KEY THREE: Be Strategic
Being strategic encompasses so much more than planning. it's about taking time to:
- Continually seek God’s wisdom (see Key 1)
- Develop a clear vision
- Turn your ‘big picture’ vision into a detailed workable plan with achievable objectives
- Monitor, evaluate, reflect, adapt and change as you go
Learn more about the 10 Keys for impact
Ensuring you take time for the list above will help you achieve professional excellence (see Key 2) and ensure your project is around for the long-haul (see Key 4).
Vision
A famous ice hockey player said that what makes him different is that he
doesn't skate to where the puck is, he skates to where it's going to
be. I think the same approach is needed in ministry. Ask the questions
about where the community is going, look at what changes are on the
horizon and aim to be there to meet the needs.
Jason Scott, Compassion
Planning
Spend time developing a thorough realistic plan. We completely
underestimated everything from the number of people we would see in a
year to the amount of parking spaces we needed. Think it through again
and again. And again. Then talk to lots of churches and groups who have
done something similar so you can learn from their mistakes and
successes.
Catherine Smith, Hope Centre
Start with a clear vision, mission and values and then turn these into
strategic objectives to make sure you are focusing on what is most
important.
Richard Phillips, ACET Ireland|
Growing and changing
• Keep focused on the needs you have identified and the vision you had for fulfilling them
• Be careful not to start tailoring your work to what funders are willing to give to
• It’s important to keep in mind the original aims and objectives when
planning new activities; it’s quite easy to move away from them without
even realising it.
• But also remember you don’t have to be slaves to your original vision;
if the community has moved on you might want to rethink.
Audrey Carmichael, Crossover
Good administration underpins all successful organisations. Investing
in administration support releases and empowers everyone in the
organisation to focus on the role and responsibilities they have been
called to, avoiding distractions and allowing God to use our time to the
full!
Catherine Marshall, Signal
Evaluation
Every two months we hold a short informal service users forum. It’s a
great chance for anyone to have their say about the services, to offer
suggestions for improvement and to air problems.
Phil Herbert, Healthy Living Projects
We collate and read all our evaluation forms within two weeks and seek
to respond to them within six weeks in terms of tweaking services. This
demonstrates that we are genuinely listening. We have also used an
independent evaluator and found his objective observations were vital in
helping us improve.
Audrey Carmichael, Crossover
Letting go
We collate and read all our evaluation forms within two weeks and seek
to respond to them within six weeks in terms of tweaking services. This
demonstrates that we are genuinely listening. We have also used an
independent evaluator and found his objective observations were vital in
helping us improve.
Audrey Carmichael, Crossover
Don’t be afraid to move on. Sometimes things flourish and other times
they die. Some projects run successfully for a few years then peter out;
we’re ok with that as when they end it gives space for something new to
grow.
Bill Shaw, 174 Trust
‘Turning the Key’ – Additional Tips
- Learn to say ‘no’; you can’t help everyone and you’ll lose your identity and focus if you try
- Hold regular Vision Days with all your staff and volunteers to look at
where you are, where you want to go and how you are going to get there
- Follow the needs – if they change, change and grow with them
- Review your processes with others to see if they can be improved
- Evaluate your work regularly and respond to feedback quickly
Other organisations who can help
www.navca.org.uk (National Association for Voluntary Community Action)
www.businessballs.com
www.businesslink.gov.uk