December 13, 2024 • 26 mins
Ever wondered why your nonprofit's strategic plan isn't bringing about the change you hoped for? Join Meghan Speer as we promise to unlock the secrets to effective nonprofit strategic planning with Carol Hamilton, a true veteran in the field. In this episode, we dissect the real purpose of strategic planning and dismantle the myths that can lead organizations astray. Carol shares insights from her vast experience, offering guidance on navigating the common pitfalls nonprofits face. We explore how understanding your organization's current state and aligning its vision with achievable strategic priorities can pave the way for lasting success. Whether you're grappling with internal conflicts or looking to create an actionable roadmap, this conversation is packed with strategies to guide your organization forward.
Get free nonprofit professional development resources, connections to cause work peers, and more at https://nonprofithub.org
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
As a nonprofit, it's hard to make a difference in the
community when your financesare holding you back.
With Maxis, by FreedMaxic, youcan navigate complex challenges
with the right people, processesand technology.
Learn more about Maxis andschedule a complimentary
consultation at maxisbyfmcom.
Slash nonprofit.
Welcome back to the NonprofitHub podcast.
(00:24):
I'm your host, megan spear, andjoining me today is carol
hamilton, who has a long historyof working with nonprofits, so
I'm excited to tap into herwisdom today.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Carol, welcome to the show thank you for having me on
the show.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's great to be here so tell the audience a little
bit about yourself and your roleover the years with nonprofits
and your journey in thenonprofit space.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh my goodness, all right.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
No, we only have half an hour the highlight version.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
So my very first job out of college I worked for an
organization that helped peopleget on talk shows, so now having
a podcast Mission Impact it's alittle bit of a full circle
moment, but there we servedeverybody and I figured out in
my next iteration that I reallywanted to be working with and
(01:14):
supporting causes that I reallybelieved in, and so that's what
made me shift into the nonprofitsector and I've worked at the
national level, being here inthe greater DC area for a
variety of differentorganizations and then went out
on my own about eight years agoto do consulting, started
shifting into wanting to movetowards that path when I did a
(01:38):
degree in organizationdevelopment and that was all
motivated by seeing thedissonance between the missions
that organizations had forchange out in the world and kind
of the cognitive dissonancebetween that and then how they
were actually working inside andtreating each other.
(02:00):
Organization development is allabout, but I ultimately focus
on strategic planning andhelping organizations design
their evaluation systems,program evaluation, so really
more on that strategy side ofthings.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Excellent and that's a great segue, because that's
what we're digging into today.
Is that strategic planningprocess what it actually is,
what it is not, and how it helpsorganizations move forward?
So early on in my career I wasthe director of communication at
a nonprofit and about a yearinto my being there it went into
the strategic planning process,right when, all of a sudden,
(02:37):
we're going to have this weekendretreat and everybody's going
to come together and we're allgoing to make big decisions for
where the organization is headed.
I got to be a part of thatprocess.
It was very interesting.
All of the sessions were veryinteresting.
Maybe six months after thedocument was created, it was a
lovely bookmark on a shelf thatsat there and didn't actually
(03:00):
change anything.
It really did not have thedesired effect.
So I'm curious from yourperspective, because I'm sure
that I'm not alone in that.
I am sure actually that's themajority.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
That is.
The major complaint aboutstrategic planning processes is
that whatever the output isdoesn't end up really getting
integrated into how theorganization does its work and
what it's doing.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah.
So from your perspective, then,as a consultant, what are some?
First of all, when is astrategic plan a good idea,
right?
When does undertaking that verylengthy process become a good
idea for an organization to moveforward?
And if they're going toundertake it, what is the
(03:49):
expectation?
I guess my initial question iswhat is this strategic plan for
and what is it not?
Because I've seen also a lot oforganizations look at it as
like this magic silver bulletthat's going to save the
organization because we have anew plan, which is a lot of
pressure to put on one document,right, yeah, I think.
Yeah, let's like level set fromthere.
(04:10):
What is it, what is it not, andwhen is it a good time to look
at investing in that?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah.
So those are a lot of, a lot ofdifferent questions, but it's
easy to say what it's not orwhat it's not good for, because
you'll get a lot of calls fromorganizations and stuff's going
on in the organization and theythink, oh, we should do
strategic planning to addressthat issue.
And then when you have aconversation with them and dig
(04:40):
into it a little bit more, youfind that actually there's a lot
of conflict on their executiveteam and that's actually what
they need to deal with.
The strategic plan will bringthat up and will bring it to the
surface and bring it to thefront, but it isn't designed
necessarily to address thatissue directly.
Or they're having challengeswhere the particular team.
(05:04):
So then they think, oh, let'sdo strategic planning, because I
think, mostly because peopleknow that term it seems like it
might address the things.
So there are lots of instanceswhere strategic planning is not
the right tool and that's all.
It really is right For any ofthese things.
Yeah, planning, conflictmanagement, coaching, they're
(05:25):
all tools to help us do workbetter and some of them are
appropriated sometimes and someof them are not.
But what is strategic planning?
It really is about bringing thegroup together and not just at
a retreat.
I think that's another kind ofmisnomer or misconception that
people have, that it's justabout that offsite.
There's a lot of work that hasto go in for at least when I'm
(05:51):
working with clients before thatretreat to really get a good
understanding of what is that360 view of how people perceive
the organization, what's goingon, what the issues are, what
its strengths are, the widerenvironment, all of that and
taking time to really flesh thatout before you're jumping to
the retreat.
But basically a strategic planis deciding.
(06:11):
You know what's your currentstate, where do you want to be,
what's your vision, and thenwhat are three to five things
that you're going to focus onover a period of time and it's
usually a three to five yearperiod that the organization as
a whole is agreeing that if weworked on these things we would
get closer to that vision thatwe're looking for, and so that's
(06:33):
really all it is.
It's building that roadmap andit's tagging back and forth
between the large group processand then probably a smaller
group weighing in, refiningthings and then bringing that
back to the larger group.
So it's not all a group all theway through.
I hope I answered at least afew of those questions.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yes, two of them, two of them for sure, but maybe
let's dig into the third one,which would be at what point is
it good for an organization tomaybe start to undertake that
process?
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, oftentimes when a new leader comes in, it's a
good time.
I think the flip side isoftentimes, when a leader is
leaving, they will want to do astrategic plan, which actually
is probably more than what theyneed to do, and I think they're
wanting to, like, stamp theirlegacy, and the truth is, a
(07:24):
shorter term process would bemore appropriate at that time.
So, when you have a new leadernot right away, but maybe like
in the fur after, after thatperson has had a chance to
really acclimate themselves andget a good sense of the
organization within you knowthat first, after the first year
or so often, is a good timewhen there's been a major shift
(07:46):
in the environment.
That's also you need to kind ofgrapple with those realities.
You know, if you have a major,some kind of major thing has
happened when you're in crisis,I think shorter term planning is
more appropriate than thatlonger term planning.
Or sometimes, whenorganizations have this as a
practice and have it reallyintegrated into how they do
(08:07):
their work, it's simply a matterof we had a plan, we finished
most of it, or it went through2023 and now we're in 2024 and
we need what's our next threeyears.
So for organizations that kindof have that regular cycle of
doing planning.
It's often it's just wefinished the last plan, we need
(08:30):
a new one.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, that's an interesting idea, right, because
I think there is a distinctionbetween an organization that's
just following a strategic planversus an organization who has
strategic leadership.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, Right Right Doing a strategic plan does not
by definition create strategicleaders.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yes, and I'm wondering if that's where people
towards that.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I think when done well and when you are also at
the end and this is whereorganizations, these processes,
are big and they include a lotof people, it takes a lot of
time and energy, and so they maybe done with this by the end of
it, but if they don't do thatlast piece of how are we
(09:20):
actually integrating these goodideas into our regular work?
How are we going to check in onit?
How does it align with ourbudget?
How does it align with ourregular annual planning
processes?
If those conversations don'thappen and if there aren't
champions that are going to keepchecking in and bringing the
plan back to everybody, then itwill end up the proverbial
(09:44):
bookmark on the shelf, which wedon't want.
We never want that.
And I think that some otherthings that will cause a plan to
end up on the shelf is when itreally is just a wish list
rather than a plan, when therewasn't any actual decision
making, there wasn't any focus,there wasn't any discernment
(10:04):
about really what is the mostimportant, not just every good
idea that people had.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, not just every good idea that people had, yeah,
so I guess maybe then thestatement is the other thing it
is not is a bandaid for a lackof leadership.
Right, it is not, it is not.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Good leaders will want a strategic plan because it
pulls everybody together andgets insights across the
organization.
And there are lots of othergood benefits of those sessions
that you talked about that wereinteresting.
Maybe that plan didn't end upgetting implemented in the
organization that you weretalked about, but I'm guessing
that you got a betterunderstanding of the
organization and what everybodyelse did than you did going into
(10:45):
it.
So there are often rippleeffects of doing that process.
That can be important.
But, yes, if leaders are notcontinuing to have the
discipline of focus, these arethe things that are really
important for us to do.
Oftentimes, when I'm workingwith clients, I help them
develop a strategy screen, whichis basically a kind of a
(11:05):
decision-making tool, a set ofcriteria.
These are the criteria thatwe're going to use to evaluate
new opportunities, newchallenges, and I didn't make
this is.
These are the criteria thatwe're going to use to evaluate
new opportunities, newchallenges, and I didn't make
this up.
La Piana Consulting createdthis, but I love it because it's
you know, oftentimes peoplewill.
Well, the plan isn't helping usprioritize.
The plan will be part of helpprioritizing, but it doesn't.
(11:27):
It can't anticipate the future,or it can to some extent you do
some future casting, but youcan't know what's going to
happen in the future, and so youneed another tool that helps
you deal with all those thingsthat are incoming after the plan
has been approved by the board.
So that's another tool and thatcan help where you're deciding
(11:49):
about those criteria, beforeyou're presented with a really
juicy, shiny object that XYZperson is really excited about,
and that person happens to bethe best communicator in the
group and the most influentialand the most persuasive.
So guess what?
We do it.
And then person B on theexecutive team has an idea, but
(12:12):
they're not as great atpersuading everybody.
But when you have a tool likethat, you can have a little bit
more of a level playing field.
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So you've mentioned a coupletimes the people that are
involved in the process.
Who needs to have a seat at thetable, both because I think you
(13:08):
mentioned for like, there's abigger group and a smaller group
for strategic planning processto be successful, who should be
in each of those groups, and arethere constituents that you
regularly see get forgotten aspart of that process?
So we want to make sure we keepan eye out, for yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So you know, I think traditionally strategies was
seen as a top-down endeavor.
It was the board's job, it wasthe executive team's job and
everybody else was just supposedto fall in line.
And then the board and theexecutive team were surprised
when people weren't excitedabout that plan, that they had
nothing to do with.
I definitely advocate for amore inclusive process and
(13:49):
sometimes it's that beginningphase where you're gathering
input from a lot of people andthen you will have a group that
may be a subset of that group,that actually comes and does the
visioning and the prioritizing,and then ultimately a smaller
group, usually a strategicplanning committee, that will be
kind of bookends to yourprocess and they're really in
(14:09):
charge of stewarding the process, not necessarily making all
those content decisions, butoftentimes they'll be the group
that kind of takes all that wasgenerated in that bigger session
and synthesize it and bring itback to the bigger group to say,
okay, this is what we've heard,did we get it right?
What other input you have?
So it's, as I think about it,it's like an accordion starting
(14:30):
out smaller, you're going wider,going smaller, going wider, and
I think, in terms of groups,that get forgotten, and I think
groups are doing a better job ofthis now.
In the past, I would say thefolks that they actually serve
and work with in the community,the wider community was often
the group that was forgotten andit was very an internal kind of
(14:50):
board and staff process.
So I think that those groupsare now.
People are bringing them in amore intentional way and also
thinking through like what, ifyou are going to ask people to
be involved, depending on theircircumstances, what will make it
feasible for them to do so?
Do you need to give themstipends, you know?
Are they going to be takingtime away from work to
(15:13):
contribute, not expecting thatpeople can do all this pro bono
for you?
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Sure.
So I was part of a strategicplanning process for a nonprofit
that I'm a part of here inPittsburgh and what was really
interesting to me, as weincluded some of those folks
from the community that we serveand from those demographics,
the vision of what they thoughtwe did and how they saw us and
(15:41):
what they, the resources theythought we had available, was
dramatically different than howwe saw ourselves.
Is that typical of what you'veseen, and how do we bridge the
gap of that?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, I mean, you know that that can be and I
guess then you have to go backand think and you're the
communications professional oflike, ok, this is how we see
things and think we're doing,but this is actually what the
folks who we work with thinkwe're doing.
Is this a messaging problem?
Is this a problem?
Is it exactly?
(16:19):
I think oftentimes when you'reinside an organization, you'll
know the nuances, you'll knowthe program names, you'll know
the acronyms and the folks whoare interacting with you that
you're serving, or even maybevolunteers, maybe that are a
little more peripheral it mayall blend together and they
probably don't understand thatnuance and it may not be
(16:41):
necessary for them to understandall of that nuance.
But yeah, that's an interestingone where you kind of there's
such a perception gap.
But I think that's one of thevalues of doing that input
process, of lifting up thosegaps and those places where like
, ok, well, we need to dosomething about this because
(17:02):
what we think we're doing isn'taligning with what folks either
need or what they think we'redoing, which are really two
different problems.
But yeah, it's identifyingthose gaps and getting those
outside perspectives pulls youout of that group think that you
can drop into when you'reinside an organization, and
(17:25):
that's not anybody's fault, it'sjust you become a group and you
understand each other.
And there's a lot, as an expertin that field, that you've
forgotten, more than youexplicitly know, and those folks
are much more in that beginnerspace and so don't know the
terms that you're using and allof that.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
So talk to me a little bit about a strategic
planning process that you saw goreally well, either from the
outcomes of what it has nowproduced or just like this was a
really effective way to goabout it and what I saw the
leaders doing to make it beeffective like that.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, I think when leaders come into it with an
open mind.
I think the flip side of when itisn't effective is when leaders
come in with a very specificlist that they want, outcomes
that they want and if they arevery attached to those outcomes,
there's really no point ingoing through a big inclusive
process.
So when it goes well, I wouldsay folks come into it with an
(18:29):
open mind, they're ready tolisten to each other, they
understand that they can't doeverything, they're willing to
prioritize and make choices andthey're willing to support that
process at the end of reallyintegrating it into the work
that they do, so that it doesn'tbecome this kind of laundry
(18:50):
list of wishes that have nothingto do with the actual capacity
of the organization.
I think that's another one thatthere's a realistic.
You want to be aspirational,but it needs to be a balance
right Of I'm pushing, we'repushing ourselves a little bit,
but not so much that it's justdemoralizing.
We're recognizing where peopleare If plates are already
(19:10):
overflowing, it may be that thestrategic planning process is
about deciding what you'reletting go of.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Interesting and so within that is it.
Have you seen it be moresuccessful when it's driven by
the executive leadership ordriven by the board, or does
that not really matter?
Is there a difference in howthat's approached?
Speaker 2 (19:42):
seen executive leaders want to do strategic
planning and not be able topersuade their board that it's
important.
And if you can't get your boardon board, if they're not
excited and don't want to do it,then that's not.
It's not going to work as awhole organization process.
So I think it needs to be ateam effort, it needs to be a
partnership.
Of course, I'm a consultant, soit's to my benefit to say that
(20:03):
it helps to have an outsider,but I do think that having
someone who doesn't have a stakein the outcomes to help
facilitate the process and helppeople keep on track with the
process and make sure thatdecisions get made.
Because I think when you try todo it all internally, it can be
easy to have that fun retreat,but then there's a lot of open
(20:23):
loops that never get closed andthen folks just end up feeling
frustrated.
So, yeah, I think it needs tobe a partnership.
I mean, typically I am workingdirectly with the executive
director for all the pieces ofthe process, but oftentimes in
conjunction with the board chair.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Interesting.
Has there been one in yourcareer that really stands out to
you, as, like I, was thrilledto even be a part of the process
with what this organization hasdone?
Is there one that really standsout to you?
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Well, I've had quite a few.
I mean they've been verydifferent, but again, I think it
comes back to the attitude ofthe leadership and their
openness and willingness toengage with others, willingness
to be influenced, willingness toalso have their own opinion and
state it, you know, and not beafraid of that.
And plans have ended up at alldifferent levels, from very kind
(21:15):
of outwardly focused toactually we're in a period where
we need to do some realconsolidation internally and if
we really build thesefoundations better than we have
in the past and really get thosefundamentals sorted, then
that's going to move our missionforward.
And when people have fun, thatfor me are the really fun
projects that I'm like, oh, I'dlove to work with you again.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
That's awesome.
I love it.
So, as folks are coming intothe last weeks of 2024, we're
planning doing some 2025planning.
If looking at a strategic planwas something that someone
thought, hey, you know what.
This is where we are about.
Ready for that.
Are there some specificindicators that we should look
(22:02):
for?
Are there some specific thingsthat we should consider when
even trying to evaluate aconsultant like yourself?
Are there questions we shouldask to make sure that the
organization is ready for that?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Yeah, I mean, I think , are you open to change as an
organization, Like, don't gothrough a process if you really
don't want anything to change.
Don't open up all those boxes,you know, don't look in that
messy closet, like, just leaveit all alone if you don't
actually want to change.
Is there capacity, is theretime?
Is this something that you canreasonably take on in the next
(22:35):
year?
Or are you already sooverloaded that you can't?
Except there's a push-pull onthat one, because if you're
always in firefighting mode, ifyou don't take any time to step
back, you don't get out of it.
In terms of evaluatingconsultants, I think asking what
is their process?
Does their philosophy alignwith yours?
(22:55):
Are their values aligned withyours?
Do you feel like you could havea good working relationship
with them?
What's their experience in this?
And there are lots of differentapproaches and some people will
specialize.
There's a lot of things thatare called strategic planning
that I don't necessarily thinkare strategic planning, but
people put it all under oneumbrella anything planning which
(23:16):
could be three months a year,three years, 10 years.
I think there's short-termplanning and that's very
important, but for me the kindof sweet spot for strategic
planning is that three to fiveyear time span where it's enough
time to really do some biggerthings, but not so long that you
can't even who knows whatthings are going to be like at
(23:37):
that point.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
I love it.
Carol, you had mentionedearlier that you yourself have a
podcast as well.
Yep, Tell us a little bit aboutyour podcast and how folks can
find that.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, so it's Mission Impact and it's the podcast for
nonprofit leaders who want todo good in the world without
being a martyr to the cause.
So we talk about all sorts ofdifferent nonprofit and
leadership and management topics, and all with the eye to
building healthier, moreinclusive cultures.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
I love it and I'm assuming it's just on all.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
It's on all the platforms, yep.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Yep, fantastic, and if this conversation has made
somebody think it is probablytime for us to step into that,
I'd love to know more aboutworking with Carol.
How do they find you or connectwith you?
What's the best way?
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Yeah, so my website is GraceSocialSectorcom.
You can also find me onLinkedIn.
I do have a pretty common name,carol Hamilton.
So if you're Carol Hamilton andGrace Social Sector Consulting,
host of Mission Impact, you'llfind me.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I love it All.
Right, as we wrap up, I haveone final question and that is
if you were speaking to theexecutive director,
understanding that the majorityof our folks that listen to the
podcast and folks who areinvolved in the nonprofit hub
community are nonprofits thatare maybe on the smaller side or
(25:02):
just startups and they'relooking to grow, they're very
excited.
If you are talking to theexecutive director of that
organization, as we sit herewith the year run you know
winding down busy year end,giving season chaos mode
happening at the moment if youcould give them one piece of
advice going into 2025, what isyour top tip for executive
(25:26):
directors right now aroundstrategic leadership?
Speaker 2 (25:31):
I think it's focus, giving yourself permission to
focus and I'll credit VeronicaLafamina for that phrase, I
picked it up from her but givingyourself time to focus and not
trying to do everything and nottrying to do everything yourself
.
We have so many nonprofits.
Who else in your community isdoing something complimentary?
How can you pull together andbuild a bigger impact?
(25:54):
But so seeing all those folksas potential folks to cooperate
with, versus competition, andreally focusing, prioritizing
what is the most important rightnow and not trying to do it all
.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
I love it.
Carol.
Thank you so much for beinghere today.
Appreciate all your wisdom.
I know it's going to be superhelpful to folks as we head into
2025.
So thank you for being here.
Thank you Again.
My guest today has been CarolHamilton.
You can definitely check herout online.
Go follow her podcast as well.
My name is Megan Spear.
This has been another episodeof the Nonprofit Hub Radio
(26:28):
Podcast and we'll see you nexttime.
As a nonprofit, it's hard to make a difference in the
community when your financesare holding you back.
With Maxis, by FreedMaxic, youcan navigate complex challenges
with the right people, processesand technology.
Learn more about Maxis andschedule a complimentary
consultation at maxisbyfmcom.
Slash nonprofit.
Welcome back to the NonprofitHub podcast.
(00:24):
I'm your host, megan spear, andjoining me today is carol
hamilton, who has a long historyof working with nonprofits, so
I'm excited to tap into herwisdom today.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Carol, welcome to the show thank you for having me on
the show.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's great to be here so tell the audience a little
bit about yourself and your roleover the years with nonprofits
and your journey in thenonprofit space.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh my goodness, all right.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
No, we only have half an hour the highlight version.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
So my very first job out of college I worked for an
organization that helped peopleget on talk shows, so now having
a podcast Mission Impact it's alittle bit of a full circle
moment, but there we servedeverybody and I figured out in
my next iteration that I reallywanted to be working with and
(01:14):
supporting causes that I reallybelieved in, and so that's what
made me shift into the nonprofitsector and I've worked at the
national level, being here inthe greater DC area for a
variety of differentorganizations and then went out
on my own about eight years agoto do consulting, started
shifting into wanting to movetowards that path when I did a
(01:38):
degree in organizationdevelopment and that was all
motivated by seeing thedissonance between the missions
that organizations had forchange out in the world and kind
of the cognitive dissonancebetween that and then how they
were actually working inside andtreating each other.
(02:00):
Organization development is allabout, but I ultimately focus
on strategic planning andhelping organizations design
their evaluation systems,program evaluation, so really
more on that strategy side ofthings.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Excellent and that's a great segue, because that's
what we're digging into today.
Is that strategic planningprocess what it actually is,
what it is not, and how it helpsorganizations move forward?
So early on in my career I wasthe director of communication at
a nonprofit and about a yearinto my being there it went into
the strategic planning process,right when, all of a sudden,
(02:37):
we're going to have this weekendretreat and everybody's going
to come together and we're allgoing to make big decisions for
where the organization is headed.
I got to be a part of thatprocess.
It was very interesting.
All of the sessions were veryinteresting.
Maybe six months after thedocument was created, it was a
lovely bookmark on a shelf thatsat there and didn't actually
(03:00):
change anything.
It really did not have thedesired effect.
So I'm curious from yourperspective, because I'm sure
that I'm not alone in that.
I am sure actually that's themajority.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
That is.
The major complaint aboutstrategic planning processes is
that whatever the output isdoesn't end up really getting
integrated into how theorganization does its work and
what it's doing.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah.
So from your perspective, then,as a consultant, what are some?
First of all, when is astrategic plan a good idea,
right?
When does undertaking that verylengthy process become a good
idea for an organization to moveforward?
And if they're going toundertake it, what is the
(03:49):
expectation?
I guess my initial question iswhat is this strategic plan for
and what is it not?
Because I've seen also a lot oforganizations look at it as
like this magic silver bulletthat's going to save the
organization because we have anew plan, which is a lot of
pressure to put on one document,right, yeah, I think.
Yeah, let's like level set fromthere.
(04:10):
What is it, what is it not, andwhen is it a good time to look
at investing in that?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah.
So those are a lot of, a lot ofdifferent questions, but it's
easy to say what it's not orwhat it's not good for, because
you'll get a lot of calls fromorganizations and stuff's going
on in the organization and theythink, oh, we should do
strategic planning to addressthat issue.
And then when you have aconversation with them and dig
(04:40):
into it a little bit more, youfind that actually there's a lot
of conflict on their executiveteam and that's actually what
they need to deal with.
The strategic plan will bringthat up and will bring it to the
surface and bring it to thefront, but it isn't designed
necessarily to address thatissue directly.
Or they're having challengeswhere the particular team.
(05:04):
So then they think, oh, let'sdo strategic planning, because I
think, mostly because peopleknow that term it seems like it
might address the things.
So there are lots of instanceswhere strategic planning is not
the right tool and that's all.
It really is right For any ofthese things.
Yeah, planning, conflictmanagement, coaching, they're
(05:25):
all tools to help us do workbetter and some of them are
appropriated sometimes and someof them are not.
But what is strategic planning?
It really is about bringing thegroup together and not just at
a retreat.
I think that's another kind ofmisnomer or misconception that
people have, that it's justabout that offsite.
There's a lot of work that hasto go in for at least when I'm
(05:51):
working with clients before thatretreat to really get a good
understanding of what is that360 view of how people perceive
the organization, what's goingon, what the issues are, what
its strengths are, the widerenvironment, all of that and
taking time to really flesh thatout before you're jumping to
the retreat.
But basically a strategic planis deciding.
(06:11):
You know what's your currentstate, where do you want to be,
what's your vision, and thenwhat are three to five things
that you're going to focus onover a period of time and it's
usually a three to five yearperiod that the organization as
a whole is agreeing that if weworked on these things we would
get closer to that vision thatwe're looking for, and so that's
(06:33):
really all it is.
It's building that roadmap andit's tagging back and forth
between the large group processand then probably a smaller
group weighing in, refiningthings and then bringing that
back to the larger group.
So it's not all a group all theway through.
I hope I answered at least afew of those questions.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yes, two of them, two of them for sure, but maybe
let's dig into the third one,which would be at what point is
it good for an organization tomaybe start to undertake that
process?
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, oftentimes when a new leader comes in, it's a
good time.
I think the flip side isoftentimes, when a leader is
leaving, they will want to do astrategic plan, which actually
is probably more than what theyneed to do, and I think they're
wanting to, like, stamp theirlegacy, and the truth is, a
(07:24):
shorter term process would bemore appropriate at that time.
So, when you have a new leadernot right away, but maybe like
in the fur after, after thatperson has had a chance to
really acclimate themselves andget a good sense of the
organization within you knowthat first, after the first year
or so often, is a good timewhen there's been a major shift
(07:46):
in the environment.
That's also you need to kind ofgrapple with those realities.
You know, if you have a major,some kind of major thing has
happened when you're in crisis,I think shorter term planning is
more appropriate than thatlonger term planning.
Or sometimes, whenorganizations have this as a
practice and have it reallyintegrated into how they do
(08:07):
their work, it's simply a matterof we had a plan, we finished
most of it, or it went through2023 and now we're in 2024 and
we need what's our next threeyears.
So for organizations that kindof have that regular cycle of
doing planning.
It's often it's just wefinished the last plan, we need
(08:30):
a new one.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, that's an interesting idea, right, because
I think there is a distinctionbetween an organization that's
just following a strategic planversus an organization who has
strategic leadership.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, Right Right Doing a strategic plan does not
by definition create strategicleaders.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yes, and I'm wondering if that's where people
towards that.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I think when done well and when you are also at
the end and this is whereorganizations, these processes,
are big and they include a lotof people, it takes a lot of
time and energy, and so they maybe done with this by the end of
it, but if they don't do thatlast piece of how are we
(09:20):
actually integrating these goodideas into our regular work?
How are we going to check in onit?
How does it align with ourbudget?
How does it align with ourregular annual planning
processes?
If those conversations don'thappen and if there aren't
champions that are going to keepchecking in and bringing the
plan back to everybody, then itwill end up the proverbial
(09:44):
bookmark on the shelf, which wedon't want.
We never want that.
And I think that some otherthings that will cause a plan to
end up on the shelf is when itreally is just a wish list
rather than a plan, when therewasn't any actual decision
making, there wasn't any focus,there wasn't any discernment
(10:04):
about really what is the mostimportant, not just every good
idea that people had.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, not just every good idea that people had, yeah,
so I guess maybe then thestatement is the other thing it
is not is a bandaid for a lackof leadership.
Right, it is not, it is not.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Good leaders will want a strategic plan because it
pulls everybody together andgets insights across the
organization.
And there are lots of othergood benefits of those sessions
that you talked about that wereinteresting.
Maybe that plan didn't end upgetting implemented in the
organization that you weretalked about, but I'm guessing
that you got a betterunderstanding of the
organization and what everybodyelse did than you did going into
(10:45):
it.
So there are often rippleeffects of doing that process.
That can be important.
But, yes, if leaders are notcontinuing to have the
discipline of focus, these arethe things that are really
important for us to do.
Oftentimes, when I'm workingwith clients, I help them
develop a strategy screen, whichis basically a kind of a
(11:05):
decision-making tool, a set ofcriteria.
These are the criteria thatwe're going to use to evaluate
new opportunities, newchallenges, and I didn't make
this is.
These are the criteria thatwe're going to use to evaluate
new opportunities, newchallenges, and I didn't make
this up.
La Piana Consulting createdthis, but I love it because it's
you know, oftentimes peoplewill.
Well, the plan isn't helping usprioritize.
The plan will be part of helpprioritizing, but it doesn't.
(11:27):
It can't anticipate the future,or it can to some extent you do
some future casting, but youcan't know what's going to
happen in the future, and so youneed another tool that helps
you deal with all those thingsthat are incoming after the plan
has been approved by the board.
So that's another tool and thatcan help where you're deciding
(11:49):
about those criteria, beforeyou're presented with a really
juicy, shiny object that XYZperson is really excited about,
and that person happens to bethe best communicator in the
group and the most influentialand the most persuasive.
So guess what?
We do it.
And then person B on theexecutive team has an idea, but
(12:12):
they're not as great atpersuading everybody.
But when you have a tool likethat, you can have a little bit
more of a level playing field.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
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(12:45):
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Slash nonprofit.
So you've mentioned a coupletimes the people that are
involved in the process.
Who needs to have a seat at thetable, both because I think you
(13:08):
mentioned for like, there's abigger group and a smaller group
for strategic planning processto be successful, who should be
in each of those groups, and arethere constituents that you
regularly see get forgotten aspart of that process?
So we want to make sure we keepan eye out, for yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So you know, I think traditionally strategies was
seen as a top-down endeavor.
It was the board's job, it wasthe executive team's job and
everybody else was just supposedto fall in line.
And then the board and theexecutive team were surprised
when people weren't excitedabout that plan, that they had
nothing to do with.
I definitely advocate for amore inclusive process and
(13:49):
sometimes it's that beginningphase where you're gathering
input from a lot of people andthen you will have a group that
may be a subset of that group,that actually comes and does the
visioning and the prioritizing,and then ultimately a smaller
group, usually a strategicplanning committee, that will be
kind of bookends to yourprocess and they're really in
(14:09):
charge of stewarding the process, not necessarily making all
those content decisions, butoftentimes they'll be the group
that kind of takes all that wasgenerated in that bigger session
and synthesize it and bring itback to the bigger group to say,
okay, this is what we've heard,did we get it right?
What other input you have?
So it's, as I think about it,it's like an accordion starting
(14:30):
out smaller, you're going wider,going smaller, going wider, and
I think, in terms of groups,that get forgotten, and I think
groups are doing a better job ofthis now.
In the past, I would say thefolks that they actually serve
and work with in the community,the wider community was often
the group that was forgotten andit was very an internal kind of
(14:50):
board and staff process.
So I think that those groupsare now.
People are bringing them in amore intentional way and also
thinking through like what, ifyou are going to ask people to
be involved, depending on theircircumstances, what will make it
feasible for them to do so?
Do you need to give themstipends, you know?
Are they going to be takingtime away from work to
(15:13):
contribute, not expecting thatpeople can do all this pro bono
for you?
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Sure.
So I was part of a strategicplanning process for a nonprofit
that I'm a part of here inPittsburgh and what was really
interesting to me, as weincluded some of those folks
from the community that we serveand from those demographics,
the vision of what they thoughtwe did and how they saw us and
(15:41):
what they, the resources theythought we had available, was
dramatically different than howwe saw ourselves.
Is that typical of what you'veseen, and how do we bridge the
gap of that?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, I mean, you know that that can be and I
guess then you have to go backand think and you're the
communications professional oflike, ok, this is how we see
things and think we're doing,but this is actually what the
folks who we work with thinkwe're doing.
Is this a messaging problem?
Is this a problem?
Is it exactly?
(16:19):
I think oftentimes when you'reinside an organization, you'll
know the nuances, you'll knowthe program names, you'll know
the acronyms and the folks whoare interacting with you that
you're serving, or even maybevolunteers, maybe that are a
little more peripheral it mayall blend together and they
probably don't understand thatnuance and it may not be
(16:41):
necessary for them to understandall of that nuance.
But yeah, that's an interestingone where you kind of there's
such a perception gap.
But I think that's one of thevalues of doing that input
process, of lifting up thosegaps and those places where like
, ok, well, we need to dosomething about this because
(17:02):
what we think we're doing isn'taligning with what folks either
need or what they think we'redoing, which are really two
different problems.
But yeah, it's identifyingthose gaps and getting those
outside perspectives pulls youout of that group think that you
can drop into when you'reinside an organization, and
(17:25):
that's not anybody's fault, it'sjust you become a group and you
understand each other.
And there's a lot, as an expertin that field, that you've
forgotten, more than youexplicitly know, and those folks
are much more in that beginnerspace and so don't know the
terms that you're using and allof that.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
So talk to me a little bit about a strategic
planning process that you saw goreally well, either from the
outcomes of what it has nowproduced or just like this was a
really effective way to goabout it and what I saw the
leaders doing to make it beeffective like that.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, I think when leaders come into it with an
open mind.
I think the flip side of when itisn't effective is when leaders
come in with a very specificlist that they want, outcomes
that they want and if they arevery attached to those outcomes,
there's really no point ingoing through a big inclusive
process.
So when it goes well, I wouldsay folks come into it with an
(18:29):
open mind, they're ready tolisten to each other, they
understand that they can't doeverything, they're willing to
prioritize and make choices andthey're willing to support that
process at the end of reallyintegrating it into the work
that they do, so that it doesn'tbecome this kind of laundry
(18:50):
list of wishes that have nothingto do with the actual capacity
of the organization.
I think that's another one thatthere's a realistic.
You want to be aspirational,but it needs to be a balance
right Of I'm pushing, we'repushing ourselves a little bit,
but not so much that it's justdemoralizing.
We're recognizing where peopleare If plates are already
(19:10):
overflowing, it may be that thestrategic planning process is
about deciding what you'reletting go of.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Interesting and so within that is it.
Have you seen it be moresuccessful when it's driven by
the executive leadership ordriven by the board, or does
that not really matter?
Is there a difference in howthat's approached?
Speaker 2 (19:42):
seen executive leaders want to do strategic
planning and not be able topersuade their board that it's
important.
And if you can't get your boardon board, if they're not
excited and don't want to do it,then that's not.
It's not going to work as awhole organization process.
So I think it needs to be ateam effort, it needs to be a
partnership.
Of course, I'm a consultant, soit's to my benefit to say that
(20:03):
it helps to have an outsider,but I do think that having
someone who doesn't have a stakein the outcomes to help
facilitate the process and helppeople keep on track with the
process and make sure thatdecisions get made.
Because I think when you try todo it all internally, it can be
easy to have that fun retreat,but then there's a lot of open
(20:23):
loops that never get closed andthen folks just end up feeling
frustrated.
So, yeah, I think it needs tobe a partnership.
I mean, typically I am workingdirectly with the executive
director for all the pieces ofthe process, but oftentimes in
conjunction with the board chair.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Interesting.
Has there been one in yourcareer that really stands out to
you, as, like I, was thrilledto even be a part of the process
with what this organization hasdone?
Is there one that really standsout to you?
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Well, I've had quite a few.
I mean they've been verydifferent, but again, I think it
comes back to the attitude ofthe leadership and their
openness and willingness toengage with others, willingness
to be influenced, willingness toalso have their own opinion and
state it, you know, and not beafraid of that.
And plans have ended up at alldifferent levels, from very kind
(21:15):
of outwardly focused toactually we're in a period where
we need to do some realconsolidation internally and if
we really build thesefoundations better than we have
in the past and really get thosefundamentals sorted, then
that's going to move our missionforward.
And when people have fun, thatfor me are the really fun
projects that I'm like, oh, I'dlove to work with you again.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
That's awesome.
I love it.
So, as folks are coming intothe last weeks of 2024, we're
planning doing some 2025planning.
If looking at a strategic planwas something that someone
thought, hey, you know what.
This is where we are about.
Ready for that.
Are there some specificindicators that we should look
(22:02):
for?
Are there some specific thingsthat we should consider when
even trying to evaluate aconsultant like yourself?
Are there questions we shouldask to make sure that the
organization is ready for that?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Yeah, I mean, I think , are you open to change as an
organization, Like, don't gothrough a process if you really
don't want anything to change.
Don't open up all those boxes,you know, don't look in that
messy closet, like, just leaveit all alone if you don't
actually want to change.
Is there capacity, is theretime?
Is this something that you canreasonably take on in the next
(22:35):
year?
Or are you already sooverloaded that you can't?
Except there's a push-pull onthat one, because if you're
always in firefighting mode, ifyou don't take any time to step
back, you don't get out of it.
In terms of evaluatingconsultants, I think asking what
is their process?
Does their philosophy alignwith yours?
(22:55):
Are their values aligned withyours?
Do you feel like you could havea good working relationship
with them?
What's their experience in this?
And there are lots of differentapproaches and some people will
specialize.
There's a lot of things thatare called strategic planning
that I don't necessarily thinkare strategic planning, but
people put it all under oneumbrella anything planning which
(23:16):
could be three months a year,three years, 10 years.
I think there's short-termplanning and that's very
important, but for me the kindof sweet spot for strategic
planning is that three to fiveyear time span where it's enough
time to really do some biggerthings, but not so long that you
can't even who knows whatthings are going to be like at
(23:37):
that point.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
I love it.
Carol, you had mentionedearlier that you yourself have a
podcast as well.
Yep, Tell us a little bit aboutyour podcast and how folks can
find that.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, so it's Mission Impact and it's the podcast for
nonprofit leaders who want todo good in the world without
being a martyr to the cause.
So we talk about all sorts ofdifferent nonprofit and
leadership and management topics, and all with the eye to
building healthier, moreinclusive cultures.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
I love it and I'm assuming it's just on all.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
It's on all the platforms, yep.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Yep, fantastic, and if this conversation has made
somebody think it is probablytime for us to step into that,
I'd love to know more aboutworking with Carol.
How do they find you or connectwith you?
What's the best way?
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Yeah, so my website is GraceSocialSectorcom.
You can also find me onLinkedIn.
I do have a pretty common name,carol Hamilton.
So if you're Carol Hamilton andGrace Social Sector Consulting,
host of Mission Impact, you'llfind me.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I love it All.
Right, as we wrap up, I haveone final question and that is
if you were speaking to theexecutive director,
understanding that the majorityof our folks that listen to the
podcast and folks who areinvolved in the nonprofit hub
community are nonprofits thatare maybe on the smaller side or
(25:02):
just startups and they'relooking to grow, they're very
excited.
If you are talking to theexecutive director of that
organization, as we sit herewith the year run you know
winding down busy year end,giving season chaos mode
happening at the moment if youcould give them one piece of
advice going into 2025, what isyour top tip for executive
(25:26):
directors right now aroundstrategic leadership?
Speaker 2 (25:31):
I think it's focus, giving yourself permission to
focus and I'll credit VeronicaLafamina for that phrase, I
picked it up from her but givingyourself time to focus and not
trying to do everything and nottrying to do everything yourself
.
We have so many nonprofits.
Who else in your community isdoing something complimentary?
How can you pull together andbuild a bigger impact?
(25:54):
But so seeing all those folksas potential folks to cooperate
with, versus competition, andreally focusing, prioritizing
what is the most important rightnow and not trying to do it all
.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
I love it.
Carol.
Thank you so much for beinghere today.
Appreciate all your wisdom.
I know it's going to be superhelpful to folks as we head into
2025.
So thank you for being here.
Thank you Again.
My guest today has been CarolHamilton.
You can definitely check herout online.
Go follow her podcast as well.
My name is Megan Spear.
This has been another episodeof the Nonprofit Hub Radio
(26:28):
Podcast and we'll see you nexttime.
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