Last month, CharityVillage readers were invited to complete a three-question online survey about their planning levels in 2010. In this article, we will review the survey findings* and then discuss the trend of incorporating social media in planning (strategic or otherwise). And don’t forget to participate in this month’s three-question survey – details below.

* The large majority of survey respondents were charities

The strategic plan rules

What these findings suggest is that strategic planning remains the most-used management tool, and that the plan should be tied to the operating budget. Many comment that they identify four strategic directions and then tackle the plans using a priority sequence. Numerous respondents talked about incorporating the use of social media in their planning, a topic we will review later in this article.

The case against strategic plans

There are people who are critical of strategic planning, including management expert Henry Mintzberg. Their arguments focus on the fact that plans can quickly end up out of date. In one article we reviewed, the risk was labeled “reification – the tendency for a plan to become an end in itself that must be pursued even when unexpected changes in the environment invalidate the assumptions on which it was based.” They also claim that planners concentrate on means rather than ends, on “how to do things” rather than “why to do things.”

For those of us who still value strategic planning, it is important to anticipate these potential pitfalls.

2010 revenues and workloads expected to increase moderately

Respondents were cautiously optimistic about revenues increasing moderately or remaining the same as the previous year. Many respondents commented that they are focusing on their two major revenue generators (typically membership and conference revenue). The majority also expected their workload to increase moderately, and again the strategy is to focus their human energy on the two primary revenues sources. The air of optimism was palpable.

Including social media in strategic planning

Social media has been defined as a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Below are links to a selection of social media tools not-for-profits are presenting on their websites:

Communication

 

Collaboration

 

Multimedia

 

Reviews and Opinions

 

Entertainment

 

Other

 

CharityVillage has posted an article on leveraging social media.

How and how often you update your social media content are elements that should be linked (pardon the pun) to your strategic plan.

Users of social media – BEWARE

Social media is a powerful tool because it galvanizes a lot of people. Should your organization “misstep”, the network you attracted in good times will be organized to spread the word about your situation. The “bad” will overtake the “good” quickly! It is important that you evaluate your risks before embarking on social marketing, and that you have someone who really “gets it” to advise you. If you are not ready, don’t start. Invest in preparing to use social media.

Paulette is President of Solution Studio Inc., a consulting practice that serves the not-for-profit association community. Paulette co-authored two manuscripts on risk management & not-for-profit organizations and regularly conducts risk management, strategic planning and board development workshops. She can be reached at 1-877-787-7714 or Paulette@solutionstudioinc.com.