Resource Library
June 02, 2021
Strategy Execution: It Starts with Good Plumbing
Imagine yourself walking into the kitchen of a new home and turning on the faucet, and nothing happens. You then go to the bathroom and it’s the same. Beautiful fixtures but no water. When you ask about the problem, you are told that to cut costs, the homebuilder did not include the plumbing. Consequently, you […]
May 12, 2021
Words of Praise for My Latest Book, Nonprofit Strategy: A Phased-Based Approach to Impact, Relevance, and Sustainability
From the Foreword, provided by Susan Kenny Stevens: Mike Stone’s book, and its practical, nuanced approach, arrives on the scene just as nonprofits face one of the most challenging times in recent history. Navigating the future, near- and longer-term, is what this book is about. For his lifecycle framework, Stone uses my book Nonprofit Lifecycles, […]
April 27, 2021
Is Strategy Baked into Your Cake?
First things first: planning is easy; strategic thinking is demanding; both are important. And I love cake. Planning is a rational process whereby we attempt to exercise some degree of control over our world by establishing goals, objectives, and timelines to guide our work. Planning is episodic and finite, a bit like following a recipe […]
March 18, 2021
Is Your Nonprofit Anchored?
We have all seen the inflatable air dancers flailing about in front of car dealerships. These creatures are a fitting metaphor for the experience of the nonprofit organization. Both must remain nimble, as they are continually responding to the changing external conditions. More important, neither can control or predict the inevitable shifts in the direction […]
March 15, 2021
The Anatomy of Strategy
Strategy is the right blend of practice and theory. The need for anchoring is never greater than during times of turmoil and unpredictability. For nonprofits, these conditions are becoming the norm. The key to maintaining relevance, impact, and sustainability is knowing the right questions to ask and when to ask them. Ready to get started? […]
March 10, 2021
It’s Time to Swat the SWOT
In a recent conversation with a nonprofit board of directors, I asked how much they knew about the history of the organization: its founding purpose, its programmatic evolution, and the logic behind the significant decisions it had made along the way. Their responses were mixed, as you would expect. The most unexpected response came in […]
February 26, 2021
Does Data Inhibit Strategic Thinking?
Data analysis is over-rated in nonprofit strategy development. The mere mention of a SWOT analysis makes me cringe. It’s not that I object to the idea behind it (which, in simple terms, is to make sure you know what is going on around you). The cringe is the result of my personal experience wading through […]
February 04, 2021
Why Your Mission Should Not Drive Your Strategy
Too often, nonprofits call upon the mission statement to play a role it is not equipped to fulfill: strategy driver. On the one hand, if a program does not line up with the mission, it should be rejected. On the other hand, having a program that seems to “fit the mission” is not, on its […]
December 09, 2020
Turnaround Strategy: Reclaiming Your Place
Those of us of a certain age remember the advice from a famous beer commercial to “know when to say when.” As anyone who has ever tried to do so can attest, the problem is that it is difficult to recognize when you have reached the point when it is time to say when. Instead, […]
December 01, 2020
Mature Stage Strategy: Affirming the Core
Have you ever known a couple who renewed their wedding vows after many years of marriage? It is a beautiful thing. Why do they do it? What is the value of repeating a promise in the midst of living out that promise? Is it a sign of a troubled marriage? Does it mean that doubt […]