Strategic Planning for Educational Advancement: The Whys of Strategic Planning for Educational Advancement
What does it mean when the President or the Chair of the board or the head of your capital campaign says, ‘‘We need a strategic plan’’ or ‘‘We need a new strategy’’ or asks, ‘‘Why isn’t our strategy working?’’ Imagine, as recently happened to a talented friend of mine, that you are the new VP for Advancement with a fine university and have just been called to the President’s office to find the President with the Chairman of the board and they hit you with that exact conversation. What are they really asking and how do you respond? Those comments and questions could literally represent any number of topics or issues ranging from simple clarification on key points about an important capital campaign, to genuine concerns about key operational or organizational issues facing the university, to profound questions about the future of the organization, to someone having their job on the line.
