June 23, 2005 | Read Time: 1 minute
Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook, Second Edition
by Michael Allison and Jude Kaye
Just because the future is unpredictable does not mean a nonprofit organization shouldn’t plan ahead, write the authors of this book.
Michael Allison and Jude Kaye, both consultants with CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, say that strategic planning can help nonprofit groups narrow their priorities to ensure that everyone in the charity is working toward a common objective. By identifying and articulating their values and missions, the authors say, nonprofit organizations will be better able to adapt to whatever circumstances might unfold.
The book provides guidance on how to gather accurate information that will help determine an organization’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the needs of its clients, employees, and trustees. It offers tips on using that analysis to craft mission statements, strategic plans, and objectives for eacy year. Information on how to carry out such plans and establish steps for ensuring their effectiveness over time are also key components of the text.
The authors have included a series of worksheets to help nonprofit leaders focus their thinking at each step of the planning process. This second edition also includes worksheets and exercises on a CD-ROM.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 111 River Street, Hoboken, N.J. 07030; (877) 762-2974; http://www.wiley.com; 458 pages; $39.95; ISBN 0-471-44581-9.
