If you’ve been through the process of developing a nonprofit strategic plan before, you know there are a lot of elements that make up the final product. Your nonprofit strategic plan typically includes your vision, mission, values, Reason for Being, pillars, objectives, key results and action plans.
Because there are some many elements to the strategic plan, you might have questions about why they are useful and how they work together to create change and impact within and outside of your nonprofit organizations.
Let’s explore essential elements that form the foundation of a strong nonprofit strategic plan.
1. Vision: What Your Nonprofit Strategic Plan is Building Toward
Your vision statement describes the future you aim to create. It expresses why you do what you do and what success looks like when your mission is fully realized. Including your vision statement in your nonprofit strategic plan is important, as it provides a compass for the collective future you hope to create.
A key difference between your vision and your mission statement is that your vision statement is not necessarily specific to your nonprofit. It will take many others to accomplish your nonprofit’s vision, so other organizations may adopt similar statements.
When thinking about your vision statement, ask the question: what does the world look like when we achieve all of our goals?
Vision Statement Examples:
Feeding America’s Vision: Our vision is an America where no one is hungry.
Ignite’s Vision: Ignite envisions a world where all young people have the support they need to be defined by their potential, not their circumstances.
Horizons National’s Vision: Our vision is a future in which every child thrives.
Learn more in our article, Nonprofit Vision Statements: The Ultimate Guide
2. Mission: How You Achieve Your Vision
Unlike your nonprofit vision statement, which might be shared by other organizations, your mission statement provides information on how your nonprofit makes a specific impact and it’s unique to your organization. Including your nonprofit mission statement in your strategic plan shows your audiences how your strategic initiatives align with your organization’s purpose.
When developing a mission statement, ask yourself the questions: what does it look like when we are doing our best work?
Mission Statement Examples:
Feeding America’s Mission: Our mission is to advance change in America by ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for all in partnership with food banks, policymakers, supporters, and the communities we serve.
Ignite’s Mission: Ignite stands with youth on their journey to a home and a future with promise.
Horizons National’s Mission: We advance educational equity by building long-term partnerships with students, families, communities, and schools to create experiences outside of school that inspire the joy of learning.
Learn more in our article, Nonprofit Mission Statements: The Ultimate Guide
4. Nonprofit Values
Your nonprofit core values are part of the fabric of your organization.
In Good to Great and the Social Sector, Jim Collins explains that core values remain constant, while operating strategies and cultural practices adapt continuously to an evolving world.
Organizations typically develop three to five core values, some have as few as one. Core values are represented by a word (or two) that describes the value, along with a definition and examples of that value in practice. They can be aspirational but also realistically achievable.
Your nonprofit’s core values should be well defined, documented, shared and regularly referred to when making decisions, hiring new employees, evaluating programs and services and more – because of this, they should also be included in your strategic plan.
Learn more in our 101 Guide to Developing Core Values
5. Nonprofit Reason for Being
Your Reason for Being is an internal aligning statement that describes your organization’s unique purpose and focus. A Reason for Being statement is intended for internal alignment purposes only and shouldn’t (necessarily) be used externally or put into your final strategic plan. However, it is an integral part of the strategic planning process. Having a good Reason for Being helps to inform the decisions you make about your strategic plan’s focus.
Nonprofit Reason for Being Example:
iMentor Chicago is the post-secondary success organization that exists to build a more equitable future for all Chicagoans.
That’s because only iMentor:
- Works with every student across the whole school;
- Recognizes there are many pathways to post-secondary success for Chicago students; and
- Contributes to combat the efforts of segregation by fostering relationships between volunteer mentors and students across neighborhoods.
Learn more about what a nonprofit Reason for Being is and how to create one by reading, Nonprofit Purpose Statements: What are They and Do You Need One?
6. Nonprofit Strategic Plan Pillars
Your nonprofit’s strategic plan pillars are the three to four big picture priorities your organization must focus on in order to advance its mission, and drive toward its vision, over the next three to five years.
Your pillars should be ambitious yet attainable, pushing your organization to stretch its capabilities and serve as the key themes around which your strategic plan is organized.
Pillar Examples:
- Ensure all clients have access to all services regardless of location
- Enhance organizational and operational excellence
- Expand our mission and amplify impact
7. Objectives: Defining Specific Achievements in Your Strategic Plan
While your nonprofit strategic plan pillars are big picture in nature, your objectives articulate the two to four specific descriptions of the most important things your organization needs to accomplish under each pillar.
They help you track progress toward your pillars and create accountability.
Objective Examples:
- Increase the efficiency of our service delivery
- Advance safety and quality standards and practices
- Expand internal approaches to support optimal member experience, engagement and commitment to safety
8. Key Results: Measuring the Success of Your Strategic Plan
Key results are measurable outcomes that indicate whether you’re on track to achieving your objectives and pillars.
They provide clear, quantifiable benchmarks that help your nonprofit assess progress and ensure accountability. By tracking key results, you can make data-driven decisions to adjust your approach to executing on your nonprofit’s strategic plan when necessary.
Key results should be specific and time-bound, providing tangible evidence that your organization’s efforts are moving the needle toward its larger objectives. Each key result should align with your pillars and give your team a sense of direction and accomplishment as you progress through your nonprofit’s strategic plan.
Key Results Examples:
- Pilot 1 new shared business services model by the end of Q4 2024
- Create a targeted improvement plan based on members’ feedback by Q3 2024
- Develop a phased growth plan through 2027
To learn more, check out our 101 Guide the Pillars, Objectives and OKRs
9. Action Plans: The Roadmap to Your Strategic Plan’s Execution
Action plans break down strategies into specific tasks, assigning responsibilities and deadlines to ensure follow-through. This is where nonprofit strategic planning becomes operational, translating high-level strategies into daily activities. Regularly monitoring and adjustment of action plans help keep your nonprofit on track.
A well-structured strategic plan helps nonprofit leaders focus on what matters most—achieving the mission and making a real impact in the community. By aligning your mission, vision, pillars, objectives, key results, and action plans, your nonprofit can move forward with clarity and purpose. Remember, nonprofit strategic planning is not a one-time exercise; it’s an ongoing process that should be revisited regularly to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
By following these key components, your organization can create a roadmap that drives success, ensuring your efforts are meaningful, targeted and sustainable.
