Strategic planning can be the most valuable investment of time and energy your group ever makes. This toolkit brings together TREC’s essential strategic planning resources to guide you from your organization’s first thoughts about implementing a new plan to having it a living plan in your organization’s daily life.
If you’re starting from scratch, we recommend reviewing the resources in order. If you are at a specific step in the process or refreshing your knowledge, feel free to jump to the area you need.
Toolkit Resources
Introduction to Strategic Planning
Strategic planning can be the most valuable investment of time and energy your group ever makes. With TREC’s Strategic Plan guide, we offer ideas for making the most of your […]
Threshold Questions to Begin Your Strategic Planning Process
Good strategic planning requires time and effort. Before you dive into the strategic planning process, prepare for the process by asking your group important questions to prepare. These pivotal questions […]
Getting Started: Forming Your Team and Focus for the Strategic Plan
Start your strategic planning right by engaging the right people, setting realistic timelines, and having the right conversations from the start. This resource assists in the formation of a planning […]
Gain Perspective of Your Organization While Strategic Planning
During your Strategic Planning process, it essential to take the time to step back and gain perspective of your organization’s effectiveness. TREC uses an Organizational Ecology Model to assess key […]
Strategic Planning Retreats
If you have the resources and time, a full team retreat in the middle of the planning process is desirable. This resource can help guide you through the logistical and […]
The Basics of Drafting Your Strategic Plan
When you are ready to draft your strategic plan, it is advisable to have a plan and approach prepared for tackling the actual task of documenting the organization’s thinking and […]
Adopting Your Strategic Plan
Formally adopting a strategic plan is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of a board of directors. This resource reviews the process between the planning committee, staff, and board from […]
Putting Your Strategic Plan to Work
You’ve completed your strategic plan, congratulations! Now what? How much do you communicate with your funders and when? How do you pay for and staff the new programs? This resource […]
Your Living Strategic Plan
Once you’ve completed your strategic plan, it’s important to treat it like a living resource through regular reporting, monitoring, and renewal. This brief resources will help with a clear path […]
Supplemental Resource: Marrying Financial Planning to Strategic Planning
This tutorial reviews the key components of linking strategic planning to financial planning. We'll examine approaches to strategic planning from Good Enough to The Works; and also how to budget for revenue gaps and surpluses, determine where to put your fundraising focus, and determine the sustainability of each of your programs.
Supplemental Resource: Theory of Change Overview and Approach
A TOC (Theory of Change) describes the overall focus and approach for creating change: a process of planned social (or other) change, from the assumptions that guide its design to the long-term goals it seeks to achieve. This TREC resource will give you a greater understanding of the role a Theory of Change plays for your organization and how to develop and apply one for your organization.
Supplemental Resource: Building Fundraising Success into Your Planning Process
Money doesn't grow on trees (unfortunately). Securing the funding needed to advance conservation work requires good planning and diligent follow through.
Supplemental Resource: Keeping Strategy on Track with Accurate Job Descriptions and Effective Work Plans
All employees deserve to know what is expected of them and will perform at their best when their job descriptions are clear, relevant and up-to-date. This resource provides a simple and useful template that helps define expectations for staff in five essential ways and investigate a template for work planning that provides links to both strategy and performance evaluation.