Now available!
Inclusive Strategic Planning for Nonprofits:
A five-step process to expand energy, alignment, and opportunity
Based on our popular Nonprofit Strategic Planning course and the strategic planning processes that The Ross Collective leads with clients around the United States, Inclusive Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: A five-step process to expand energy, alignment, and opportunity explores our successful, well-tested process, which brings out the wisdom among organizational staff and boards, builds investment in planning, and creates clarity and focus.
Who is the audience for the book?
The material in this book is valuable for:
Staff and board leaders of small- to medium-sized nonprofits, funders, and government entities who want to orient themselves to Inclusive Strategic Planning and guide them as they plan their time and budget to hire a consultant
Leaders of organizations who choose to do the process on their own because they do not have the resources or desire to hire a consultant
Consultants who are building their skills and seeking to learn more about the steps to lead Inclusive Strategic Planning
What makes the book useful?
This book shares a clear, step-by-step guide to the Inclusive Strategic Planning process, making Inclusive Strategic Planning accessible so that more people, including leaders of smaller organizations who cannot afford a high-touch package with a consultant, will utilize these techniques.
If you ae thinking about doing strategic planning, why should you consider embarking on the harder and more time-consuming work of Inclusive Strategic Planning? As the subtitle of this book indicates, an inclusive process unlocks energy, alignment, and opportunity:
Energy: participants feel energized when they see that their perspectives are incorporated into the final strategic plan
Alignment: Taking the time to hear from one another and agree on strategies and goals builds a feeling of shared ownership towards the plan
Opportunity: Widening participation in planning expands the team’s ability to recognize opportunities and act on them.
Reader feedback:
“I used this book to help plan with my small board as a one-person nonprofit. The questions made it easy to start the right conversations and turned strategic planning into something that actually felt doable—and even a little fun.”
Executive Director of the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative, and founder of Change with Aja Coaching
“I am so excited to buy this book and give copies to all my clients. It does a beautiful job simplifying the strategic planning process. I particularly love the questions in each section. And, the book makes the case that ‘inclusive’ strategic planning is in everyone’s best interest.””
Nonprofit Consultant
“This book is a practical tool for better understanding the process, facing potential objections, and creating workable plans. I could see using it with management teams to get alignment and set expectations and with board chairs and chairs of planning committees. ”
C-Suite Nonprofit Leader
“It was such a wonderfully supportive and informational book that I feel really empowered with the correct tools to begin a Strategic Plan with our team and revisit old plans.”
Business Development Manager, First Tee
