Strategic Planning

These days, many organizations are asking themselves: Could we have been better prepared? While organizations use strategic planning to prepare for opportunities and challenges and to chart a course forward, nonprofits have spent 2020 adapting and evolving, and are taking a new look at future strategic planning needs.

Just as we use a compass or GPS to show us where we are and where we want to go, the public values of liberty, equality, community, and prosperity can illuminate our positions and guide our decision making as we envision and navigate toward our community’s future.

This session offers an opportunity for conference participants to hear insights from business leaders about trends and issues in supporting North Carolina’s nonprofit sector. Topics may include: opportunities and issues in supporting nonprofits during the pandemic; equity and inclusion; business and nonprofit opportunities and partnerships; sponsorship changes in these virtual times; the future of business support for nonprofits.

Recording length: 1 hour, 14 minutes

This program is designed to strengthen the financial resilience of nonprofit organizations in North Carolina. Intended for both funders and nonprofit leaders, the program will begin with an introduction to the concept of “full cost” funding and budgeting as strategies to support nonprofit financial health. Full cost goes beyond programmatic budgeting to include things like having working capital to pay bills on time and having reserves to manage risks or opportunities.

Planned giving programs can be a sustainable long-term component of your nonprofit's fundraising strategy. But with a confusing array of jargon – charitable gift annuities (CGAs), charitable remainder annuity trusts (CRATs), actuarial determination, and so on – knowing where to start is daunting. Below are resources explaining the types of planned giving programs, how to market planned giving, and sample appeal letters to get your organization on the path to fundraising for the long-term.

Start a Planned Giving Program

Bellwether Education Partners' COVID-19 Strategic Planning Toolkit for Education & Nonprofit Leaders is an easy-to-use resource that aids leaders in making rapid decisions and actionable plans during the global COVID pandemic.

This Nonprofit Learning Lab* resource entitled, Creating a Fundraising Plan: Step-by-Step Guidebook, offers an in depth review of the process to create a fundraising plan, fundraising strategies, details on how to draft a plan and sample templates. This guidebook also includes activities and worksheets to help staff, board members, and fundraising committee members with developing their fundraising plan.