Non-profit Q&A Forum: Strategic Engagement
Keeping people engaged throughout strategic plan execution
The following is from our Non-profit Q&A Forum on September 25, 2019
Question: How do I keep people engaged in strategy execution, especially during periods they’re not as involved and there aren’t yet many results to share?
Answer: Recently, we’ve been talking a lot about the importance of engagement throughout the strategic plan life cycle—Board members, staff, stakeholders, community partners, etc.—so this is a timely question! It’s a challenge, no doubt, to continuously keep everyone excited and committed to executing a strategic plan, but you have to find ways to do it. First and foremost, you need to make sure that Board meetings regularly include discussions of strategic plan progress, issues, needs, and outcomes. This is critical from a management standpoint, of course, but also helps make sure the plan stays at the front of Board members’ minds and equips them to talk about it outside of the organization—potential opportunities for more funding! Second, you should be giving regular updates to staff, letting them know what people are doing, what’s been accomplished, what’s coming up, and opportunities to help. This keeps them informed, and can provide avenues for them to get more involved—participation in “something bigger” is often a huge morale boost, and may generate new thoughts to execute actions more efficiently and effectively. Third, frequent communication with stakeholders—especially funders—is important. They need to know things are moving forward, that what they’re contributing (e.g., grant money, donations) are in fact being used for appropriate purposes, and milestones are being met. Grant reporting is effective (you should be tracking actions and outcomes even when it’s not required), and can often be translated into messaging distributed through newsletters or similar vehicles for other stakeholders. Finally, remember that there’s never really “down time” in strategic plan implementation—something is always going on. Look for ways to engage Board members, staff, stakeholders, and community partners, even if just in little ways.
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