USVI Public Records

Document text

NGO NEWS for the Eastern Caribbean Linking Environmental Policy Concerns and NGO Institutional Development St. Thomas, V.I. March 1989 PLANNING FOR SUCCESS PLANNING: A detailed scheme, pro gramme or method worked out be forehand for the accomplishment of specific goals. PLANNING is a dynamic, ongoing process within an organisation. It is the basis upon which the group designs its ongoing programmes; it determines the path an NGO wants to take to achieve a vision of i t s f u t u r e . At best, organisational planning is an imperfect process. Yet it can provide the framework to assist an NGO in allo cating its scarce resources and in mak ing decisions. TO PLAN OR NOT TO PLAN Most organisations make planning seem complicated. There is an underlying as sumption in non-profits that its overall mission is so demanding and its purposes so important that planning can best be defined as: "we'll do as much as we can and that's all we can do." Thus, most NGOs are governed by what Brian O'Connell calls the "bright idea" f o r m o f p l a n n i n g . S o m e o n e g e t s a "bright idea" and off the group goes in that direction. It is extremely impor tant, however, for NGOs to overcome such tendencies which result only in simplis tic, short-sighted, and narrow searches for organisational creativity. Why exactly hasn't organisational plan ning taken hold in many NGOs? In part, the answer is because NGO leaders view planning as: - too time-consuming - keeping the group from "more im portant" work - impossible to do because, to plan, the group is required to react to unknown future needs and external conditions not controlled by the organisation. Given these reasons, the NGO tends to resort to "shoot-from-the-hip" planning strategies which do little but keep the group in a state of chronic or intermit tent crisis. The overall perception is t h a t t h e r e i s l i t t l e t o d o e x c e p t t o keep one's head above water, one day at a time. Alternatively, a number of benefits flow f r o m a c l e a r, s u c c i n c t , a n d s h a r e d v i s i o n o f t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n ' s f u t u r e , i.e., from good strategic planning. (1) Leaders and members are given s p e c i fic , r e a s o n a b l e , a n d s u p p o r t i v e guidelines of what is expected of them and why. They see how they fit into the group's "big picture". (2) Less time will be expended on de bating what to do, how to do it, and why; and more time can be devoted to simply getting on with it. (3) A clear and reasonable vision of success is created — of the world as it is and the world as the NGO would like it to be. (4) A well-articulated organisational plan helps leaders and members recognise barriers to success and thereby assists in overcoming them. (5) Funders and other sources of as sistance place emphasis on organisa tional and strategic planning — both immediate and long-term. Published By: Island Resources Foundation, Red Hook Box 33, St.Thomas USVI 00802 THE ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN T h e s i m p l e s t f o r m o f o r g a n i s a t i o n a l planning could be nothing more than an i n f o r m a l , u n w r i t t e n a g r e e m e n t i n t h e minds of key decision makers about the NGO's mission and programmes. But coordinated action among a variety of NGO leaders and members over time usually requires some kind of formal, written plan so that everyone can keep track of what should be done and why. We call this an ORGANISATIONAL DEVEL OPMENT PLAN. No NGO should be without one! Key components of an institutional de velopment plan are discussed below. (1) MISSION STATEMENT The NGO's mission statement is shown in the basic goals, ideas, and concepts t h a t g u i d e t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n , u s u a l l y over a multi-year time frame. It sets forth the reason for the organisation's existence. This statement should be defined by the leadership body of the NGO. It should flow as directly as possible from the organisational "charter" and should set the overall direction of the group. The c o r e m i s s i o n a f f e c t s e v e r y t h i n g t o f o l l o w a n d t h e r e f o r e c a r e s h o u l d b e given to its construction. The mission statement may be modified over time to fit changing functions and programme objectives. Reexamining the core mission regularly serves to refocus direction when required, and a regular review of it should therefore become part of the ongoing planning process within any NGO. (2) REVIEW OF CURRENT RESOURCES AND CONDITIONS The second step in organisational plan ning is to prepare a description of the current resources and condition of the N G O . S p e c i fic q u e s t i o n s o r i s s u e s should be taken into consideration: - A n a l y s i s o f c u r r e n t s t r e n g t h e n s and assets as well as the liabili ties or problems of the NGO. - Review of current resources (re venues, property and capital as s e t s , s t a f f , v o l u n t e e r s , t h e Board, publications, library, com puter system, etc.). - What has been accomplished in the last twelve months? Is everything produced related to the core mis sion of the NGO? If not, it has not contributed to the organisa tion's reason for being. - What didn't get done in the last twelve months? Why? - Examine the quality of the ser vices and programmes being pro v i d e d . A r e t h e N G O ' s " c l i e n t s " s a t i s fie d ? - Does the NGO have a data collec tion system which substantiates programme results? If so, what do these numbers or other quantifiers say about the NGO's service de livery system? Implementing steps (1) and (2) above will help the NGO later to identify what is in fact possible and what is really most important. (3) IMPROVED CONDITIONS The next step in the planning process is to describe the improved conditions the NGO would like to achieve. What does the NGO v/ant to look like in twelve months (a reasonable time frame for an organisational plan)? What improvements are judged attainable? T h e i m p r o v e d c o n d i t i o n d e s c r i p t i o n should be stated in tangibles (i.e., in p r e c i s e t e r m s ) , n o t a b s t r a c t i o n s . I t should be so specific that the improve ment will be readily recognised. Improvements in conditions are often s t a t e d a s o r g a n i s a t i o n a l o b j e c t i v e s , e.g., increase membership from 150 to 175; expand participation of volunteers; i m p r o v e c a p a b i l i t y o f t h e N G O ' s a c counting system; expand benefits to mem bers; improve community services. The NGO also needs to look at what needs to be done in the next twelve months (if it is drafting an annual planning docu ment) in terms of its continuing pro gramme responsibilities. What can real istically be accomplished? What is it g o i n g t o t a k e t o a c h i e v e p r o g r a m m e goals? How can current programmes be improved? What new programmes should be added to the NGO's agenda? What impor tant projects cannot be done in the next year? (4) TACTICS Organisational tactics are those spe cific ways and means for achieving the improved conditions; they provide a road map to guide the NGO from its present position to the desired changes. For example, To increase membership from 150 to 175, the NGO will: better publi cize benefits; conduct two major membership campaigns; develop pro motional informational material. To expand participation of volun teers, the NGO will: initiate an environmental monitoring programme using volunteer members. To improve the capability of its accounting system, the NGO will: form a study committee to explore options; provide additional train ing for staff. To expand services to members, the NGO will: up-date mailing lists; conduct a survey of member priori ties; increase the number of news circulars sent to members. To improve community services, the NGO will: review current level of community service and target areas needing improvement; recruit more v o l u n t e e r s t o e x p a n d s e r v i c e s ; conduct a fund raising drive to e x p a n d i t s a b i l i t y t o d e l i v e r greater and improved services. (5) OPERATIONAL LEVEL OF PLANNING The operational level of planning in volves the day-to-day execution of the tactics which have been identified to carry out programme goals and organisa tional objectives. Basically, the NGO n e e d s t o k n o w w h o i s g o i n g t o b e responsible for what by when and at what cost. Operational planning should include: - financial plans including oper ating budgets for the time frame covered by the organisational de velopment plan; - planning calendar for specific activities and programmes; - staffing assignments and responsi bilities (for staff and volun teers) ; - programme service delivery plan (time table for carrying out the NGO's programmes). Many NGOs have experience in the plan ning process already — namely, their fund-raising campaigns. For example, when an NGO says it is going to raise 20 per cent more money, it has to be very s p e c i fic a b o u t i t s p l a n f o r a c h i e v i n g this goal. The same kind of strategic planning needs to be applied more broad ly to the organisation as a whole. No organisation can make for every aspect of its should it attempt to do less, if NGOs become mor common-sense approach what their resources are assign them to meet insti t h e y a r e l e s s l i k e l y t o and zagging in all direct detailed plans f u t u r e — n o r so. Neverthe- e involved in a to determining and how best to tutional goals, end up zigging ions. I n s t i t u t i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t p l a n n i n g i s one means for NGOs to learn how to iden t i f y t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g s t o b e done and then find ways to lock in re sources to accomplish those goals. SOURCES USED IN PREPARING "PLANNING FOR SUCCESS" Bryson, John, 1988. Strategic Plan ning for Public and Nonprofit Organiza t i o n s . J o s s e y - B a s s P u b l i s h e r s , S a n Francisco. Jensen, D., 1982. "Unifying Planning and Management in Public Organizations." P u b l i c A d m i n i s t r a t i o n R e v i e w, N o . 2 (March/April). O ' C o n n e l l , B r i a n , 1 9 7 6 . E ff e c t i v e Leadership in Voluntary Organizations. Walker and Company, New York. Private Agencies Collaborating To gether, 1988. "Impact," No. 6 (Fall). Society for Nonprofit Organizations, 1988. "Planning for Success." Nonprofit World, Vol. 6, No. 5 (Sept./Oct.). Published by the Island Resources Foundation in cooperation with t h e W o r l d W i l d l i f e F u n d - U S a n d R o c k e f e l l e r B r o t h e r s F u n d . Questions, comments, and contributions from readers are welcome. Information published in NGO NEWS may be used and reprinted by Caribbean NGOs with appropriate credit given to this publication as the source. I s l a n d R e s o u r c e s F o u n d a t i o n i s a n o n - e n d o w e d , o p e r a t i n g f o u n d a t i o n , c h a r t e r e d a s a n o n - t a x a b l e , c h a r i t a b l e o r g a n i s a t i o n u n d e r t h e l a w s o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . C o n t r i b u t i o n s t o s u p p o r t this project and the many other environmental programmes of the Foundation are welcome. Island Resources Foundation Red Hook Centre Box 33 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802 Telephone: 809/775-6225 Judith A. Towle, Editor