Foundations of Strategic Planning for Public & Nonprofits

Overview

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Strategic planning is a crucial skill for organizational success, particularly in public and nonprofit sectors. This course introduces the foundational concepts of strategic planning, focusing on its importance, frameworks, and methodologies. You’ll learn how to initiate, plan, and assess strategies to lead organizations toward long-term goals. The course helps you build and implement strategic plans aligned with your organization's mission and vision. By assessing environments and identifying strengths and weaknesses, you will be equipped to formulate strategies that address key challenges and opportunities. What makes this course unique is its practical approach, providing hands-on techniques and case studies that blend theory and real-world application. By the end of the course, you will be ready to lead effective strategic initiatives in any organization. This course is suitable for professionals in public or nonprofit sectors seeking to develop or refine their strategic planning skills. It’s ideal for managers and leaders without formal training in strategic planning. This course is the first part of a three-course Specialization designed to provide a comprehensive learning pathway in this subject area. While it delivers standalone value and practical skills, learners seeking a more integrated and in-depth progression may benefit from completing the full Specialization, called: Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. This course is based on the book, Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, by John M. Bryson and Bert George. Copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Syllabus

Why Strategic Planning Is More Important Than Ever

In this section, we examine how PESTEL forces-tech, demographics, climate, legislation-shape public and nonprofit environments, and illustrate strategic planning's role in risk reduction, mission alignment, and resource deployment.

The Strategy Change Cycle: An Effective Strategic Planning and Management Approach for Public and Nonprofit Organization

In this section, we adapt the Strategy Change Cycle to organisational context, mapping mandates and stakeholders while applying systems thinking to design implementable public and nonprofit strategies.

Initiating and Agreeing on a Strategic Planning Process

In this section, we secure stakeholder buy-in, craft an initial agreement specifying roles, resources and timelines, and apply purpose-mapping to launch an effective, value-creating strategic planning process.

Clarifying Organizational Mandates, Mission, and Values

In this section, we translate explicit and implicit mandates into mission and values, mapping stakeholder expectations to ensure measurable public value and sustained legitimacy, guiding resource allocation and daily decisions.