If you are going to embark on a strategic planning process make sure that the plan will be meaningful and be a call to action. Many of the trends lead in the right direction to having this happen. When you are designing your process – either self -led or with a consultant make sure you are considering these issues.

Here’s a summary of the trends I have seen in the last year:

Timeframe
The strategic planning process has to be shorter than it used to be. I have a process I use with small organizations which calls for 2- 3 closely placed meetings, then a break from meetings as committee members complete interviews and then 2 -3 closely placed meetings culminating in a whole Board Retreat.