Inspirational thinking is at the heart of a strategic plan. Organizations look into the future and envision how they will operate through programming, fundraising, governance and more.

Close your eyes. What’s your dream for the organization? What will it be doing? This dream is your vision of the organization.

Think about the direction this vision takes you in. How will you be financially? How will you be staff and volunteer-wise? How will you be organizationally? These questions help you realize the goals you need to accomplish the vision.

How will your organization accomplish the stated goals? For example, what is the journey you will take to be financially sustainable within three years? How will you increase volunteer participation by 50%? Breaking down goals helps to form a strategy.

Vision, goal and strategy are key elements of a strategic plan. They provide a roadmap for your organization to move forward over a three to five year journey. Strategic planning is about harnessing inspirational thinking into a solidly focused document, one that every board member and staff person should know by heart and refer back to often.

Tactical planning takes this inspired view and breaks it down into practical steps. Both a strategic plan and a tactical plan are vital to a healthy organization, one that is focused, accountable and successful.

Would you like more information on tactical and strategic planning for your organization? Feel free to reach out to us at jennifer@urbanaskew.com.