This episode is sponsored by my wonderful friends at Qgiv! I'll be holding a free webinar with them on July 21 - to go https://www.bit.ly/qgivandjulia and register for free! See you there!If you’ve got a Strategic Planning document on a shelf somewhere that was written after an enormous number of meetings but never cracked again, you are in good company. Many nonprofits spend time, resources, and precious bandwidth creating a Strategic Plan - never to look at it again. Yikes. In an ideal world, a Strategic Plan covers the why and how of your existence, and encompasses broad strategic goals and strategies that you want to accomplish in the near future. It defines what an organization should do within the next two to five years - and how to get there.But before your nonprofit ventures into the nonprofit strategic planning process, there are several considerations you need to take into account.Carol Hamilton is an organization effectiveness consultant who helps nonprofits become more strategic and innovative for greater mission impact. She facilitates strategic planning, helps organization’s prepare for executive transitions and provides training.Carol trains frequently on leadership, strategy and innovation topics and is the host of the Mission: Impact podcast. She graduated from Swarthmore College and has her Masters in Organization Development from American University.Here are some of the topics we discussed:Common mistakes nonprofits make when making a strategic planHow to know if you have a successful strategic planWhat are some of the elements that go into a successful processHow long is the process and how often to revisitHow can we do strategic planning in uncertain times? How can we plan 3-5 years into the future? Connect with Carol:https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-hamilton-0052b71/Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLCAbout Julia Campbell, the host of the Nonprofit Nation podcast:Named as a top thought leader by Forbes and BizTech Magazine, Julia Campbell (she/hers) is an author, coach, and speaker on a mission to make the digital world a better place.She wrote her book, Storytelling in the Digital Age: A Guide for Nonprofits, as a roadmap for social change agents who want to build movements using engaging digital storytelling techniques. Her second book, How to Build and Mobilize a Social Media Community for Your Nonprofit, was published in 2020 as a call-to-arms for mission-driven organizations to use the power of social media to build movements. Julia’s online courses, webinars, and talks have helped hundreds of nonprofits make the shift to digital thinking and raise more money online.Connect with Julia on other platforms:Instagram: www.instagram.com/juliacampbell77Twitter: www.twitter.com/juliacsocialLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/juliacampbellBlog: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/blogTake Julia’s free nonprofit masterclass, ​3 Must-Have Elements of Social Medi