Strategic planning is essential for any organization, but it’s particularly critical for nonprofits. They face unique pressures like limited funding, lean staffing, mission‑driven accountability and the need to demonstrate impact to donors, boards and the communities they serve.
A strong strategic plan gives nonprofits clarity, direction and sustainability – especially in an environment where expectations are high and resources are often tight.
That’s what led nearly 200 nonprofit leaders to join a recent seminar hosted by Regions Bank focused on strengthening organizational strategy. The interactive session offered practical guidance, real-world examples and tools organizations can immediately put into action.
The Regions Making Life Better Institute®, with leadership from Gina Sian, hosts a quarterly webinar series designed to leverage the bank’s in-house knowledge and experience to provide no-cost support for nonprofits in areas where they need it most.
“Our nonprofit partners play a critical role in the success of our communities, and we want to do all we can to give back,” said Leroy Abrahams, head of Community Engagement at Regions, as he opened the webinar. “This is one of the ways that that we’re attempting to meet some of those needs, and we certainly appreciate what you do and we appreciate everyone joining us today.”
According to Sian, strategic planning is a topic that repeatedly surfaced in conversations with community partners.
“In an era of limited resources and rising expectations, nonprofit organizations need a strong strategy that can help them say ‘yes’ to the right things, and ‘not now’ to the rest,” she said. “An effective strategic plan should help build alignment across staff and board members, prioritize initiatives and confidently manage risk.”
In an era of limited resources and rising expectations, nonprofit organizations need a strong strategy that can help them say ‘yes’ to the right things, and ‘not now’ to the rest.
Gina Sian, head of the Regions Making Life Better Institute®
To help nonprofits better navigate the process, Hinton Taylor, Strategic Planning manager at Regions, and Rebecca Wilson, an analyst in the Financial Development Program, led participants through the fundamentals of building a plan that is both actionable and sustainable.
As part of the Regions Skills in Service program, Taylor has assisted several nonprofits with strategic planning. And with more than a decade of corporate strategy experience, he has supported organizations at every stage of the planning journey – from initial visioning to execution and measurement.
Strategic Planning Overview
Taylor began the discussion with a foundational definition of a strategic plan. “It should be your organization’s roadmap – the foundation for the decisions you have to make as an organization,” he said. “And it’s a good opportunity to ensure that all your stakeholders – your board, community partners and your staff – are all on the same page.”
He then provided a quick checklist outlining what a strategic plan should be and, just as importantly, what it’s not.
What it is:
- Roadmap that aligns the organization’s people, processes and priorities toward a shared vision of success over a defined period.
- Decision-making guide to say “yes” to the right opportunities and “not now” to distractions.
- Multi-year plan designed to create accountability for long-term goals and organizational sustainability.
What it is not:
- Collection of every idea or wish list
- Static document
- Fundraising plan
Taylor encouraged leaders to avoid investing time and energy into planning only to “put the strategic plan on a shelf.”
“Revisit your plan regularly to make sure you’re sticking to it. And you can always update it,” he said. It should be a living, breathing document. In fact, it’s really more about the conversation than the documentation – but you do need the documentation!”
Strategic Planning in Action
In the second segment of the webinar, Abrahams moderated a discussion with Marissa Castro Mikoy, president and CEO of Jubilee Park and Community Center in Dallas, and Brent McLaughlin, president and CEO of Branches in Miami. Though they lead very different organizations, both have extensive experience in strategic planning and shared insights from their journeys.
Abrahams, whose banking career includes time leading a strategy team, encouraged nonprofit leaders not to be discouraged or intimidated by the process.
“Wherever you are in your evolution with strategic planning, just understand that it’s a constant journey and you’ll continue to improve as you do it,” he said. “We encourage you to embrace the challenge because it will get better and ultimately you will see the results of the exercise.”
The discussion began by revisiting one of Taylor’s key points: understanding what not to do – a challenge for organizations addressing a broad spectrum of community needs.
Wherever you are in your evolution with strategic planning, just understand that it’s a constant journey and you’ll continue to improve as you do it.
Leroy Abrahams, head of Community Engagement at Regions
McLaughlin emphasized the importance of paying attention to shifts in the community between formal planning cycles, which often occur every four to six years. “Inevitably, things change in the community,” he said. He shared an example of how Branches pivoted quickly to address increasing college dropout rates among the students they serve.
The conversation then shifted to how organizations determine whether to take on an emerging need themselves or partner with another nonprofit or government agency.
“You cannot do this work in a silo,” Mikoy said. “You’ve got to bring people that are experts in their own right and trust that the collective can help drive you to the best decision, and that’s what we do.”
Abrahams also asked both leaders about board participation and whether they recommend using an external consultant to guide the planning process.
“Someone from outside the organization is a valuable asset because they bring a whole different perspective,” McLaughlin said. “Being completely objective is incredibly valuable through that process.”
Mikoy added that an external facilitator can also enable the CEO to participate fully in the discussion rather than having to lead it.
Getting Started
Rebecca Wilson closed the session with tactical advice to help organizations begin – or refine – their planning efforts.
“We’ve put together a very brief guide into strategic planning, and this process is by no means set in stone,” Wilson said. “It’s flexible and dynamic, depending on the organization and their needs.”
She encouraged leaders to start with foundational questions: Where are we going? What does success look like? Do our mission, vision, and values support the direction we want to pursue? Once those answers are clear, organizations can begin defining actionable objectives and next steps.
5 Phases of Strategic Planning
- Preparation and Planning: Form a committee, outline the process and set a schedule.
- Foundation and Alignment: Confirm mission and values, review key data and conduct SWOT or similar analyses.
- Strategic Priorities: Discuss broad strategic issues and opportunities for the defined period and identify two to three priorities aligned with mission and capacity.
- Key Initiatives and Metrics: Assign three measurable initiatives to each priority, define success criteria and outline resources, monitoring cadence and communication plans.
- Draft, Validate and Finalize: Compile inputs into a single document, ensure alignment, gather feedback and produce final version for board approval.
Wilson noted that the first four phases function as working sessions, typically a couple of hours each and involving committee members and staff. She also provided customizable templates for every step of the process, designed to work for organizations of varying sizes and missions.
The session wrapped with a reminder that strategic planning is less about producing a document and more about creating shared clarity. By offering practical tools, seasoned guidance and a forum for discussion, Regions helped equip nonprofit leaders with the confidence and structure they need to move their missions forward.
Because when nonprofits have a clear vision – and a thoughtful plan to achieve it – the entire community benefits.
The meeting guide and planning templates can be found
here.