Strategic planning consumes enormous amounts of resources in the nonprofit world annually. This often translates into time, money, labor, and energy with very little actual return on this important investment. Nonprofit strategic planning is timely and relevant because the legal and social expectations of nonprofits have changed dramatically in the past decade. Nonprofits can’t afford to continue engaging in strategic planning that does not facilitate the changes necessary to move the organization to the next level. The competitive environment in which they operate requires them to maximize the utility of every dollar.

Peggy Jackson, DPA, CPCU, Adjunct LLC, San Francisco, Calif.