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In turbulent times, planning can feel impossible. COVID-19 taught us all how quickly our environment could shift, and now many organizations are again navigating similar levels of uncertainty - this time from changing funding streams and shifting policy priorities.
The good news? Strategic planning shines most when uncertainty is highest. Here are five concrete steps your nonprofit can follow to stay relevant and resilient in chaos:
1. Clarify Your Mission—and Make It Known
When everything is uncertain, your mission must remain crystal clear.
During times of chaos, people turn to familiar anchors. Your mission is your north star, and it should be one of them. This isn’t just about what your organization does; it’s about why it exists and why it must continue to exist. In a crisis, clarity of purpose cuts through the noise and rallies your community. It keeps stakeholders aligned and ensures everyone is rowing in the same direction, even if the waters are rough.
You need to make your mission known—constantly. When funding sources change or policies shift, your stakeholders need to understand why your work matters now more than ever. From donors to volunteers to clients, people support causes they believe in. Reaffirm that belief.
Self-Assessment:
- If you ask three random team members/board members about your mission, can they repeat it back correctly?
- Would a potential new donor understand why your work matters right now based solely on your website and social media?
2. Gather Inclusive Feedback
Don’t plan in isolation. The more stakeholders involved, the stronger your support.
Creating a strategic plan without input from those who matter most is like building a bridge without testing the ground. You risk wasting time, resources, and energy on goals that don’t align with the true needs of your community.
Inclusivity in feedback gathering does more than provide a broader perspective. It builds ownership. When people feel heard, they’re more likely to advocate for your plan’s success. Engagement shouldn’t be a checkbox activity; it’s an ongoing process that strengthens your plan’s resilience by making it more comprehensive and better-informed.
Reach out to donors, volunteers, staff, and especially the people you serve. Consider structured interviews, surveys, or listening sessions. The broader the input, the more resilient your plan becomes - and critically, get back to them with what you’ve learned - and what you are going to do about it! This is how you build buy-in!
Self-Assessment:
- What formal mechanism do you have in place to regularly capture feedback from those you serve?
- Have you collected input from at least one representative of each key stakeholder group in the last six months?
3. Long-Term Vision with Flexibility
Chart a vision for years into the future—but build flexibility into every step.
Every nonprofit needs a vision. But in times of turbulence, having a rigid vision can be a liability. Instead, focus on building a flexible roadmap. Imagine your strategic plan as a GPS that continually recalculates based on the terrain, rather than a set of printed directions that never change.
Instead of laying out a multi-year action plan, create a one-year plan broken into quarterly objectives. This makes your strategy adaptable to new information and evolving challenges. Your multi-year plan becomes your destination, but you can go in knowing that you will plan for shorter implementation cycles and adjust as needed.
It’s about finding the balance between having a clear destination and recognizing that the path to get there may change. Flexibility isn’t about being indecisive; it’s about remaining responsive.
Self-Assessment:
- Can you identify three external factors that might require you to pivot, and do you have contingency approaches for each?
- How often do you revisit and potentially adjust the implementation plan for your strategy?
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
Charles Darwin
4. Narrow Your Focus (Even More)
Normal times call for 3-5 high-level goals, but turbulence demands extreme focus.
It’s common for organizations to try to do too much at once. But in times of crisis, focus becomes more important than ever. The temptation to address every issue or pursue every opportunity is strong, but success comes from ruthless prioritization.
During turbulent times, strategic plans need to be more top-down and even more focused. You might need to narrow your objectives to two or three absolutely critical goals. This clarity ensures that everyone on your team understands what matters most—and why.
When survival is at stake, it’s about doing fewer things, but doing them exceptionally well.
Self-Assessment:
- Can every team member name the organization's top two priorities for this quarter?
- If resources were suddenly cut by 30%, which programs or initiatives would you protect at all costs?
5. Keep Your Plan Alive
Strategic plans should be living documents—not static roadmaps.
The best strategic plans are agile and adaptable. Without ongoing attention, even the most carefully designed plan will become outdated or irrelevant. Build structure into your leadership cadences to keep your plan alive.
Hold monthly check-ins and quarterly retrospectives. Review progress, assess what's working, and adjust what isn’t. Foster a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Successful organizations recognize that the plan they launch on day one will not be the plan they end with years later. It evolves.
Building a culture of learning isn’t just about fixing mistakes—it’s about continuously improving what already works. Leadership must be proactive in ensuring the plan evolves as the environment changes.
Self-Assessment:
- When was the last time you formally reviewed progress against your strategic objectives with your leadership team?
- Does your board receive regular updates that highlight both progress and strategic adjustments made in response to changing conditions?
The bottom line
Strategic planning isn’t about predicting the future. It's about preparing your organization to navigate—and even thrive—in the unknown.
Additional reading:
- https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/future-proof-solving-the-adaptability-paradox-for-the-long-term
- https://hbr.org/2022/08/in-uncertain-times-the-best-strategy-is-adaptability
