Strategic planning cycle coming up? Here is a quick checklist of the 7 Strategic Planning Preparation Tips.
Whether you are a “Let’s get it done on our planning day with the Board” kind of person or someone who wants to “engage with our stakeholders, bring the team along with the journey and spend time thinking” type, here are seven things my 27 years of doing this work tell me massively increase your chances of developing an impactful plan.
Interestingly, for CEOs in the not-for-profit sector, the stakes are particularly high. How do you juggle limited resources, engage your team, and emerge with a plan that delivers impact—not just intentions?
By doing practical preparation. But where do you start, and how much preparation is enough? Here’s a straightforward 7-step checklist every CEO needs to nail the pre-planning phase without going overboard.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips #1: Know Where You Are and What’s Changing
Getting off to the right start is a critical part of the CEO Strategic Planning Preparation Tips. You can’t build a roadmap without knowing your starting point and any good map makes judgements calls about what we can reasonably expect (minus black swans!). That’s why I would encourage you to develop or have developed a tight key issues paper around this material to bring all the strategic thinking up to speed and aligned.
Start by analysing your organisation’s current state and the external trends that could shape its future. Things like:
- Sector shifts: In Australian not-for-profits, issues like government funding changes, rising demand for services, and workforce wellbeing are key factors.
- Your internal reality: What are your organization’s financial, operational, and impact metrics?
- Stakeholder insights: Consult your staff, funders, clients, and board for a complete picture of expectations.
One of the biggest pitfalls in strategic planning for not-for-profits is operating on outdated assumptions. By spending time on this step, you ensure your strategy is grounded.
So as to stay on top of this, we have a set of resources for strategy leaders to help with this analysis… feel free to ask us about them by emailing us – info@sparkstrategy.com.au.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips # 2: Define Success Beyond the Plan
A successful strategic planning process isn’t just about producing a document—it’s about creating alignment, clarity, and momentum towards the solution of your social purpose – not just the next 3 years.
So ask yourself:
- What must be true for the social problem we want to solve, to not exist? Examples include clarifying mission alignment, building sustainable business models, or enhancing program effectiveness.
- What outcomes matter most in solving our social problem? This could include financial sustainability, stronger team engagement, or a refined focus on impact.
In one Melbourne-based organisation I worked with, the CEO’s clarity on their primary goal—to address workplace wellbeing in health while maintaining service delivery—completely transformed the planning process. Knowing their “why” drove better decision-making and buy-in.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips #Step 3: Build the Right Team
Strategic planning isn’t a one-person job, and it’s not just for your leadership team or your head of strategy to wrestle. To get meaningful results, you need diverse voices at the table .
- Leadership and board: Their expertise ensures alignment with governance and operational priorities.
- Staff: Frontline perspectives highlight practical realities and opportunities.
- Facilitators or consultants: External facilitation keeps discussions on track and ensures objectivity.
- Stakeholders / Beneficiaries: Lived experience voice if not representation.
Engaging the right people early can also prevent common pitfalls like groupthink or unrealistic goals.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips #Step 4: Run a Pre-Planning Workshop
A pre-planning workshop is your secret weapon for aligning the guard rails of your new plan and setting expectations. It will also unearth potential disruptors or divergent views early rather than when in flight. So as to unearth these things, talk about this in your session:
- Surface assumptions and fears and challenge outdated thinking.
- Align on the big questions your strategy must address.
- Agree on a realistic timeline and priorities for the planning process.
For example, when facilitating a workshop for a health-focused nonprofit, we used interactive brainstorming to highlight “sacred cows”—unquestioned beliefs holding the organisation back. This candid dialogue set the stage for bolder, more innovative strategic planning.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips #Step 5: Clarify Your Non-Negotiables
What are the values, principles, or commitments your organisation cannot compromise on? Identifying these upfront provides guardrails for your strategic discussions.
Consider:
- Which aspects of your mission are untouchable?
- Are there ethical considerations guiding decision-making?
- What financial or resource constraints need to shape your thinking?
For many not-for-profits, a common non-negotiable is maintaining client dignity and community impact, even in the face of funding cuts.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips #Step 6: Keep It Simple
Over-preparing can lead to analysis paralysis. You don’t need perfect data—you need actionable insights.
Focus on:
- The 2-3 biggest challenges or opportunities your organization faces.
- Key metrics and trends relevant to your mission.
- Clear goals for the strategic planning process.
When working with a youth services nonprofit, we deliberately avoided overloading the leadership team with unnecessary reports. Instead, we honed in on the most pressing challenges, which sharpened their focus and accelerated the planning process.
Strategic Planning Preparation Tips #Step 7: Think Long-Term Sustainability
Strategic planning isn’t just about addressing today’s challenges—it’s about being around until the problem is solved. It’s about ensuring your organisation thrives in the future.
Ask:
- How can we build financial sustainability (e.g., diversifying revenue streams)?
- How can we improve staff wellbeing and engagement?
- How will our strategy remain relevant in an ever-changing sector?
Embedding sustainability into your strategy is essential for not-for-profits aiming to balance impact with longevity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How much time should we dedicate to the CEO’s Strategic Planning Preparation ?
A: It varies by organization, but a focused 2-4 weeks of pre-planning (including data gathering, stakeholder engagement, and workshops) is typically the ground floor.
Q: If I only had time for one preparatory document what would it be ?
A: I would suggest a paper that describes the context, the changes and unpacks community/beneficiary needs
Q: How often should we revisit our strategic plan?
A: For most not-for-profits, an annual review is ideal to ensure your strategy remains relevant and responsive to external changes. Check in on it yearly, refresh no more than 5 years on.
Final Thoughts: Preparation as Your Competitive Advantage
Strategic planning is one of the most important opportunities for CEOs to align their teams and set their organisations up for success. By following this 7-step checklist, you’ll ensure your pre-planning process lays the groundwork for a strategy that’s focused, actionable, and built to last.
Author: George Liacos