So You’re Ready to Grow: A Strategic Planning Primer for Small Nonprofits
Growth is exciting. It’s also… a little scary.
You’ve gotten this far by doing a lot with a little—scrappy, resourceful, mission-driven. But now your programs are expanding, your community’s needs are growing, and your team might be maxed out. It’s time to take a step back and plan with purpose.
Here’s the good news: strategic planning doesn’t have to be a months-long, jargon-filled process that ends with a 50-page document no one reads. For small nonprofits, it can be a clarifying, energizing opportunity to reconnect with your mission, engage your team, and make decisions rooted in your values and capacity.
Here’s how to start…
🧭 1. Begin With the “Why”
Ask yourself and your team: Why now?
Growth might mean more funding, more programs, or more visibility—but growth for growth’s sake can stretch your team thin. What’s the deeper purpose behind scaling? Who is asking for more? What does your community need?
Tip: Bring your staff, board, and key stakeholders into this question early. Strategic planning is strongest when it reflects shared wisdom.
🎯 2. Clarify Your Vision and Focus
You can’t do everything. (You know this—but your to-do list might not.)
Strategic planning helps identify what you’ll focus on over the next 2–3 years—and just as importantly, what you’ll pause or stop.
Some helpful guiding questions:
What does success look like for us in three years?
What are the core programs that align with our mission?
What’s no longer serving us—or our community?
🧩 3. Assess Your Capacity (Not Just Your Ambition)
Many small nonprofits dream big—and that’s a good thing. But it’s critical to align your goals with your resources: staffing, funding, time, and systems.
Ask:
Do we have the internal capacity to grow?
Where are we overextended?
What support (consultants, technology, partnerships) might help us build sustainably?
This is where outside support can be especially helpful—not to take over, but to bring perspective and structure.
📊 4. Ground It in Data and Lived Experience
A good plan doesn’t rely only on aspiration.
Make time to review:
Your program outcomes
Donor and financial data
Community feedback
And don’t just look at what’s working—understanding what's not can be equally instructive.
🧵 5. Weave in Equity
Planning for the future means examining the systems that got you here. Ask hard questions about who your organization centers, who’s at the table, and how your values show up in hiring, programming, and partnerships.
Equity isn’t a checklist—it’s a thread. Weaving it in from the start helps ensure your growth is aligned with your mission and community.
📝 6. Keep It Simple and Actionable
We believe in plans that are used, not shelved.
Instead of a dense report, consider:
A 1-page vision + priorities map
Quarterly goals with clear ownership
A check-in calendar for progress
Make it visual, accessible, and something your team can rally around.
💬 Final Thought: Growth Is a Choice, Not a Requirement
Sometimes staying steady and deepening your impact is more strategic than expansion.
Whatever you decide, give yourself permission to grow at your own pace—and build in the relationships, reflection, and rest that make growth possible.
Want support designing your next strategic plan?
At Purposeful Consulting Group, we help small nonprofits grow with clarity and heart—no cookie-cutter plans, just thoughtful guidance rooted in your mission. Contact us through our contact page to set up a free consult!