In episode 109 of Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton discusses the critical components of nonprofit strategic planning, emphasizing that it's much more than just a retreat. She highlights the importance of preparation, comprehensive stakeholder involvement, and continuous adaptation to ensure the strategic plan remains relevant and actionable. Hamilton underscores that nonprofits should consider a strategic planning process that includes pre-retreat work, stakeholder engagement, and post-retreat follow-through, fostering alignment between board members, staff, and the overall mission. The episode concludes by reminding leaders that strategic planning is an ongoing, adaptive process aimed at maintaining the organization’s ability to respond to changing circumstances while staying focused on its mission.

Episode highlights:

[00:00:00] Strategic Planning Beyond the Retreat
Carol introduces the episode by discussing the common misconception that strategic planning is just about the retreat. She explains that a truly effective process requires more preparation and post-retreat follow-up for long-term success.

[00:03:00] Why Do Strategic Planning?
Strategic planning helps nonprofits step back to assess their current state, engage with stakeholders, and reconnect with the organization’s mission. The medium-term focus (3–5 years) creates a roadmap for growth and mission alignment.

[00:05:00] Pre-Retreat Preparation: Data Gathering and Stakeholder Input
Carol emphasizes the importance of gathering input from a diverse range of stakeholders before the retreat. This data gathering phase, often aided by an outside consultant, helps shape the strategic inquiry for a more informed and balanced planning process.

[00:07:00] Involving Both Board and Staff in the Retreat
Carol explains that involving both board members and staff (depending on the organization's size) leads to a more holistic understanding of the nonprofit and enhances buy-in for the resulting strategic plan. This inclusive approach ensures that the plan is grounded in reality and supported by key stakeholders.

[00:08:20] Pitfalls of a Retreat-Only Approach
If strategic planning retreats are conducted without adequate preparation, they risk creating disjointed goals that don’t align with the organization's actual capacity or needs. Carol cautions against generating “wish lists” that lack actionable steps for implementation.

[00:09:00] Post-Retreat Follow-Through and Plan Implementation
After the retreat, a smaller committee should refine the draft plan and ensure feedback from the larger group is integrated. Carol stresses the importance of setting shorter-term goals (quarterly, biannually) to ensure the organization remains agile and responsive to change.

[00:11:00] The Dynamic Nature of Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is not a static process. Carol advises that plans should be revisited regularly, with progress measured and adjustments made as new challenges arise. Having clear success indicators helps ensure the plan evolves along with the organization’s needs.

[00:12:00] Embracing the Full Scope of Strategic Planning
Carol concludes by reinforcing that the power of strategic planning lies in its ongoing nature, which allows nonprofits to remain adaptable and responsive while still focused on their mission. Leaders are encouraged to embrace this comprehensive process to boost both organizational impact and sustainability.

Be in Touch:

✉️ Subscribe to Carol’s newsletter at Grace Social Sector Consulting

💻 Give us feedback on the show

Find the books referred to on Mission: Impact

👥 Like what you heard? Please share the podcast with a colleague or friend

🌟 Help more people learn about Mission: Impact by leaving a rating & review.

😀 Connect with Carol Hamilton ➡️ LinkedIn

In episode 108 of Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton explores how nonprofit leaders can measure and map their organization’s impact through building out their theory of change and program logic models. I explain:

• That you already have a theory of change, even if it hasn’t been formalized.

• how making these models explicit not only helps funders and stakeholders understand the value of an organization's work but also aligns teams and improves programs.

• how organizations can better understand their programs, identify gaps, and articulate how their work drives meaningful change.

• How to practically put this into action

Episode highlights:

Every Organization Has a Theory of Change (Even If It’s Hidden)

[00:02:32] - Hidden Theories of Change Carol emphasizes that every nonprofit already has a theory of change, even if it’s implicit. The challenge lies in making it explicit and shared across the organization to align efforts and strategy.

[00:03:25] - Logic Models as Blueprints She explains how program-level logic models map out the necessary resources, activities, and expected outcomes, serving as blueprints for program implementation and evaluation.

[00:04:49] - Building a Shared Vision Working together to create a Theory of Change and logic models not only reveals gaps in assumptions but also builds a shared understanding within the organization, strengthening cohesion.

[00:07:12] - Practical Example: Watershed Organization Carol provides a concrete example of a local watershed organization, illustrating how they mapped out their programs in a logic model to address environmental education, citizen science, restoration, and policy work.

[00:09:55] - Keeping Evaluation Simple She advises against overwhelming data collection, encouraging nonprofits to focus on a few key metrics that matter. This helps balance the workload and ensures meaningful learning from evaluations.

[00:11:21] - Hypothesis Testing Carol describes the logic model as a hypothesis, where organizations can test assumptions and adjust programs based on data, making the process an opportunity for learning rather than a pass/fail exercise.

[00:12:29] - Sharing Results with Stakeholders She highlights the importance of sharing results not only with funders but with all stakeholders, customizing communication based on the audience’s interests.

[00:16:05] - Simplifying Program Evaluation Using the example of a peacebuilding nonprofit, Carol explains how she helped them streamline their evaluation process across different programs by designing a unified set of survey questions, enabling more effective data collection.

[00:17:41] - Complexity of Systems Acknowledging the limitations of logic models, Carol encourages organizations to use them as tools to capture a slice of reality and proceed with realistic expectations.

[00:18:56] - Encouragement to Invest in Evaluation Carol encourages nonprofits to invest time in building their Theory of Change and Logic Models, emphasizing that these tools help align strategies, reveal gaps, and strengthen program evaluation.

Related Episodes:

Episode 17 Program evaluation

Episode 76 Getting clear on your theory of change

Be in Touch:

✉️ Subscribe to Carol’s newsletter at Grace Social Sector Consulting

💻 Give us feedback on the show

👥 Like what you heard? Please share the podcast with a colleague or friend

🌟 Help more people learn about Mission: Impact by leaving a rating & review.

😀 Follow Carol Hamilton ➡️ LinkedIn