Rooney For Nonprofits

Step 4: Strategic Planning and Delegation

Overview

Strategic planning aligns your board on a shared roadmap to achieve your mission, while delegation empowers board members to lead specific areas. This step involves engaging the community, conducting a focused 2-hour planning session, and assigning responsibilities based on skills and passion. By creating a unified plan and accountability systems, you ensure the board drives strategic impact without doing the day-to-day work.

Instructions for Action:

Conduct Community Outreach (1-2 Hours)

Gather community input to inform the strategic plan using surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms) or in-person conversations.
Ask key questions:

  • Need: What is the biggest challenge you face with [problem] daily?
  • Solutions: What program or support do you wish existed?
  • Action: What would motivate or prevent your participation?

Action: Launch a survey or host a community meeting within one week and compile responses into a summary document.

Engage Board in Pre-Planning (45 Minutes)

Email board members to gather input on key organizational areas: programs, marketing, fundraising, partnerships, human resources, infrastructure, and budgeting.
Use questions like:

  • What’s our most important outcome in 12-24 months?
  • What’s the biggest misconception about our organization?
  • Which partnership could be a game-changer?
  • What’s our biggest fundraising barrier?
  • How can we make board service more meaningful?
  • Compile responses into a single document and share with the board before the planning session.

Action: Send the pre-planning email and set a response deadline of 5 days.

Facilitate the 2-Hour Planning Session (2 Hours)

Schedule a focused session to develop mission statements for each organizational area.
Use a timer and a “parking lot” whiteboard to keep discussions strategic and on track.
Cover key areas:

  • Programs: Define programs to meet community needs.
  • Organizational Profile: Craft a mission statement including partners/donors, goals, values, and branding.
  • Marketing: Establish the organization as a trusted voice or expand awareness.
  • Partnerships: Identify alliances for credibility or funding.
  • Resource Development: Build a sustainable funding model.
  • Human Resources: Define team culture and roles.
  • Infrastructure: List needed buildings, tech, or materials.
  • Budgeting: Estimate resource allocation.
  • Conduct a SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.

Action: Create an agenda using the facilitation checklist and host the session within two weeks.

Delegate Responsibilities (30 Minutes)

Assign each organizational area to a board member based on their skills, passion, and input during planning.
Task them with creating a detailed action plan, including:

  • Step-by-step execution process.
  • Required materials, people, and budget.
  • Supervisory role description.

Action: Confirm assignments during the planning session and set a one-month deadline for action plans.

Integrate the Strategic Plan (1 Hour)

  • As the founder, start a master document with agreed-upon sections:
    • Organizational Profile, community needs, and program overview.
    • Collect and integrate board members’ action plans as they are submitted.
    • Finalize with a comprehensive budget based on all plans.

Action: Share the draft plan with the board for feedback within one month of the planning session.

Set Up Accountability Processes (30 Minutes)

Establish five accountability measures:

  • Weekly Follow-up: Monday check-ins for tasks, Friday reviews for results.
  • Board Meeting Reports: Require progress updates at each meeting.
  • Monthly Goals: Have board members set and track personal goals.
  • Quarterly Assessment: Board development committee evaluates performance.
  • Welfare Follow-up: Check in on board members’ well-being.
    Action: Schedule the first weekly check-in and add a progress report section to the next board meeting agenda.

Resources:

  • Download survey templates, pre-planning questions, facilitation checklists, and accountability tools/
  • Use a shared document to track community feedback, board input, and action plans.

Next Steps:

  • Complete community outreach and the planning session within three weeks.
  • Prepare for Step 5: Team Building, by identifying roles needed for execution.

    Mantra: “Plan together, delegate strategically, and lead with accountability.”