I got into social services because I love the work. I get to combine social work and psychology in ways that can help the people who need it most. But I also have a secret love for the business side of it.
When my partner and I took over CIS 19 years ago, I was happy to lead the strategic planning process. Each year, working on the plan allows me to step back from the day-to-day challenges of our agency and think about how CIS can grow, change, and get better at what we do.
With some preparation and research, you can create a strategic plan to reach your social service agency’s goals efficiently. Here is the framework I use. I hope it enables you to develop strategies for success in your field.
Step 1: Start by Inventorying Existing Plans and Goals
Unless this is the very first strategic plan ever created for your organization, the first step is review. Look at your agency’s most recent plan and inventory past goals and objectives. Take note of when your organization last created a strategic plan. Research how goals and objectives were tracked or measured and note any evaluations or relevant scores.
In addition to evaluating the relevance of existing plans, review measurement procedures. Is the evaluation process adequate? Does it need tweaking or even overhauling? As the management consultanta , Peter Drucker says, “what gets measured gets managed”
Establishing confidence in a current plan and associated evaluations is the first step. If it is solid, you can build on it. On the other hand, if the plan is outdated, insufficient, or non-existent, don’t get discouraged. That may give you the opportunity to build a new plan from scratch.
2. Revisit the Mission Statement
When it comes to setting and achieving strategic goals, don’t forget to revisit the mission statement. It’s a reminder of high-level goals and can serve as a helpful guide for staying focused on the big picture. Reviewing the mission statement should provide clarity on what is working well and what needs to be improved.
Use your mission statement as a filter. Everything in the strategic plan should be aligned with the statement and directly support long-term goals.
Step 3. Complete a SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths are things that already exist in some form within your organization, such as exceptional facilities, experts on staff, awards and recognition, or high success rates.
Weaknesses are internal challenges. They might include things like aging equipment, poor location, staff shortages, or conflicts within your organization.
Opportunities are outside factors that favor your organization. Examples include an increasing need for your services, government leaders who champion your cause, or a decline in providers offering the same services in your area.
Finally, threats are external conditions that create headwinds. Perhaps recent legislation presents a new obstacle. Maybe shifts in the industry, social events, or even economic dips make it harder to execute your strategies.
SWOTs are not meant to solve anything. But they make the strategic planning team aware of how difficult or easy it will be to take on new challenges in the coming year.
Step 4. Develop Strategies and Tactics Aimed at Improved Performance
A strategy is a top-level summation of a plan of action. In the strategic planning process, strategies provide directional explanations for reaching long-term goals.
For example, if a long-term goal or objective is to “reduce recidivism,” your strategies might include
- Develop relationships with local police to explore potential triggers for recidivism
- Leverage university resources to research causes of recidivism formally
If a long-term goal or objective is to “provide best-in-class service,” your strategies might include expanded services, enhanced facilities, or measures designed to attract and keep top-tier staff.
Tactics come next. These are the details that explain how you’ll execute strategies. For example, let’s revisit the strategy of “Develop relationships with local police to explore potential triggers for recidivism.” How will that work, exactly? Sample tactics might include:
- Appoint internal liaisons to work with local police
- Conduct research by conducting fifty one-on-one policy interviews to solicit opinions on recidivism
- Share results with police and stakeholders
- Explore the possibility of creating a recurring panel with police and local stakeholders to discuss the issue and brainstorm new approaches
Once you have strategies and tactics in place, you’re ready to assign duties and start making progress.
It’s also smart to format tactics in ways that make measurement simple. Remember that part of the next plan is tracking the success of each tactic. In some cases, it’s easy. (You either completed research or you didn’t.) In others, including specificity and numbers may be necessary.
For example, for the tactic “Share results with police and stakeholders” the measurement is not clear. In this case, you might want to revise the tactic into two parts, as shown here.
- Share and discuss results with the city’s chief of police.
- Share and discuss the results with mayor, state senator, and at least four local media outlets.
5. Financials
Now you need to get down to the math. You’ll need to document financial considerations and include estimates for each part of your strategic plan. While many aspects of your strategic plan will be mission-driven, some features are practical considerations. For example, will your budget allow you to buy new equipment? How will you fund research? How many people can you employ?
At this stage, it’s wise to lean on the folks in accounting, HR, and operations to create reliable budgets. A well-rounded team can produce accurate estimates and help identify potential trade-offs. For example, if you must invest $100,000 in a new piece of equipment, how can you fund it? Can you get more funding, amortize the expense, or do you need to eliminate other costs? Your financial team can help you develop options.
6. Create Public Value
In our world, public funding is a reality. So your strategic plan must dovetail with the needs of your public audiences. These stakeholders usually include some combination of public administrators, community leaders, industry leaders, mental health experts, local healthcare organizations, and government policymakers.
Keep your stakeholders’ agendas in mind throughout the strategic planning process. If you’re not sure what their agendas are, talk to them. Make sure you know exactly what other people need and expect from your social services organization, and structure your plan in ways that ensure you can deliver on expectations.
Now Get Started!
Strategic planning isn’t quick or easy, so give yourself several months to complete it. Remember that you’ll need to do some measurements, access other opinions, create a financial team, and more. And day-to-day priorities will get in the way and occasionally hijack your schedule. That’s why I strongly recommend giving yourself about twice as much time as you think you’ll need.
Strategic planning is one of the most effective ways to positively impact a social services agency. If you follow these steps, give yourself plenty of time, and bring in experts when needed, you’re on your way to making a big difference in the success of your organization.