Crafting a Resilient Strategic Plan in Uncertain Times

A team of employees organizing January 27, 2025 By: Chris Vaughan, Ph.D.

Make sure your association is ready for anything with these five guidelines for creating a plan that’s both flexible and focused.

In an unpredictable world, association leaders face challenges that demand agility and focus. Shifting member needs, economic volatility, and industry disruptions have become the norm. To thrive in this environment, a resilient strategic plan is essential—one that emphasizes focus, adaptability, and stakeholder engagement. Here’s how to craft a plan that’s ready for anything.

Focus on What Matters

One of the biggest pitfalls in strategic planning is trying to do too much. A resilient plan focuses on four to five critical goals that align with your organization’s mission and will drive the most impact. By narrowing your focus, you ensure resources are used effectively and the organization remains agile when unexpected challenges arise.

To stay on track, clearly define what success looks like for each goal. Eliminate initiatives that don’t directly support these priorities. For example, an association focused on improving member retention and enhancing digital engagement might pause efforts on less impactful projects, such as expanding nonessential services. This concentrated approach ensures flexibility and maximizes impact.

Establish Guiding Principles

Guiding principles act as a compass for your organization, providing clarity and consistency in decision making as circumstances change. These principles help leaders stay aligned with their mission and values while adapting to new realities.

To develop guiding principles, identify the core values that should drive your decisions. Examples might include prioritizing member value, fostering innovation, or ensuring financial sustainability. Make these principles broad enough to apply across various scenarios but specific enough to guide actions.

For example, an organization that prioritizes member well-being during crises might adopt a principle to “protect member access to essential resources.” This guiding principle ensures consistent decisions, whether the challenge is a budget shortfall or a global disruption.

Cocreate the Plan With Your Stakeholders

Crafting a resilient strategic plan begins with cocreation. Involve a wide range of stakeholders, including members, staff, and board members, to ensure the plan reflects diverse perspectives and addresses your organization’s real needs.

Gather insights during the planning phase using tools like surveys, focus groups, and collaborative workshops. Engaging stakeholders early in the process fosters ownership of the plan and ensures it remains flexible as circumstances change. For example, one client held a series of stakeholder workshops to prioritize initiatives aimed at member retention. By involving board members, staff, and a cross-section of members, they identified key challenges and codesigned solutions, such as a mentorship program and streamlined onboarding. This collaborative approach resulted in a more focused and impactful strategy tailored to the needs of their community.

Plan for the Unexpected

Planning for potential crises is a hallmark of a resilient strategy. A “what-if analysis” helps organizations anticipate challenges and prepare responses in advance, ensuring they’re ready to act when disruptions occur.

To conduct a what-if analysis, brainstorm possible scenarios, such as a financial downturn, a significant membership decline, or an operational disruption. Develop contingency plans for each scenario, focusing on mitigation and recovery.

For instance, one Sequence client prepared for potential economic challenges by creating a contingency plan to reduce costs while preserving core member benefits. When the downturn hit, the organization implemented its plan swiftly, avoiding significant disruptions and maintaining member satisfaction.

Revisit Your Plan Often

Traditional five-year strategic plans no longer suffice in today’s fast-changing landscape. Resilient plans are dynamic, evolving documents that require regular reviews and updates. Annual or even quarterly check-ins ensure your plan remains relevant and effective.

Another Sequence client that observed a decline in member engagement with traditional benefits shifted midyear to develop a new career-support initiative, including resume reviews and job search workshops. This shift was guided by regular checkpoints in their planning process, allowing them to respond to member needs in real time and deliver timely, relevant value.

Practical Steps To Build a Resilient Plan

  1. Focus on four to five critical goals. Prioritize what matters most to drive impact and remain agile.
  2. Establish guiding principles. Define core values to guide decisions and maintain alignment.
  3. Engage stakeholders. Involve members, staff, and board members to ensure diverse perspectives and strong buy-in.
  4. Conduct what-if analyses. Anticipate challenges and create contingency plans to prepare for the unexpected.
  5. Revisit the plan regularly. Schedule annual or quarterly reviews to stay on track and adapt as needed.

Conclusion

In uncertain times, a resilient strategic plan is your road map to confidently navigating change. By focusing on what matters most, revisiting your plan regularly, establishing guiding principles, engaging stakeholders, and preparing for what-if scenarios, your organization can stay aligned, adaptable, and ready for anything.

With these strategies, association leaders can turn unpredictability into opportunity and ensure their organizations thrive, no matter what challenges arise.

Chris Vaughan, Ph.D.

Chris Vaughan, Ph.D., is cofounder and chief strategy officer of Sequence Consulting.