Stop filing your strategy away 

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there”  - Lewis Carroll

Strategy has become just another item on the ever-growing to-do list of voluntary sector managers. Too often, it feels like a ritual rather than a useful activity. Every few years, leaders begin speaking a new language of visions, missions and competitive analysis. Away days are scheduled. Flipcharts are filled. A polished plan emerges. Then it is quietly filed away until the next cycle begins. 

It shouldn’t be like this. 

The starting point of the new edition of Business and Strategic Planning for Voluntary Organisations is simple. Strategy can and should be one of the most valuable conversations an organisation has. Done well, it brings clarity, confidence and cohesion. 

Strategy works in two directions. 

Externally, a clear strategy explains the big idea behind your organisation. It helps partners, funders and supporters understand what you are trying to achieve and why it matters. It makes the case for them to support or work with you. 

Internally, strategy brings focus. It reconnects people to a shared purpose. It sharpens decision-making and provides a framework for choosing how to move forward. 

Writing a strategy in stable times is relatively easy. Today’s environment is anything but stable. Funding is tight. Demand is rising. Policy and social agendas shift quickly. In such conditions, it is tempting to focus only on survival. 

That is precisely when strategy matters most. 

A good strategy prevents drift. It stops organisations chasing every new funding opportunity or continuing activities simply because that is what they have always done. Instead, it builds confidence, clarifies priorities and directs scarce resources where they will make the greatest difference. 

At its heart, strategy should answer six essential questions. 

How clear is our purpose?

What are we trying to achieve? How will we know we have succeeded? What do we stand for? What makes us distinctive? 

What external forces will shape our future?

Which trends and developments must we respond to? What role should we play in a changing landscape? 

What is our direction?

Where do we want to be in three to five years? What are our priorities? What will we do more of and less of? 

Where can we make the greatest impact?

Which activities create the outcomes we exist to deliver? How do we use limited resources to maximise results? 

What is our business model?

How do we build income streams that are sustainable and not overly dependent on one or two sources? 

What is the immediate way ahead?

Where do we start? What should leaders focus on now? What milestones will help us track progress? 

This book explores practical ways to make strategy more than a glossy document. Drawing on real-life examples, it shows how to develop an approach that genuinely steers organisations through uncertain and demanding times. 

Three principles underpin this approach: 

Get the process right

People are far more committed to a plan they helped create. Strategy should involve the right voices, encourage fresh thinking and help people see the bigger picture. It must also be well managed, with clear decision points and timelines. Otherwise the process drifts and energy dissipates. 

Be prepared to say no

As Steve Jobs observed, strategy is as much about deciding what not to do. Without clear choices, everything feels urgent and important. Strong strategy sets a realistic focus and gives permission to stop doing what no longer serves the mission. 

Be confident

Strategy is an opportunity to restate the organisation’s purpose and reaffirm its values. A good strategic plan tells a coherent story: the need you exist to address, the change you want to see, the context you are working in, your priorities and the resources required to deliver them. 

Strategy is not a bureaucratic exercise. It is a leadership discipline. In challenging times, it is one of the most powerful tools an organisation has.

For more on this topic, see the new edition of Business and Strategic Planning for voluntary organisations!