Section
01, Baseline at the start of planning
The original information this plan was built from.
Organization at a glance
Legal organization name
Not yet completed in the workbook.
EIN
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Year founded
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Fiscal year
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Plan period this work covers
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Geography served
Not yet completed in the workbook.
People on the plan
Executive Director / CEO
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Board chair
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Planning lead (staff)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Planning committee members
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Money on the table
Current annual operating budget
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Current revenue mix
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Months of operating reserves
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Top 5 funders by dollar
Not yet completed in the workbook.
What you do today
Current mission statement, verbatim
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Current vision statement, verbatim
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Current stated values
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Programs running today
Not yet completed in the workbook.
People served last fiscal year
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Why now
What triggered this planning cycle
Not yet completed in the workbook.
When the board must approve the plan
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Non-negotiables going in
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Section
02, Vision & Mission Clarity
Before a strategic plan can earn a funder's dollar, it has to earn its own clarity. Module 01 strips your vision and mission down to language a board, a staff, and a stranger can all repeat.
Beat 01
Audit the current language
Deliverable: A single document listing every public mission statement and the contradictions between them.
Every public mission / vision statement, verbatim
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Where do they contradict each other?
Not yet completed in the workbook.
The strongest sentence already in there
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 02
Name the change
Deliverable: One sentence: 'We exist so that ___ changes for ___.'
Your change sentence
Not yet completed in the workbook.
The measurable shift
Not yet completed in the workbook.
What you are NOT trying to change
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 03
Name the who
Deliverable: A one-paragraph 'who we serve' that names geography, demographics, and entry point.
Geography
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Demographics and entry point
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Who you are NOT serving
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 04
Draft the vision
Deliverable: A future-state vision sentence under 20 words.
Vision sentence (under 20 words)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Through-line from your change sentence
Not yet completed in the workbook.
First reaction from a stranger
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 05
Pressure-test
Deliverable: Final vision and mission with reviewer notes incorporated.
Staff reviewer + their pushback
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Board reviewer + their pushback
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Outsider reviewer + their pushback
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Final vision and mission
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Section
03, Environmental Scan
You can't plan against a field you haven't looked at. Module 02 builds the scan that tells you where the money, the partners, and the pressure actually are.
Beat 01
Define the scan
Deliverable: A one-page scan brief: scope, questions to answer, sources to consult.
Scope: geography + issue area + horizon
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Three questions this scan must answer
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Sources you will consult
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 02
Funder landscape
Deliverable: A funder map: 15 to 30 funders with priority area, average grant size, last gift to the field.
Top 15 funders + priorities + last gift
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Which 5 are realistic in the next 24 months?
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Where is the white space?
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 03
Peer landscape
Deliverable: A peer table: 8 to 15 orgs with budget, scope, overlap, and partnership posture.
8 to 15 peer orgs + budget + overlap
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Likely collaborators
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Likely competitors
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 04
Trend read
Deliverable: Five trends, each with one sentence on how it changes demand for your work.
Five trends + 'so what'
Not yet completed in the workbook.
The trend that hurts you most
Not yet completed in the workbook.
The trend that helps you most
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 05
Synthesize
Deliverable: A one-page environmental scan brief for the board packet.
One-page brief headline
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Top 3 takeaways for strategy
Not yet completed in the workbook.
What still needs more research
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Section
04, Strategic Priorities
Most plans fail because they try to do everything. Module 03 forces the cuts, naming the three to five priorities that will define the next chapter.
Beat 01
Inventory the options
Deliverable: A long list (15 to 30) of every strategic bet currently on the table.
Long list of strategic bets (15 to 30)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Source for each bet
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Bets you keep hearing repeated
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 02
Score against the scan
Deliverable: A scored matrix: each bet rated on mission fit, funder demand, and capacity.
Score each bet (1 to 5) on mission fit, funder demand, capacity
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Top 8 by total score
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Surprises in the ranking
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 03
Cut the list
Deliverable: A shortlist of 3 to 5 strategic priorities, named in plain language.
Final 3 to 5 priorities
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Why each one made the cut
Not yet completed in the workbook.
The closest calls
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 04
Write the rationale
Deliverable: A one-paragraph case per priority, ready to drop into a grant narrative.
Priority 1 case (one paragraph)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Priority 2 case (one paragraph)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Remaining priorities
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 05
Name the no's
Deliverable: A 'we are not doing this' list with one sentence of reasoning per item.
Bets you are choosing NOT to pursue
Not yet completed in the workbook.
One sentence of reasoning per no
Not yet completed in the workbook.
How you will communicate the no's
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Section
05, Goals & Metrics
Funders fund what they can measure. Module 04 turns each priority into a small set of goals and the metrics that prove they're moving.
Beat 01
Goal-set per priority
Deliverable: 2 to 3 outcome goals per priority, written in 'verb + number + by when' form.
Priority 1: 2 to 3 goals
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Priority 2: 2 to 3 goals
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Remaining priorities: goals
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 02
Define lead metrics
Deliverable: One lead metric per goal: a monthly input you can actually move.
Lead metric per goal
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Where the data lives
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Cadence
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 03
Define lag metrics
Deliverable: One lag metric per goal: the outcome a funder will ask about in year three.
Lag metric per goal
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Where the data lives
Not yet completed in the workbook.
How long until the metric actually moves
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 04
Set baselines
Deliverable: A baseline table: metric, today's number, source, date pulled.
Baseline table: metric / today's value / source / date
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Metrics with no baseline yet
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Year-1 targets
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 05
Stress-test feasibility
Deliverable: A revised goal list, each one marked 'confirmed feasible' by the person who has to hit it.
Program lead sign-off per goal
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Goals revised after the test
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Goals you killed
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Section
06, Implementation Roadmap
A plan without a roadmap is a wish. Module 05 sequences the work, assigns the owners, and attaches the budget so the plan can actually leave the room.
Beat 01
Sequence by quarter
Deliverable: A 24-month quarter-by-quarter timeline with each goal placed.
Year 1 placements (Q1 to Q4)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Year 2 placements (Q5 to Q8)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Quarters that look overloaded
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 02
Assign owners
Deliverable: One name next to every priority, confirmed by that person.
Owner per priority
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Owner per goal
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Capacity conflicts
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 03
Cost the plan
Deliverable: A line-item cost per priority and a 24-month rolled-up total.
Cost per priority (staff + program + overhead)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
24-month rolled-up total
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Biggest cost driver
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 04
Match to revenue
Deliverable: A revenue table: confirmed, probable, prospective, mapped to costs.
Confirmed revenue
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Probable revenue (70%+ likely)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Prospective revenue (pipeline)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 05
Identify the gap
Deliverable: A single dollar figure, with the months it shows up, and the funders most likely to close it.
Gap dollar figure + when it shows up
Not yet completed in the workbook.
5 funders most likely to close the gap
Not yet completed in the workbook.
The fundraising ask, in one sentence
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Section
07, Monitoring & Adaptation
The plans that get funded again are the ones that get reviewed. Module 06 installs the cadence that keeps the plan honest and the board engaged.
Beat 01
Pick the cadence
Deliverable: A one-page cadence map: who reviews what, when, and to what end.
Monthly review: who, what, when
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Quarterly review: who, what, when
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Annual ritual: who, what, when
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 02
Build the scorecard
Deliverable: A one-page monthly scorecard template with owners and target columns.
Scorecard columns
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Where each value comes from
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Who owns the scorecard
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 03
Build the board dashboard
Deliverable: A one-page quarterly board dashboard: priorities, metrics, status, narrative.
Dashboard layout
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Narrative per priority
Not yet completed in the workbook.
What the board does with it
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 04
Install the review ritual
Deliverable: Recurring meetings on every relevant calendar with a standing agenda.
Calendar invites sent? (yes / no)
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Standing agenda
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Who chairs each one
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Beat 05
Plan the re-plan
Deliverable: A short policy: trigger events for mid-cycle change, and the annual refresh ritual.
Mid-cycle change triggers
Not yet completed in the workbook.
Annual refresh process
Not yet completed in the workbook.
What carries forward vs. starts fresh
Not yet completed in the workbook.