The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution
Press Release |
| New Book Offers Nonprofits a Revolutionary Approach to Strategic Planning
Summary: To keep pace in a rapidly changing world, a nonprofit’s strategies must also continuously evolve. The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution: Real-Time Strategic Planning in a Rapid-Response World offers a fluid, organic process that enables organizations to identify, understand, and act on challenges and opportunities as they arise.
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA (April 3, 2008)—A new book by award-winning author and thought leader David La Piana offers nonprofits a fast track to strategic planning. The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution: Real-Time Strategic Planning in a Rapid-Response World is the result of four years of foundation-funded research by La Piana Consulting on effective strategy formation. The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution was written to help nonprofits reliably and efficiently produce powerful strategies—patterns of behavior that will enhance their organization’s success. The ultimate goal is to help nonprofits increase their capacity to be more strategic in thought and action on a day-to-day basis. The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution presents planning as a cyclical, ongoing process called Real-Time Strategic Planning. This process has four main phases. Phase one asks an organization to answer the question “who are we?” The organization clarifies its business model, identifies market trends, and articulates its competitive advantage. Finally, these elements help the organization create a memorable identity statement that grounds future strategy decisions. Phase two involves creating a strategy screen. This screen enables an organization to quickly sort emerging strategies, eliminating those that are beyond its reach, outside its mission, or counter to its values. “The screen is critical,” says La Piana. “Nonprofit staff are great at coming up with creative options—but terrible at choosing among them.” The third phase looks at the question “where do we go next” and includes readying the organization to identify “Big Questions.” Big Questions are the strategic challenges or opportunities organizations face: for example, opportunities to restructure or merge, to adopt new technologies that streamline client care, or to change infrastructure. The last phase looks for answers to the question “how do we get there?” Using its strategy screen, the organization develops, tests, and quickly implements new strategies, sorting the successes and failures rapidly. With each cycle the organization gets better at internalizing systems that keep it sensitive to its clients and environment—ready to turn on a dime. The focus is on consistent and continuous assessment and adjustment. The surprise for many nonprofit executives is that the majority of the Real-Time Strategic Planning process can be conducted in as little as a day. To that end, the book includes a compact disc with complete directions (a facilitator’s guide) for leading a Real-Time Strategic Planning kick-off session. It also includes more than two dozen tools that organizations can use to continuously think and act strategically. Conscious that many funders require a copy of the organization’s strategic plan, the author also explains how to convert the results of Real-Time Strategic Planning into a standard plan. “We’re not throwing out the baby out with the bath water,” adds La Piana. “Traditional planning helps the organization come together around a common vision and surface many opportunities. It is still an excellent first step for organizations that have never been rigorous about strategy. The process we’ve developed uses some of the standard tools of traditional strategic planning. But we’ve turned it on its head, focusing on action rather than on planning.” La Piana and his team of consultants piloted the Real-Time Strategic Planning process with more than thirty organizations and have engaged an additional thirty clients in the process over the past two years. “Nonprofit executives—especially those who have been around the block a few times—are pretty jaded about strategic planning. Our experience is that they love the final outcome of this process. Because the plans happen fast, the actual implementation begins right away, capturing the group’s enthusiasm. These strategies don’t wind up on the shelf. They wind up as real-world change.” About the Author About the Publisher About the Book To order, visit www.FieldstoneAlliance.org or call 1-800-274-6024. Review Copies Contact Information For the author: ### |