Thinking Strategically And Preparing A Plan

1. Stating the missions, or purpose, of the organization
2. Analyzing the external environment: culture, economy, and health; market; sources of funding and commodities; and background demographic information.
3. Conducting the SWOT analysis; Assessing internal Strengths and Weaknesses, and external Opportunities and Threats.
4. Establishing goals.
5. Selecting strategies to reach your goals.
6. Establishing objectives.
7. Selecting activities for each objective and developing work plans.
8. Preparing a financial plan in accordance with the chosen strategies.

In the following section, these steps will be described in detail and will be followed by a full example from a private nonprofit family planning organization in Ecuador.

Most organizations can probably conduct the planning process on their own, but all organizations would find it to their advantage to have the process facilitated by someone outside of the organization who does not have a vested interest in the outcome and can create an environment in which ideas and opinions can be freely exchanged.

1. Stating the Mission

The first step in preparing your plan is to state the mission of the organization as it is currently defined. This is usually a general statement of the type of organization, its purpose, and its values.

A mission statement for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH))/Family Planning Division of a Ministry of Health (MON) might look something like this:

Example

A mission statement for a private nonprofit provider of family planning services might look something like this:

Example

A mission statement for the training department of the MCH/Family Planning Division of an MOH might look something like this:

Example

2. Analyzing the External Environment

Find and use data to analyze the external environment