A formal strategic plan sets the stage for a successful grant writing program by:
- Identifying the mission and goals of the organization clearly; helping to avoid mission creep.
- Identifying the activities and programs that are priorities to help avoid development driven projects.
- Providing a summary of demographic, social, and economic variables in the community served by the organization that provide clarity about the population served and provide a measure of “fit” with funder priorities.
- Identifying trends that indicate the need for developing new structures, processes, and programming; helping reduce resistance to change by engaging stakeholders in the change process.
Strategic planning also identifies the types of funding that the organization may need to seek. For example, if the strategic plan identifies new facilities as a strategy for accomplishing their goals, then capital funding will be required. Grant research can focus on capital funders and the case statement can be developed using the information gathered during the assessment phase of the planning process.
If new programming is a strategy for reaching newly prioritized community groups, then start-up funding will be required.
The planning process will provide an opportunity for organizational stakeholders to explore income development strategies such as special events, for-profit ventures, and donor development. Identified strategies will shape the grant research and writing processes. The plan may indicate that developing a comprehensive grant research and writing program is a priority which impact the development of the grant writing team, determine whether additional resources will be allocated to the grant writing process, and provide a backdrop for developing grant project management tools.
The strategic plan carries forward the vision of the organization and provides a framework for fundraising activities that will help it accomplish its dreams.
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