Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook

by Michael Allison, Jude Kaye

Your total guide to putting a powerful management tool to work in your organization

Why strategic planning? Because a well wrought strategic plan helps you set priorities and acquire and allocate the resources needed to achieve your goals. It provides a framework for analyzing and quickly adapting to future challenges. And it helps all board and staff members focus more clearly on your organization's priorities, while building commitment and promoting cooperation and innovation.

But to be effective, your plan will need to address the special needs of the nonprofit sector. And for more than a decade, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations has been the number-one source of guidance on all facets of strategic planning for managers at nonprofits of every size and budget.

This thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded edition arms you with the expert knowledge and tools you need to develop and implement surefire strategic plans, including tested-in-the-trenches worksheets, checklists, and tables—in print and on the companion CD-ROM—along with a book-length case study that lets you observe strategic planning in action. Packed with real-world insights and practical pointers, it shows you how to:

Develop a clear mission, vision, and set of values Conduct SWOT analyses and program evaluations Assess client needs and determine stakeholder concerns Set priorities and develop core strategies, goals, and objectives Balance the dual bottom lines of mission and money Write and implement a solid strategic plan Develop a user-friendly annual work plan Establish planning cycles, gauge progress, and update strategies

Genres: Business, Professional Development, Leadership, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Grad School, Management

480 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Rilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive

[Tim Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reduce to comics + 3 pages of content and might be good. Summary: make plan, execute plan, evaluate. 400+ pages waste

[Gary Beck Dallaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freely admit I lack good judgment sometimes. Over the past year, I undertook leading two strategic planning processes without any formal training. Yes, I know. What was I thinking? Thanks to a colleague, I just read "Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations" by Michael Allison and Jude Kaye which is golden.

What stands out immediately is how grounded the book is. For those of us who have learned strategic planning by bumbling through the process, the structure Allison and Kaye provide did feel reassuring and clarifying. They translate what can otherwise feel like an abstract, jargon-heavy endeavor into a clear, staged, and highly practical process.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its balance between conceptual framing and actionable tools. The authors do not simply describe what strategic planning is; they walk you through how to do it. Worksheets, templates, diagnostic questions, and facilitation tips are presented not as add-ons, but as the backbone of their process. In my continued efforts with two strategic plans, I can say these kinds of tangible resources are exactly what I needed, especially when trying to guide a diverse group toward consensus and clarity.

Another aspect that resonates deeply is the attention to stakeholder engagement. The book consistently reinforces that strategic planning is not just a technical exercise but a relational one. This reflects reality: much of the challenge is not crafting goals, but aligning people, surfacing assumptions, and navigating institutional culture. The authors’ guidance helps demystify that interpersonal complexity while still pushing the reader to be intentional and disciplined in their approach.

Yet, if there is one part of the book that proves especially powerful after actually leading planning processes, it is the final chapter. Allison and Kaye emphasize implementation, adaptability, and organizational learning. This discussion reinforced my belief that a strategic plan is a living document, one that must be revisited, monitored, and integrated into everyday decision-making.

In retrospect, reading this book after leading planning processes adds another layer of appreciation. Many of the missteps, uncertainties, and improvisations I encountered are addressed directly in its pages. It validates the instinctive parts of what went well while also highlighting where a more structured approach could have saved time or improved outcomes.

Overall, "Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations" is an excellent, practical resource. For novices, it provides a roadmap. For anyone responsible for guiding an organization’s direction, it underscores an essential truth: strategic planning is not a one-time event, but an ongoing discipline that requires both candor, rigor and reflection.

[Izetta Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well organized and executed, I found this book very helpful in laying out how to do strategic planning. It is particularly helpful because it includes a CD-ROM (the rage in strategic planning books these days)as well as worksheets that can be used to guide the strategic planning process. The book is also useful in that it includes case studies from nonprofits engaged in strategic planning, along with alternative approaches to strategic planning. This book works well, not only for the novice, but also for strategic planners who are more experienced.

I hesitate to give the book 5 stars, because it lacks information about how to execute a communication strategy or plan to share what comes out of a strategic plan. Not having a communication strategy - or tips that such a strategy should be developed, seems to me, a pretty big omission, considering that communication and information sharing are generally expected in most nonprofits.

[Jennifer James]

This is a very practical, useful book full of worksheets which guide the reader step-by-step through the process of creating a strategic plan. I was asked to be on a strategic plan planning [sic] committee at work, and the committee chair recommended this book. I had no idea even what a strategic plan was, so I read it. I now have a sense of what we're going to be doing over the next academic year. I'll try to remember to write more about how useful it was (or not) once we've completed the process.

[Marsha Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book was written from the perspective of a healthcare organization, it had some good templates and process for developing a strategic plan. Maybe I will write a book for Educational Strategic Planning similar to this since there is not one!

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was told that this book is used as a text book for strategy students, and that definition definitely seemed to fit. Its very dense and a dry read, but there are tons of tools that can be useful if you're leading a strategic planning effort.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading for my Educational Planning class...it's good, but not my favorite topic.