Strategic Planning & Development

Strategic planning is crucial to any association or not-for-profit organisation.

As a CEO or President, you carry responsibility not just for having a strategic plan, but for ensuring it genuinely guides the organisation and delivers results.

Our Strategic Planning and Development services are designed to support you and your Board to move from strategy as an event, to strategy as an operating discipline.

We start by addressing the questions that matter most at leadership level:

Do we have a clear, current and achievable strategic plan that reflects our purpose and future direction?
Is the Board actively using the strategy to guide decisions, priorities and trade-offs?
Are management and staff aligned to the strategy and confident in how it translates into day-to-day operations?
Do we have clear measures in place to track progress, performance and impact?

Association Executive Services works alongside you, your Board and senior team to not only develop the strategy, but to embed it across governance, operations and culture. We help translate strategic intent into practical actions by aligning business plans, budgets, KPIs and reporting frameworks — ensuring everyone understands their role in delivery.

The result is a strategic plan that supports confident leadership, strengthens Board–management alignment and provides a clear line of sight between decisions made in the boardroom and outcomes achieved across the organisation.

Our strategic planning services follow a structured approach using these key steps:

Benchmark the strength of your strategic plan with over 700 associations in Australia

We have been innovating and researching the effectiveness of strategic planning for over 10 years. We know what works, and we bring this knowledge to your project.

Review of the existing strategic plan

By reviewing any existing plans, we get an idea of your central goals and how the current plan is working. Sometimes there is no plan, so we start from the beginning and help build your strategic plan and/or business plan.

Interviews of key stakeholders

No matter how good a strategic plan is, it cannot succeed without complete buy-in from key staff and the Board members. This stage is imperative in ensuring that everyone is on the same page and prepared to back the plan.

Facilitation of a workshop with key stakeholders

If your association has never worked off a strategic plan, a workshop will be essential in teaching key staff members about how to formulate and implement one.

Development of the strategic plan

This stage will be collaborative. Your input will be essential in creating a strategic plan that can be actioned, financed, and achieve your goals.

Assistance and advice on the use of the strategic plan

A strategic plan is just a piece of paper until it is actioned, and we provide you with the tools you need to make your vision a reality.

Review of the use of the strategic plan in board meetings

The strategic plan needs to be a central talking point of every Board meeting, and w e can show you how to do that.

If your association requires only part of the process, such as a review of your current plan, or a workshop to assist with a new plan, please contact us or call us on
03 8393 9382 to discuss a more tailored option for your association.