We often overcomplicate things.
Every now and then it helps to follow the KISS Principle: Keep It Super Simple.
As someone who has written a book about strategy, and teaches both corporate strategy and nonprofit strategy at University of Maryland, I can definitely complicate strategic planning. But let’s keep it simple.
The first thing I ever learned about strategy is that it answers three questions:
Who are we?
Where are we going?
How are we going to get there?
Let’s apply KISS to these questions:
Who are we? What is your mission and purpose? What are your values; what do you stand for?
Where are we going? What is your vision for the future? What are the 3-5 most important Strategic Goals you want to accomplish in the next three years?
How are we going to get there? As you make your plans for the goals, you can look at your SWOTs. What Strengths do you have that will allow you to seize Opportunities to accomplish your goals. What Weaknesses do you need to improve upon in order to achieve your goals. What Threats do you need to watch out for?
As you answer these questions, it will be wise to gather input from stakeholders, e.g., employees, alumni, customers, clients, donors.
You don’t have to overcomplicate it. Following this Strategy KISS approach will give you focus, direction and acceleration to make even more of a Mission Impact.
