501 Focused

  “ Be Prepared. . .the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise. ” - Sir Robert Baden-Powell Scouting is in my blood; my grandfather was an early leader in Boy Scouts and I spent many years as a Girl Scout. My husband and son are currently involved in Boy Scouts, too, so I understand the motto “Be Prepared.” You can handle most things that come along if you have a plan, training, and the right resources. This applies to lots of things in life, but is especially true of strategic planning. The preparation aspect of the process is crucial to a succesful outcome. Unfortunately, it’s one of the the most overlooked and undervalued. In the last post, we talked about how Vision and Mission form the core of strong strategic planning. Whether you are starting up a new organization or refreshing an already existing one, these two statements/ideas...

" I don't care what you label me as long as you call me president. " - Howard Dean Business owner, nonprofit consultant, writer. . .these are some labels that could be used to define me. They don’t tell the whole story, though. Even if I add “mother, wife, volunteer. . .” or throw in “artist, singer, gardener. . .” it still doesn’t convey who I truly am. Labels are limiting, but that’s what we’re asked to create when we articulate a mission statement for an organization. The foundation of your existence and operations, a mission statement identifies who you are, who you serve, and what you provide, in one to three precisely-worded sentences . It should be something easy to remember and convey, and all of your goals and tasks should relate back to it. I always start a strategic planning process by examining the group’s mission statement. Sometimes it stands the test of time, sometimes it just needs to be tweaked a little bit, and sometimes we have to chuck it and st...