Step 1

strategic planning

introduction

The smartest and most effective activists think, plan, and act strategically. Inexperienced activists make the mistake of focusing only on stopping things. Their only action is reaction. Strategic action is necessary in situations where an opponent blocks the way to an objective. Smart activists use strategic thinking to identify where an opponent is vulnerable, and then figure out how to exploit that vulnerability. They also use strategic thinking to solve problems before they happen.

creating a strategy

Creating a strategy involves:

Defining goals and intermediate and short-term objectives,
Identifying opponents,
Imagining and playing scenarios,
Identifying primary and secondary targets,
Identifying allies,
Deciding what resources are required (salaries, expenses, other),
Devising tactics, and
Drawing up an action timetable.

establishing a mission, vision, or unifying purpose

Staff and volunteers should, together, define their mission. This step can take time, up to one or two hours. Participants offer key phrases that capture the mission of the project, even when an existing mission statement exists. This open forum style allows everyone to contribute, allowing for fresh ideas and ample opportunity for all participants. The facilitator should record these phrases on a whiteboard or poster sheet. From the phrases, the facilitator will draft a few lines or paragraph that represents the mission statement.

defining goals and objectives

Your goals are the broad results you wish to achieve over the long term. Objectives are what you want to accomplish more immediately. Your objectives should follow naturally from your goals and help achieve them.

identifying obstacles

What stands in the way of reaching your objective? Who can make the necessary changes? Who specifically do you need to influence? You may be trying to bring about changes to government policy or legislation. Avoid making incorrect assumptions about how government works, who is responsible, or the most effective route for bringing about change.

imagining and playing scenarios

Strategic thinking is often described as reflective dialogue about the future so that one can avoid pitfalls as well as take advantage of opportunities. One way to do this is by imagining how events will play out, then devising effective responses. Future scenarios may be framed as “what if” questions. Let’s say you are planning to hike up a mountain. The sun is shining, so you may prepare gear and clothing that assumes an easy hike in fine weather. But your preparations will change if you consider “what if” questions. “What if fog makes it difficult to see?” “What if it snows?” “What if someone sprains their ankle?” Good scenarios require informed imagination.

identifying primary and secondary targets

If your group cannot itself deliver a public good, identify a decision maker or primary target who can. Campaigns directed at getting a target to do something usually require negotiation, campaigning, and confrontation. You should also identify one or more secondary targets.

identifying allies

If you can’t influence a decision maker on your own, are there others who can help? When groups with similar interests create strategic alliances, they are much more likely to achieve their goals. The tendency for groups to compete for funds and influence merely serves the opposition.

Devising tactics

Tactics are the action part of a strategy. Generating good tactical alternatives requires creative thinking. Choosing which ones to use requires a knowledge of what works in a particular context. Does the key decision maker agree with your objectives and your solutions? If so, cooperative tactics make sense. Does the decision maker agree with your objectives but not your solutions? If so, consider tactics focused on persuasion and negotiation. Does the decision maker completely disagree with both your objectives and your solutions? Then confrontation may be the only option.

developing an action timetable

Your timetable should be a chart with start and completion dates for everything you want to do. Create action steps for the members, and, at each meeting, refer back to the timetable and evaluate progress. Timetables may need to be revised, but it is important to continue to move things forward.

Key questions

Needs Statement: Why does your project exist? What are the needs that it alleviates?
Description: What are the primary activities that your project engages in?
Goals for the Next Year: What are the goals and outcomes you would like to achieve during the next year?
Measurements of Success: How do you measure success?
Intended Impact: A statement about what you are trying to achieve and will hold yourself accountable to. It identifies what results your group will accomplish, for whom, and in what time frame. While these frequently serve as complements to mission statements that tend to be fairly aspirational in character, they may actually be the same as mission statements where expected outcomes are set forth with sufficient clarity.