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Mission, vision and strategic planning

Peter Drucker, a leading expert in management theory says that there are two questions that every organization must answer.

1. What is our business?

2. What will our business be?

The first question has to do with mission (i.e. what we do and why); the second, with vision (i.e. the aspiration to grow, improve or advance in some meaningful way).

It is common for an organization to come to AAI and say that they are interested in raising funds. Exactly what the funds are to be raised for is often more obscure. While mission may be clear and there may be a notion of a building or program to be funded, the desired outcome is not clearly linked to a vision of what the organization can accomplish if the new project becomes reality.

Visioning is a critical first step of a strategic planning process, helping an organization revisit whom and how it has served, refine its mission in the context of the current environment and reveal what it hopes to become in the next stage of its existence.

What then is strategic planning? A strategic plan is the road map of actions necessary to move the organization toward its vision.

To illustrate, when planning a vacation, we picture in our minds a particular experience at a specific destination. If it stops there, it is nothing more than wishful thinking. To make it happen, we need a plan that includes goals and action steps: What date will we leave? What route will we take? What vehicle will we need and who will drive? If we work the plan, we’re much more likely to end up having the desired experience at the chosen destination.

A strategic plan may be divided into a series of one-year plans, each of which outlines the steps to be taken that year. Plans will need to be evaluated and adapted to emerging realities in order for an organization to achieve its vision.

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Visioning vs. strategic planning

What is the difference between visioning and strategic planning?

Visioning, while a critical first step, is only a part of the strategic planning process. If the vision is the desired destination, the strategic plan is how to get there.

To illustrate, when planning a vacation, we picture in our minds a particular experience at a specific destination. If it stops there, it is nothing more than wishful thinking. To make it happen, we need a plan that includes goals and action steps: What date will we leave? What route will we take? What vehicle will we need and who will drive? If we work the plan, we’re much more likely to end up having the desired experience at the chosen destination.

A strategic plan may be divided into a series of one-year plans, each of which outlines the steps to be taken that year. Plans will need to be evaluated and adapted to emerging realities in order for an organization to achieve its vision.

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