stakeholders

In order to be open, responsive and accountable, management committees need to actively engage with their organisation's stakeholders.   Entering into dialogue with stakeholders can bring a number of benefits to the management committee and the organisation:

The board will be open, responsive and accountable, acting at all times with integrity, in the interest of the organisation and its beneficiaries. The board will:

This is also important in demonstrating the organisation is meeting the Public Benefit Requirement.

Who are you accountable to?

The actions and decisions of the Management Committee affect a range of people, including the organisation's membership, staff and many people outside the organisation.  These people are called stakeholders.

Stakeholders include, for example:

The first stage in development of a strategic plan for the organisation involves determining who needs to be involved in the planning process.

The Management Committee needs to decide who should be involved in the strategic planning process.  Generally, it should involve as appropriate:

Those involved in the strategic planning process must start with reviewing the present circumstances and characteristics of the organisation.

In order to plan for the future, you first need to reach a common understanding of the present circumstances.  To answer this question you will need to focus discussions on two key areas:

1. Analysing the external and internal environment; and
2. Reviewing (or developing) the vision, mission and values of the organisation.

1. Analysing the External and Internal Environment

Having reviewed your current situation and the challenges and changes which will affect your future development, the next stage in strategic planning is to come to a common agreement regarding what the future should look like.

To answer this question you will need to clarify:

• your priorities for the next 3 to 5 years;

• your strategic aims (long-term goals); and

The next step in developing a strategic plan is to work out how to get from where the organisation is at present, to where it wants to be in the future.

Creating a roadmap for achieving the strategic objectives will involve the management committee in:

• Setting objectives;
• Resourcing the organisation;
• Agreeing or approving operational/work plans; and
• Ensuring appropriate systems and structures are in place.

Setting Objectives

Your objectives outline how each aim will be achieved.  They should be SMART:

Every organisation should have a written plan for its future development, documenting the outcomes of the strategic planning process.  Your plan should outline how the organisation plans to achieve its aims and objectives.  It should demonstrate that there is effective control and management of the organisation by including a governance section with examples of controls.

The final step in any planning process is to monitor and evaluate progress.  The same way as you check the signposts along a road when completing a journey, it is similarly important to check that development is on track.