Strategic Planning and your Organization's Life Cycle

When beginning a strategic planning process, there are several questions to consider. In our recent blog, The Question to Ask Before Writing a Strategic Plan, we walked you through one of the essential questions to ask before starting. Another question to think through is where your organization lands on its life cycle. 

All organizations go through three different stages—Growth & Maturity, Decline, and Rebirth. In this article, I will walk you through the various stages to help you determine which fits you best.  

Growth & Maturity

At the beginning of your organization’s existence, you are in the process of setting up foundations, seeking initial support, testing and delivering services to your community, and more. Later, after you’ve had a few years of history under your belt, you begin to think about how you can build upon your early success and offer more to the clients you serve. During this stage, your goals will likely focus on establishing and growing programs. 

Decline

If, as a sector, we are in the business of working ourselves out of a job, then there will come a time when your organization’s services become less relevant, and your resources begin to wain. If your organization is experiencing a reduction in outcomes, donations, and resources, you may be in the decline stage. If so, your goals will either focus on changing the trends or how to conduct the change management process of closure. 

Rebirth

Sometimes organizations experience significant change. Maybe you merged with another organization, changed core services, developed a new audience, or underwent founder transition. The rebirth stage involves strategically handling the transitions while also creating innovative plans for the future. Likewise, your goals will lean towards metamorphosis. 

Are you a new organization just starting out and looking for goals to help you grow?  Have you been in operation for several years and are now starting to struggle and lose funding or resources? Have you experienced significant organizational change and are currently developing drastically new ways for operating.

Understanding where you are in this cycle will set you off on the right foot and guide you in the right direction when developing goals. Understanding life cycles is one lens Spark Group Consulting uses to help our nonprofit clients create meaningful plans. If you are interested in strategic planning services for your organization, contact us today to set up a free 30-min chat. 

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