Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook, Second Edition [Paperback]

Michael Allison (Author), Jude Kaye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 11, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0471445819 | ISBN-13: 978-0471445814 | Edition: 2

Your total guide to putting a powerful management tool to work in your organization

Why strategic planning? Because a well wrought strategic plan helps you set priorities and acquire and allocate the resources needed to achieve your goals. It provides a framework for analyzing and quickly adapting to future challenges. And it helps all board and staff members focus more clearly on your organization's priorities, while building commitment and promoting cooperation and innovation

But to be effective, your plan will need to address the special needs of the nonprofit sector. And for more than a decade, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations has been the number-one source of guidance on all facets of strategic planning for managers at nonprofits of every size and budget.

This thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded edition arms you with the expert knowledge and tools you need to develop and implement surefire strategic plans, including tested-in-the-trenches worksheets, checklists, and tables--in print and on the companion website--along with a book-length case study that lets you observe strategic planning in action. Packed with real-world insights and practical pointers, it shows you how to:

• Develop a clear mission, vision, and set of values
• Conduct SWOT analyses and program evaluations
• Assess client needs and determine stakeholder concerns
• Set priorities and develop core strategies, goals, and objectives
• Balance the dual bottom lines of mission and money
• Write and implement a solid strategic plan
• Develop a user-friendly annual work plan
• Establish planning cycles, gauge progress, and update strategies

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This comprehensive book/disk set shows you how to create and implement an effective strategic plan using a simple, seven-phase process that covers everything from defining your mission and setting your course to initiating, monitoring, and streamlining your plan. The workbook is designed for nonprofits of all shapes, sizes, and budgets, and can be easily adapted to fit any time frame. The package comes with field-tested worksheets, checklists, and tables in both print and disk formats, plus a sample case study that demonstrates strategic planning in action from start to finish. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Your total guide to putting a powerful management tool to work in your organization

Why strategic planning? Because a well wrought strategic plan helps you set priorities and acquire and allocate the resources needed to achieve your goals. It provides a framework for analyzing and quickly adapting to future challenges. And it helps all board and staff members focus more clearly on your organization's priorities, while building commitment and promoting cooperation and innovation.

But to be effective, your plan will need to address the special needs of the nonprofit sector. And for more than a decade, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations has been the number-one source of guidance on all facets of strategic planning for managers at nonprofits of every size and budget.

This thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded edition arms you with the expert knowledge and tools you need to develop and implement surefire strategic plans, including tested-in-the-trenches worksheets, checklists, and tables—in print and on the companion website—along with a book-length case study that lets you observe strategic planning in action. Packed with real-world insights and practical pointers, it shows you how to:

• Develop a clear mission, vision, and set of values
• Conduct SWOT analyses and program evaluations
• Assess client needs and determine stakeholder concerns
• Set priorities and develop core strategies, goals, and objectives
• Balance the dual bottom lines of mission and money
• Write and implement a solid strategic plan
• Develop a user-friendly annual work plan
• Establish planning cycles, gauge progress, and update strategies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (July 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471445819
• ISBN-13: 978-0471445814
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Nonprofit Organizations & Charities

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Blueprint for Every Strategic Planning Project May 17, 2001

By Joe Bruce

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is hands-down the best reference for structuring and executing a strategic planning process. The layout is pleasing to the eye and the content is logical and well thought out with many practical checklists and worksheets (many included on the disk). I use it as a reference in my consulting business and this book can be applied to for-profit companies too. Highly recommended.

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source Book March 22, 2005

By Paul Mesaglio

Format:Paperback

To start the process of understanding strategic planning, you need to take some courses, speak to lots of people, try quite a few things out (many of which will be dead ends) and read quite a few books. The books need to be mulled over for quite some time, and from the morass of conflicting information, you pull out something useful.

Now, what books should you read? Clearly, I haven't read, nor am I ever likely to read them all, but, Strategic Planning for Non Profit Organizations is definitely one of them.

It is indeed a practical guide which serves everyone well in nonprofits and is eminently adaptable to Profit and Govenrnmental organisations.

The pages I went back to constantly included that containing the map of the strategic planning process (p11 1997 edition) and The Language of Planning table and explanations (P16-17). They represent an excellent summary after reading the book.

After my third read, when I had a greater appreciation of the context in which planning is done, I thought it might even be THE text that everyone looks for, but, alas, it crashed and burned at one crucial point which is why I only give it 4 stars. As with all books of this type it did the "hand-waving, hey presto trick" in attempting to join two critical components - core strategies and programs. One moment we get to core strategies - no problems (Step 4.3, p116-123). A few sections later we get to writing goals and objectives for programs (Step 4.6 p130-143). There should have been a more explicit section on how the programs relate to the strategies. The reason this can't be done is that any given program relates to more than one strategy and invariably, all books on strategy stick to the hierarchical model (not a network model). The assumption is always one of mutually exclusive categories because that makes things easier.

Now each of these sections, individually, have a wealth of useful information. It's the relationship between them that's the problem. The join was not only not smooth, it was not existent. Not to worry, other books which I have read have solved this problem only to create a different problem elsewhere - which is why you need to read a suite of books to get proper context.

Despite everything I have said, it really is a great book. I will certainly be using it time and time again into the future because of the wealth of insight it contains.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical tool June 20, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The problem with so many books that deal with this subject matter is that they talk a lot of great theory but fall short when it comes to bringing things down to earth. This book, however, succeeds on both accounts. It offers not only a concrete step-by-step format, but solid rationales for the "why" question. Templates for the various forms that can be used with your group are an extra plus. Highly recommended!