REDF Strategic Planning Guide

8/3/2019 REDF Strategic Planning Guide

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Strategic Planning Guide

REDF Social Enterprise Start-Up Tool Kit

Emily Bolton, Enterprise

Development Manager, REDF



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Strategic Plan Process

StrategicClarity

ResourceImplications

StrategicPriorities

PerformanceMetrics

O b j e c t i v e

M e t h o d

O u t p u t

To develop a concretedescription of the impact forwhich the organization will holditself accountable and create theorganization’s theory of changeto explain how their work willachieve that impact.

A half day board and staff offsiteled by a facilitator to focus ondefining the primary impact andtheory of change.

•Agreement on the primary aim

of the organization.•A draft theory of change that canbe the basis for the strategicplan development

To determine the specific actionsand activities that must takeplace to achieve the intendedimpact.

Evaluate organization’s currentprograms in terms of cost,mission alignment and efficacy.Assess whether there areprogram gaps in light of the newtheory of change.

•A map of where programs are

aligned with the theory ofchange, where there areprogram gaps and wherecurrent programs are peripheral

•Analysis of current programs interms of costs and outcomes

•Recommendations for programmodifications

•A recommended programstructure that is aligned with thetheory of change

Assess the financial, human andorganizational implications of theproposed program structure andcreate a plan to secure theresources needed.

Assess the HR, Infrastructure andFinancial impact of therecommended program structure.

•If appropriate a revised org chart

plus hiring and trainingrecommendations

•A financial forecasting modelbased on the new program costs

•Analysis of the funding gaps in thenew model

•Recommendations for addressingprojected funding gaps

•Recommendations for additionalinfrastructure needed to supportthe new model

Establish the quantitative andqualitative milestones that will beused to measure progress towardthe intended impact

Determine the long term andintermediate metrics andmilestones that are aligned withthe organization’s desired impactand theory of change.

•Two to three key metrics and

milestones for each program area•A measurement plan that theorganization can implement

Strategic Plan

Theory of Change

Source: Bridgespan whitepaper “Business Planning for Nonprofits” © REDF – Please do not distribute without prior permission from REDF



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StrategicClarity


StrategicPriorities

PerformanceMetrics

© REDF – Please do not distribute without prior permission from REDF


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Strategic Clarity: Key Questions

• Who or what are we ultimately trying to serve?

• What are the specific outcomes for which we want to be held accountable?

• What activities must we undertake to achieve concrete and measurable results?

• How does our specific portfolio of programs and services lead to change?

A concrete description of the impact for which the organization will hold itselfaccountable.

The organization’s theory of change to explain how their work will lead to thatimpact.

To develop strategic clarity the organization needs to answer the following questions:




Theory of Change Framework

Short TermOutcomes(What are short term outcomes of your long term goal?

What will change as a result of your strategies?)

Strategies(What strategies will you use to solve the problem? These are high level themes rather than specifics)

xxx

What is the mainproblem you aretrying to solve?

xxx

Activities(What are key activities for each strategy that will help you reach your outcome?)

xx

Ultimateoutcome youwant toachieve(What is your

ultimate goal?)

xxx

xxx

xxxxx

xxxxxx

xxx

The theory of change can be developed using the following framework:





StrategicClarity


StrategicPriorities

PerformanceMetrics




Strategic Priorities: Key Questions

• How well does each of our current programs or activities align with our mission andintended impact?

• What are our full costs, both direct and indirect, for operating each program?

• Do all of our activities use our core capabilities and expertise or are we stretchedtoo thin across different services?

• How well do we perform compared to peers? Are there other organizations that dosome or all of what we do?

• Are there services we should modify or add to maximize impact?

An outline of the specific actions and activities must take place to achieve theintended impact

To develop strategic priorities the organization needs to answer the following questions:




Strategic Priorities: A Decision Making Framework

Income Opportunities Clear Winners

Distractions Investments

Net

FinancialMargin ($)

+

0

-Alignment

with Theory ofChange

Low High

These activities can generate income to fund other programs.However, if an organization devotes too many resources to these activities staff will be distracted from activities more aligned with the theory of change.

These activities generate income and are aligned with the theory of change – these are activities are winners and you should keep them

These activities cost the organization money and don’t help to advance the theory of change. These are distractions.

These activities are strongly aligned with the theory of change but need funding from other programs or external funders.

Prioritization should be done using the following framework:

Source: Bridgespan, Daniel Stid © REDF – Please do not distribute without prior permission from REDF




StrategicClarity


StrategicPriorities

PerformanceMetrics




Resource Implications: Key Questions

• Do we have the right organizational structure in place to implement the plan?

• Does our existing staff have the skills and expertise to execute our strategic priorities?

• How much new work does the new plan entail?

• If so, how much capacity does our current staff have to take on new work? Do we need to add positions,

or scale back our goals?

• If not, what roles do we need to create? Where do we find the right people to fill these roles?

• What new or improved systems do we need to do our work more effectively (e.g. IT, performancemeasurement, financial)?

• What HR systems should we put in place to manage our organization (recruiting, orientation, training,evaluation)?

• Can we manage the budget required by the human resource and infrastructure investments?

• How will the new costs affect our cost per outcome?

• How is the funding community likely to respond to the spending plan? Can we raise the money we need?

A outline of the financial, human and organizational resources needed to implement thestrategic priorities

A plan outlining how to secure the resources needed

To outline the resource implications the organization needs to answer the following questions:





StrategicClarity


StrategicPriorities

PerformanceMetrics




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Performance Metrics: Key Questions

• What are the long term social outcomes goals?

• What are the intermediate measures of progress towards these goals?

• How will we assess whether we have achieved our long term and short termgoals?

• How do we implement a performance measurement process?

Quantitative and qualitative milestones that make it possible to measure progress

A plan for implementing performance measurement

The organization needs to answer the following questions to set performance metrics and ameasurement plan:


REDF Strategic Planning Guide

Documents

Transcript of REDF Strategic Planning Guide