THE ELEVEN PRINCIPLES Accountability, Transparency and Disclosure • Advocacy and Public Policy • Communications • Evaluation • Financial Management
PRINCIPLE:
P R AC T I C E S :
PLANNING:
Vision, Mission, Values
ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING IS A PROCESS through which a nonprofit defines and sets short- and longterm goals, priorities and the strategies and activities it will employ to fulfill its mission. A holistic plan includes strategies for building organizational capacity and sustaining or growing programs and resources, including board and staff members. Planning focuses stakeholders around the mission. Planning is ongoing rather than occasional and requires input from a diverse cross-section of stakeholders to assure the organization’s programs continue to meet the needs of its communities and constituencies. Planning is the most central aspect of nonprofit management and leadership for nonprofit board and staff members alike, and is central to sound decision-making.
Photo opposite: Homeword, Missoula
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M O N TA N A N O N P R O F I T A S S O C I AT I O N
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1. Originally defined by its founders or its initial board of directors, a nonprofit’s vision, mission, and value statements are regularly reviewed by the board of directors, taking into consideration societal and community changes. This review determines whether these statements are still relevant or should be amended to address evolving needs of its target constituents and the communities at large.
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2. For a nonprofit organization to have a coherent and consistent set of programs, the board of directors and the staff are able to articulate a shared vision and mission for the organization that guides the establishment of its goals and objectives and the selection of strategies for obtaining them.
Assessment and Planning
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3. For organizational planning to be effective and to remain responsive and relevant to community needs, a nonprofit must seek and incorporate input from a variety of sources, such as staff, the board of directors, donors, constituents, and a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, including those traditionally marginalized.
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4. Organizational planning is intentional and ongoing, with clear metrics and measurable outcomes that reflect the organization’s mission and allow continuous learning and improvement.
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5. A nonprofit conducts periodic evaluations of the effectiveness and impacts of the services it is providing, extracts lessons from those evaluations, and uses them to plan, direct, and strengthen future deployments of nonprofit and community resources. A nonprofit may consult with counterparts in its field to devise its evaluation. Legal, Essential and Recommended practices related to Evaluation are found in the Evaluation principle.