When developing a strategic plan, a non-profit will need to identify and list the essential elements (McDonald, 1999) in setting direction. Once the essential elements have been identified and catalogued, the team can move on to the process of setting direction through developing a strategic plan.

The Four Essential (Key) Elements in Strategic Planning

1. Leadership (Key people),
2. Strategy (Key choices),
3. Organizational culture (Key understandings) and
4. Operations (Key capabilities).

Eseential Element Number One: Leadership (Key People)

One of the key determinants of the health and vitality of any organization is the current state of the leadership within the organization. The strategic planning team should be made up of those who are leaders within the organization. As both Kotter (1996: 175-186) and Collins (2001: 12-64) point out, in the 21st century every person within the organization should have leadership capacity. This means that good leaders will first choose the right people before embarking on a journey of doing the right things.

If a non-profit is to develop an effective strategic plan it will first need to identify who the key people (leaders) are within the organization and then bring those people together to collaborate on and support all of the elements of the emerging strategic plan. The following criteria should help in selecting those within the organization who are leaders:

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