured guidance for organizations that have never done it. For the review itself, the plan exports as a clean, board-ready document at each revision, committee members comment in one place instead of across six emailed drafts, and our team reviews the plan before it goes to the board.
Strategy and risk are built together in PlanPerfect rather than in separate exercises. As you draft each goal, the platform prompts you to name the risks that could derail it, rate them, and assign an owner, and the risk register assembles itself as an appendix to the plan. Every PlanPerfect plan includes enterprise risk management, with structured guidance for organizations that have never done it. For the review itself, the plan exports as a clean, board-ready document at each revision, committee members comment in one place instead of across six emailed drafts, and our team reviews the plan before it goes to the board.
See how risk is built into the plan
See how risk is built into the plan
Watch the demo videos
Related reading: A Steady Role for Nonprofit Boards in Unsteady Times · Board Accountability in Uncertain Times (webinar) · Understanding the Legal Responsibilities of Nonprofit Board Members · BoardSource for board self-assessment tools
Related reading: A Steady Role for Nonprofit Boards in Unsteady Times · Board Accountability in Uncertain Times (webinar) · Understanding the Legal Responsibilities of Nonprofit Board Members · BoardSource for board self-assessment tools
Phase 5: Implement
Phase 5: Implement
Typical duration: the first ninety days after approval · Led by the executive director with staff · You produce: owners, timelines, metrics, a tracking system, and a communications plan
What this phase is and why it matters
Board approval is where most plans stop and where the useful ones begin. This phase turns strategy into action by assigning responsibility, defining what success looks like in numbers, building the plan into daily operations, and setting up the tools to track it. Remember the finding from part one: organizations that regularly review, revise, and measure their plan are more than six times as likely to see revenue from it. The ninety days after approval decide which group you are in.
Board approval is where most plans stop and where the useful ones begin. This phase turns strategy into action by assigning responsibility, defining what success looks like in numbers, building the plan into daily operations, and setting up the tools to track it. Remember the finding from part one: organizations that regularly review, revise, and measure their plan are more than six times as likely to see revenue from it. The ninety days after approval decide which group you are in.
How to do it yourself
Step one: assign ownership
Every goal and every objective needs one named owner who is accountable for moving it forward: a staff member, a board member, or a cross-functional team with a lead. Work no one owns does not move. Then define the details for each objective: the timeline, the benchmarks that show you are on track, and the resources required.
Every goal and every objective needs one named owner who is accountable for moving it forward: a staff member, a board member, or a cross-functional team with a lead. Work no one owns does not move. Then define the details for each objective: the timeline, the benchmarks that show you are on track, and the resources required.
Step two: choose your metrics
Identify key performance indicators for each objective. Some will be quantitative, such as people served or dollars raised. Some will be qualitative, such as stronger partner relationships or higher staff engagement, which you can still rate on a simple scale. Some are a plain yes or no: the policy was adopted, the site opened. Favor leading indicators you can still act on (donor touchpoints logged this month, objectives on pace at the quarter mark) over lagging ones you can only confirm after the fact (total raised at year end). Watching leading indicators is how you catch a plan drifting while a fix is still cheap. Keep the metrics few and visible.
Identify key performance indicators for each objective. Some will be quantitative, such as people served or dollars raised. Some will be qualitative, such as stronger partner relationships or higher staff engagement, which you can still rate on a simple scale. Some are a plain yes or no: the policy was adopted, the site opened. Favor leading indicators you can still act on (donor touchpoints logged this month, objectives on pace at the quarter mark) over lagging ones you can only confirm after the fact (total raised at year end). Watching leading indicators is how you catch a plan drifting while a fix is still cheap. Keep the metrics few and visible.
Step three: build the plan into daily operations
A plan that lives only in a document will drift. Align it with annual operating plans, staff work plans, and performance evaluations; with budget development and financial planning; and with fundraising goals and donor communications. Two practical cuts help. Annualize the plan, slicing the multi-year strategy into years and each year into quarters, so every quarter has its own scoreboard. Then segment it by function, so programs, development, operations, and finance each own their piece. Most organizations need both cuts: annualize for clarity, segment for ownership. Ask every staff and board member to be able to say the mission from memory.
A plan that lives only in a document will drift. Align it with annual operating plans, staff work plans, and performance evaluations; with budget development and financial planning; and with fundraising goals and donor communications. Two practical cuts help. Annualize the plan, slicing the multi-year strategy into years and each year into quarters, so every quarter has its own scoreboard. Then segment it by function, so programs, development, operations, and finance each own their piece. Most organizations need both cuts: annualize for clarity, segment for ownership. Ask every staff and board member to be able to say the mission from memory.
Step four: set up tracking and communicate
Decide how progress will be tracked and reviewed: a shared dashboard, a standing agenda item, or an internal system that updates in real time. Choose what fits your culture and makes tracking easy to act on. Then write a short external communications plan: key messages for funders, partners, and community members, and when and how they will hear updates. Create a one-page public summary of the plan, and send the Progress Update email from the toolkit at the first milestone.
Decide how progress will be tracked and reviewed: a shared dashboard, a standing agenda item, or an internal system that updates in real time. Choose what fits your culture and makes tracking easy to act on. Then write a short external communications plan: key messages for funders, partners, and community members, and when and how they will hear updates. Create a one-page public summary of the plan, and send the Progress Update email from the toolkit at the first milestone.
The first ninety days, in three steps
None of this needs a new budget or a vendor. Assign it: give every goal a named owner and a due date. Schedule it: book a standing monthly review now and protect it on the calendar. Review at ninety: run a full progress review at ninety days, keep what is working, and fix what is not.
None of this needs a new budget or a vendor. Assign it: give every goal a named owner and a due date. Schedule it: book a standing monthly review now and protect it on the calendar. Review at ninety: run a full progress review at ninety days, keep what is working, and fix what is not.
What good looks like
Every objective has an owner, a date, and a metric; the annual budget references the plan’s goals by name; the monthly review is on the calendar through the end of the year; the dashboard, however simple, shows status for every objective in one place; and the one-page summary is on the website. A board member can look at one page and know what is on track.
Every objective has an owner, a date, and a metric; the annual budget references the plan’s goals by name; the monthly review is on the calendar through the end of the year; the dashboard, however simple, shows status for every objective in one place; and the one-page summary is on the website. A board member can look at one page and know what is on track.
Common mistakes
Handing the team a forty-page PDF with twelve goals and sixty metrics and no owners, then wondering why nothing starts.
Assigning objectives to committees or departments rather than to a person.
Tracking only lagging indicators, so problems are discovered at year end.
Building the budget first and retrofitting the plan to it.
Leaving the plan off the website because it is “internal.” Donors and funders want to see it.
Handing the team a forty-page PDF with twelve goals and sixty metrics and no owners, then wondering why nothing starts.
Assigning objectives to committees or departments rather than to a person.
Tracking only lagging indicators, so problems are discovered at year end.
Building the budget first and retrofitting the plan to it.
Leaving the plan off the website because it is “internal.” Donors and funders want to see it.
Checklist: Implement
☐
Assign clear ownership for each strategic objective and tactic.
☐
Define timelines, benchmarks, and required resources.
☐
Identify key performance indicators, quantitative and qualitative, with leading indicators where possible.
☐
Align the plan with staff work plans and performance evaluations.
☐
Align the plan with budget development and financial planning.
☐
Align the plan with fundraising goals and donor communications.
☐
Prepare tools for tracking progress: a dashboard, regular check-ins, or an internal system.
☐
Develop an external communications plan with key messages, timing, and methods.
☐
Create a one-page public summary of the plan.
☐
Book the standing monthly review and the ninety-day progress review.
☐ Assign clear ownership for each strategic objective and tactic.
☐ Define timelines, benchmarks, and required resources.
☐ Identify key performance indicators, quantitative and qualitative, with leading indicators where possible.
☐ Align the plan with staff work plans and performance evaluations.
☐ Align the plan with budget development and financial planning.
☐ Align the plan with fundraising goals and donor communications.
☐ Prepare tools for tracking progress: a dashboard, regular check-ins, or an internal system.
☐ Develop an external communications plan with key messages, timing, and methods.
☐ Create a one-page public summary of the plan.
☐ Book the standing monthly review and the ninety-day progress review.
☐ Assign clear ownership for each strategic objective and tactic.
☐ Define timelines, benchmarks, and required resources.
☐ Identify key performance indicators, quantitative and qualitative, with leading indicators where possible.
☐ Align the plan with staff work plans and performance evaluations.
☐ Align the plan with budget development and financial planning.
☐ Align the plan with fundraising goals and donor communications.
☐ Prepare tools for tracking progress: a dashboard, regular check-ins, or an internal system.
☐ Develop an external communications plan with key messages, timing, and methods.
☐ Create a one-page public summary of the plan.
☐ Book the standing monthly review and the ninety-day progress review.
In practice
Teachers Supporting Teachers, which mobilizes teacher leaders in underserved schools, already had a plan; what it lacked was a way to run it without administrative drag. After moving the plan into structured goals with owners and status tracking, Executive Director Andy Rhodes cut the weekly strategic update from three hours to fifteen minutes and simplified board reporting. “PlanPerfect has been a great asset in helping us stay true to our strategic plan,” he said. Prairieland Adaptive planned its first public program inside its strategic plan and drew 139 attendees from seventy communities across three states, with twenty-one partner organizations and sixty-four volunteers. Dare2Tri tied its plan directly to budgets and fundraising priorities and tracked progress on a shared dashboard, which sharpened decisions and gave the board and donors a clear view of what was moving; that living plan anchored a $3 million capital campaign.
Teachers Supporting Teachers, which mobilizes teacher leaders in underserved schools, already had a plan; what it lacked was a way to run it without administrative drag. After moving the plan into structured goals with owners and status tracking, Executive Director Andy Rhodes cut the weekly strategic update from three hours to fifteen minutes and simplified board reporting. “PlanPerfect has been a great asset in helping us stay true to our strategic plan,” he said. Prairieland Adaptive planned its first public program inside its strategic plan and drew 139 attendees from seventy communities across three states, with twenty-one partner organizations and sixty-four volunteers. Dare2Tri tied its plan directly to budgets and fundraising priorities and tracked progress on a shared dashboard, which sharpened decisions and gave the board and donors a clear view of what was moving; that living plan anchored a $3 million capital campaign.
How PlanPerfect handles this phase
Tracking is where PlanPerfect does the most work for the least effort. Two dashboards, one for staff and one for the board, show every objective's owner, status, and metrics in one place, with objectives marked on track, drifting, or behind. Owners update status in a sentence; the plan keeps itself current. Board-ready reports generate on demand, so the quarterly scramble to assemble a progress deck disappears. The plan publishes to a shareable page, which is how our own plan is public, and the PlanPerfect Advisor drafts the annual report and funder updates from the plan's own data.
Tracking is where PlanPerfect does the most work for the least effort. Two dashboards, one for staff and one for the board, show every objective’s owner, status, and metrics in one place, with objectives marked on track, drifting, or behind. Owners update status in a sentence; the plan keeps itself current. Board-ready reports generate on demand, so the quarterly scramble to assemble a progress deck disappears. The plan publishes to a shareable page, which is how our own plan is public, and the PlanPerfect Advisor drafts the annual report and funder updates from the plan’s own data.
Watch the Tracking and Reporting walkthrough — or book a demo
Watch the Tracking and Reporting walkthrough — or book a demo
Watch the demo videos
Book a live demo
Related reading: Strategic Planning That Strengthens Fundraising · The Board’s Role in Fundraising · Measuring Nonprofit Success: Financial and Impact Metrics · Nonprofit Hub for free implementation templates
Related reading: Strategic Planning That Strengthens Fundraising · The Board’s Role in Fundraising · Measuring Nonprofit Success: Financial and Impact Metrics · Nonprofit Hub for free implementation templates
Phase 6: Monitor and Adapt
Phase 6: Monitor and Adapt
Typical duration: ongoing, for the life of the plan · Led by the executive director with the board · You produce: a review rhythm, an annual reflection, an annual community update, and a midpoint refresh
What this phase is and why it matters
A strategic plan is a living tool. The environment will shift, funding will come and go, and the plan should adjust with it. Adapting a plan does not mean it has failed; it means the plan is working in real time and staying relevant to the mission. This phase is about the rhythm that keeps the plan alive: regular check-ins, honest adjustments, an annual reflection, and a midpoint refresh for multi-year plans.
A strategic plan is a living tool. The environment will shift, funding will come and go, and the plan should adjust with it. Adapting a plan does not mean it has failed; it means the plan is working in real time and staying relevant to the mission. This phase is about the rhythm that keeps the plan alive: regular check-ins, honest adjustments, an annual reflection, and a midpoint refresh for multi-year plans.
How to do it yourself
Step one: set the operating rhythm
Plans drift unless recurring meetings pull them back into line. The schedule below is enough for most organizations, and none of it requires more than a calendar invitation.
Plans drift unless recurring meetings pull them back into line. The schedule below is enough for most organizations, and none of it requires more than a calendar invitation.
Frequency
Duration
Who
Question answered
Weekly
Fifteen minutes
Each objective owner
What did I commit to, and what moved?
Monthly
Thirty minutes
Staff team
What shipped, what slipped, and where do we need help?
Quarterly
Sixty minutes
Board
Are we still on plan? Re-align and re-scope; celebrate progress.
Annually
Ninety to 120 minutes
Board and staff together
What did we accomplish, what did we learn, and what are next year’s priorities?
At the board level, include a brief strategic update at every meeting, not only quarterly. Executive directors should ask the board for help, and boards should ask the executive director how they can help. The question for every meeting is the same: are we still headed in the right direction?
At the board level, include a brief strategic update at every meeting, not only quarterly. Executive directors should ask the board for help, and boards should ask the executive director how they can help. The question for every meeting is the same: are we still headed in the right direction?
Step two: adapt on purpose
When circumstances change, change the plan. That may mean updating an objective, revising a goal, moving a timeline, or removing a goal altogether. It may mean partnering or merging with another organization to reach the vision faster. Define in advance what “drifting” looks like for each objective (two months behind, a metric moving the wrong way), so you intervene while a fix is still cheap rather than after the objective has stalled. And say no, often and on purpose, to good ideas that are not in the plan. A plan earns its keep by the things it lets you decline.
When circumstances change, change the plan. That may mean updating an objective, revising a goal, moving a timeline, or removing a goal altogether. It may mean partnering or merging with another organization to reach the vision faster. Define in advance what “drifting” looks like for each objective (two months behind, a metric moving the wrong way), so you intervene while a fix is still cheap rather than after the objective has stalled. And say no, often and on purpose, to good ideas that are not in the plan. A plan earns its keep by the things it lets you decline.
Step three: reflect annually, refresh at midpoint, and share
Once a year, step back to assess what you accomplished, capture lessons learned, set priorities for the coming year, and reconnect the plan to the mission. At least once a year, share an update with the broader community: staff, constituents, volunteers, donors, and partners. Show what changed, what stayed the same, and how their support helped. For a multi-year plan, schedule a midpoint refresh to recheck the vision, renew the team’s energy, and re-engage stakeholders while there is still time to adjust course.
Once a year, step back to assess what you accomplished, capture lessons learned, set priorities for the coming year, and reconnect the plan to the mission. At least once a year, share an update with the broader community: staff, constituents, volunteers, donors, and partners. Show what changed, what stayed the same, and how their support helped. For a multi-year plan, schedule a midpoint refresh to recheck the vision, renew the team’s energy, and re-engage stakeholders while there is still time to adjust course.
Where plans get stuck
We have watched plans stall at the same ten points often enough to name them: no clear ownership; the process ends at board approval; leadership turnover; a disconnect from daily work; a static format; a lack of visibility; no alignment across teams; an inability to say no; no regular check-ins; and too many priorities. Read that list against your own organization and mark where you would get stuck. That is the point to reinforce first.
We have watched plans stall at the same ten points often enough to name them: no clear ownership; the process ends at board approval; leadership turnover; a disconnect from daily work; a static format; a lack of visibility; no alignment across teams; an inability to say no; no regular check-ins; and too many priorities. Read that list against your own organization and mark where you would get stuck. That is the point to reinforce first.
What good looks like
The strategic update is a standing item on the board agenda; at least one objective has been revised or retired in the last year because conditions changed; the annual community update went out and named specific results; and the plan on the website matches the plan the staff is working from. Completed objectives are replaced with new ones instead of leaving the plan to thin out.
The strategic update is a standing item on the board agenda; at least one objective has been revised or retired in the last year because conditions changed; the annual community update went out and named specific results; and the plan on the website matches the plan the staff is working from. Completed objectives are replaced with new ones instead of leaving the plan to thin out.
Common mistakes
Reviewing the plan only at the annual retreat, so a full year passes before anyone notices drift.
Treating every adjustment as a failure, which discourages honest status reporting.
Letting the plan expire quietly in year three with no refresh and no successor.
Sharing progress only with the board, so the community that gave input never hears what came of it.
Leaving succession out of the review. A plan that depends on one person is a risk, not a strategy.
Reviewing the plan only at the annual retreat, so a full year passes before anyone notices drift.
Treating every adjustment as a failure, which discourages honest status reporting.
Letting the plan expire quietly in year three with no refresh and no successor.
Sharing progress only with the board, so the community that gave input never hears what came of it.
Leaving succession out of the review. A plan that depends on one person is a risk, not a strategy.
Checklist: Monitor and Adapt
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Schedule monthly staff check-ins to review progress and surface issues.
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Include a strategic update at every board meeting and a fuller review quarterly.
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Define what “drifting” looks like for each objective and who intervenes.
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Update tactics, revise goals, and adjust timelines as needed; retire objectives that no longer serve the mission.
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Hold an annual reflection session: assess accomplishments, set next-year priorities, capture lessons learned.
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Share annual progress updates with staff, volunteers, donors, and partners.
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For multi-year plans, schedule a midpoint refresh to recheck the vision, renew energy, and re-engage stakeholders.
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Review the succession plan annually alongside the strategic plan.
☐ Schedule monthly staff check-ins to review progress and surface issues.
☐ Include a strategic update at every board meeting and a fuller review quarterly.
☐ Define what “drifting” looks like for each objective and who intervenes.
☐ Update tactics, revise goals, and adjust timelines as needed; retire objectives that no longer serve the mission.
☐ Hold an annual reflection session: assess accomplishments, set next-year priorities, capture lessons learned.
☐ Share annual progress updates with staff, volunteers, donors, and partners.
☐ For multi-year plans, schedule a midpoint refresh to recheck the vision, renew energy, and re-engage stakeholders.
☐ Review the succession plan annually alongside the strategic plan.
☐ Schedule monthly staff check-ins to review progress and surface issues.
☐ Include a strategic update at every board meeting and a fuller review quarterly.
☐ Define what “drifting” looks like for each objective and who intervenes.
☐ Update tactics, revise goals, and adjust timelines as needed; retire objectives that no longer serve the mission.
☐ Hold an annual reflection session: assess accomplishments, set next-year priorities, capture lessons learned.
☐ Share annual progress updates with staff, volunteers, donors, and partners.
☐ For multi-year plans, schedule a midpoint refresh to recheck the vision, renew energy, and re-engage stakeholders.
☐ Review the succession plan annually alongside the strategic plan.
In practice
The Igiugig Village Council, a federally recognized tribe in southwestern Alaska, needed a plan that could absorb funding uncertainty without becoming what President AlexAnna Salmon calls a “monster plan” no one uses. The council tracks multiple pathways to each outcome across its four pillars (sovereignty, transformative learning, economic independence, and emergency preparedness) and pivots when a grant falls through. “When funding doesn’t come through, we can reposition ourselves for the next opportunity,” she said. At KGNU in the public media cohort, Interim General Manager Tim Russo recalled the moment the habit formed: “Somebody suggested we should have this strategic plan in front of us every month,” and the monthly review became part of board governance. Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance tracks seventeen annual objectives with named owners, and as objectives close they are replaced with new ones, so the plan grows with the organization.
The Igiugig Village Council, a federally recognized tribe in southwestern Alaska, needed a plan that could absorb funding uncertainty without becoming what President AlexAnna Salmon calls a “monster plan” no one uses. The council tracks multiple pathways to each outcome across its four pillars (sovereignty, transformative learning, economic independence, and emergency preparedness) and pivots when a grant falls through. “When funding doesn’t come through, we can reposition ourselves for the next opportunity,” she said. At KGNU in the public media cohort, Interim General Manager Tim Russo recalled the moment the habit formed: “Somebody suggested we should have this strategic plan in front of us every month,” and the monthly review became part of board governance. Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance tracks seventeen annual objectives with named owners, and as objectives close they are replaced with new ones, so the plan grows with the organization.
How PlanPerfect handles this phase
A living plan is the whole point of PlanPerfect. Objectives are updated in place, so adapting a goal or retiring an objective takes minutes and never requires starting over. The dashboards flag objectives that are drifting weeks before the next board meeting, and the PlanPerfect Advisor reads across your plan, surveys, and updates to surface what is slipping and to model scenarios when funding changes. At year end, the Advisor drafts the annual report and the community update from your own data, in your organization's voice. The plan stays current without a separate reporting cycle, which is what makes the monthly review a thirty-minute conversation instead of a three-hour assembly job.
A living plan is the whole point of PlanPerfect. Objectives are updated in place, so adapting a goal or retiring an objective takes minutes and never requires starting over. The dashboards flag objectives that are drifting weeks before the next board meeting, and the PlanPerfect Advisor reads across your plan, surveys, and updates to surface what is slipping and to model scenarios when funding changes. At year end, the Advisor drafts the annual report and the community update from your own data, in your organization’s voice. The plan stays current without a separate reporting cycle, which is what makes the monthly review a thirty-minute conversation instead of a three-hour assembly job.
Book a live demo and bring your current plan
Book a live demo and bring your current plan
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About PlanPerfect
About PlanPerfect
PlanPerfect helps nonprofit leaders and boards build, implement, and continuously improve strategic plans, with stakeholder engagement, enterprise risk management, progress tracking, board-ready reporting, and AI-powered guidance in one place. The result is a plan the whole organization can execute, not one that ends up on a shelf.
PlanPerfect helps nonprofit leaders and boards build, implement, and continuously improve strategic plans, with stakeholder engagement, enterprise risk management, progress tracking, board-ready reporting, and AI-powered guidance in one place. The result is a plan the whole organization can execute, not one that ends up on a shelf.
Co-founders Sophia Shaw and Adam Wolford met at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in 2020. Sophia spent four decades in the nonprofit sector as a chief executive, trustee, board president, donor, volunteer, consultant, and educator; she served as president and CEO of the Chicago Botanic Garden and directed the Kellogg Board Fellows program. Adam is a technology, product, and strategy executive with experience at Accenture and Deloitte. Their early consulting work together showed them the same problem again and again: organizations spending time and money on strategic plans they had no way to put into practice. They founded PlanPerfect in 2024 to close that gap.
Co-founders Sophia Shaw and Adam Wolford met at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in 2020. Sophia spent four decades in the nonprofit sector as a chief executive, trustee, board president, donor, volunteer, consultant, and educator; she served as president and CEO of the Chicago Botanic Garden and directed the Kellogg Board Fellows program. Adam is a technology, product, and strategy executive with experience at Accenture and Deloitte. Their early consulting work together showed them the same problem again and again: organizations spending time and money on strategic plans they had no way to put into practice. They founded PlanPerfect in 2024 to close that gap.
PlanPerfect serves nearly one hundred organizations across twenty-nine states and four countries, including nonprofits, schools, associations, foundations, and the consultants who support them. In 2025 the company closed a strategic funding round backed by Nexus3 Capital. PlanPerfect runs its own strategic plan on the platform, and that plan is public. The company is certified as a Woman-Owned Business by the State of Florida. Support includes email, weekly office hours, and direct access to the founders.
PlanPerfect serves nearly one hundred organizations across twenty-nine states and four countries, including nonprofits, schools, associations, foundations, and the consultants who support them. In 2025 the company closed a strategic funding round backed by Nexus3 Capital. PlanPerfect runs its own strategic plan on the platform, and that plan is public. The company is certified as a Woman-Owned Business by the State of Florida. Support includes email, weekly office hours, and direct access to the founders.
Every plan includes unlimited users, stakeholder surveys, strategic planning tools, enterprise risk management, progress dashboards, board-ready reporting, and the PlanPerfect Advisor. You can use the full platform for fourteen days and cancel within that window for a complete refund. Details are on our pricing page.
Every plan includes unlimited users, stakeholder surveys, strategic planning tools, enterprise risk management, progress dashboards, board-ready reporting, and the PlanPerfect Advisor. You can use the full platform for fourteen days and cancel within that window for a complete refund. Details are on our pricing page.
Book a live demo with a PlanPerfect founder and bring your current plan, or your blank page Start your fourteen-day evaluation Questions first? Write to founders@planperfect.co.
Book a live demo with a PlanPerfect founder and bring your current plan, or your blank page Start your fourteen-day evaluation Questions first? Write to founders@planperfect.co.
Book a live demo
Start your fourteen-day evaluation
Plan Smart. Lead With Heart.
Plan Smart. Lead With Heart.
6 Phases of Strategic Planning
