Value Proposition
Enable National Societies to define clear medium- and long-term direction, make informed strategic choices, and adapt to changing humanitarian needs by leading an inclusive, realistic, and purpose-driven strategic planning process for leadership, staff, volunteers, and partners.
Purpose & Strategic Importance
Strategic planning is a core leadership responsibility that helps National Societies remain relevant, effective, and sustainable in fast-changing environments.
It provides a structured moment to step back from day-to-day operations, reflect on humanitarian impact and organisational performance, and decide what the National Society will and will not do in the future. Without strategic thinking and planning, National Societies risk short-term decision-making that undermines long-term sustainability, credibility, and alignment with their mandate and Fundamental Principles.
This capability guides the whole organisation: it guides programme and service portfolios, shapes resourcing and partnerships, and provides a reference for governance oversight.
Core Concepts & Definitions
- Strategic thinking: An ongoing mindset and capacity that aligns day-to-day decisions with medium- and long-term goals, especially during uncertainty or crisis. It matters because it helps ensure short-term actions do not undermine long-term sustainability.
- Strategic planning process: A collective, structured process of shared strategic thinking involving stakeholders inside and outside the National Society to define future direction and priorities. It matters because it turns strategic thinking into concrete choices and direction.
- Strategic plan: The outcome of the strategic planning process — a document that defines a shared vision, sets priorities, and guides operational and development decisions. It matters because it creates alignment across the National Society and provides a reference for partners.
- Operational plan: A short-term plan and budget that translates strategic priorities into concrete activities. It matters because it operationalises the strategy.
Principles
- Leadership-driven: Strategic planning is a leadership responsibility, with governance and senior management accountable for direction and decisions.
- Participatory and inclusive: Effective strategic planning engages branches, staff, volunteers, governance, communities, and partners to build ownership and cohesion.
- Choice and focus: Strategy is about making clear choices and prioritising what matters most within realistic resource constraints.
- Adaptive and learning-oriented: Strategic plans must be monitored, reviewed, and adjusted as contexts change.
Links with Related Capabilities
- Governance & Leadership – Provides mandate and oversight; approves strategy and major adaptations
- PMER / Data & Insight – Supplies assessments, evaluations, and performance data; informs analysis and monitoring
- Community Engagement & Accountability (CEA) – Brings community voice and feedback into priorities and trade-offs
- Risk Management & Integrity – Frames risk appetite, scenario thinking, and reality checks before approval
- Resource Mobilisation & Financial Management – Tests affordability, aligns budgets, and translates strategy into financing cases
- Branch Development & HR/Volunteering – Cascades priorities, roles, and capability strengthening across the network
- Emergency Preparedness & Response / Thematic Programmes – Use the strategy to focus services and adapt portfolios as context shifts
Inputs
- Understanding where we are now: Evidence on the National Society’s current humanitarian impact, performance, strengths, weaknesses, and experience from previous strategic plan implementation.
- Organisational data and assessments: Available internal data including financial information, service and programme data, volunteer and membership information, organisational assessments, monitoring results, and evaluations.
- Consultation and stakeholder perspectives: Insights gathered through consultation with branches, volunteers, staff, governance, communities, public authorities, Movement actors, and partners to inform shared understanding and ownership.
- External context and humanitarian trends: Information on changing humanitarian needs, societal and environmental trends, and contextual factors affecting the National Society’s role and future direction.
- Strategic reference points: Movement-wide strategies, decisions, and policies (including IFRC Strategy 2030) used as inspiration and alignment points, while remaining grounded in national context and capacities.
- Thinking about the future: Inputs from structured reflection on how the National Society’s environment, needs, volunteering, partnerships, and operating context may evolve over the strategic plan period.
- Resources and constraints: Clarity on available leadership attention, staff time, and financial resources to ensure priorities and ambitions are realistic and achievable.
- Strategic questions: A focused set of agreed questions guiding data collection, consultation, and analysis toward the most critical strategic choices.
Activities & Decisions
1. Designing the process
- Activity – Designing the strategic planning process: Define a clear, participatory, and context-appropriate process that sets purpose, scope, roles, timeline, and decision points for shared strategic thinking.
- Activity – Asking strategic questions: Develop and agree on a focused set of critical questions that help the National Society reflect on its mandate, performance, challenges, and need for change.
2. Consulting and gathering data
- Activity – Consulting and gathering data: Engage stakeholders inside and outside the National Society and collect relevant internal and external data to build a shared understanding of current realities and future challenges.
3. Analysing and deciding
- Activity – Analysing and synthesising information: Collectively analyse data and perspectives to understand patterns, trade-offs, risks, and opportunities affecting the National Society’s future direction.
- Decision – Strategic direction: Agree on the future direction the National Society wants to pursue over the strategic plan period.
- Decision – Strategic priorities and trade-offs: Decide what the National Society will focus on, scale back, or stop, recognising that not everything can be a priority.
- Decision – Resource realism: Confirm that priorities and ambitions are aligned with the resources the National Society has or can realistically mobilise.
- Decision – Approval of the strategic plan: Formally approve the strategic plan through governance bodies, providing legitimacy, accountability, and a mandate for implementation.
- Activity – Drafting and communicating the strategic plan: Translate agreed choices into a clear and accessible strategic plan that communicates direction, priorities, and intent to internal and external audiences.
4. Connecting strategy to real change
- Activity – Planning for implementation: Prepare for implementation by linking the strategic plan to operational planning, resource mobilisation, monitoring, and change management processes.
- Activity – Communicating the plan internally: Ensure staff, volunteers, and branches understand the strategy and their role in delivering it.
- Activity – Engaging partners with the plan: Share the strategy with partners to strengthen alignment, positioning, and support.
- Activity – Managing change: Support people through transitions required by the strategy, addressing resistance and building readiness for new ways of working.
- Decision – Adaptation over time: Decide when and how the strategic plan should be reviewed and adjusted in response to learning and changes in context.
Results
- Outputs
- Strategic plan – formally approved document setting vision, goals, and priorities
- Strategic priorities and goals – focused set of agreed priorities guiding action
- Implementation and monitoring arrangements – clear links to operational plans and reviews
- Communication materials – accessible formats for internal and external audiences
- Outcomes
- Shared direction – common understanding of where the National Society is going
- Better strategic decisions – leadership choices aligned with agreed priorities
- Stronger ownership and cohesion – increased commitment across governance, staff, and branches
- More realistic planning – operational plans aligned with capacity and resources
- Impact
- Greater relevance and effectiveness – improved response to current and emerging humanitarian needs
- Stronger sustainability and adaptability – reduced short-termism and better adjustment to change
- Enhanced partner confidence – clear direction strengthens credibility and trust
Metrics & Learning
- Enabling resources (not consumed)
- Existence of approved process design (roles, timeline, budget) and oversight mechanism (Yes/No)
- % branches with designated strategy focal points
- Inputs (consumed)
- % planned consultations completed (by stakeholder group)
- Data completeness score for priority indicators used in analysis
- Processes
- Median time from draft priorities → Board approval
- # explicit trade-offs documented per priority
- Outputs
- Approved plan published and disseminated (Yes/No)
- # partner briefings delivered
- % priorities with defined indicators, risks, and resource envelopes
- Outcomes
- % annual/branch plans aligned to strategic priorities
- % stakeholders reporting decisions reflect their input
- Impact
- Change in organisational focus index
- Trend in public/partner trust scores
- Learning & adaptation (cross-cutting)
- # adaptations approved after reviews
- % actions closed from mid-term review
- Learning questions
- How do differences in branch context and capacity affect progress on priorities?
- Which consultation and analysis approaches best support strong decisions and ownership?
- When circumstances change, how do we adjust while maintaining clarity and trust?
Enabling Resources
- People
- Governing Board and General Assembly – direction and approval
- Senior management – leadership and support
- Coordination team – design, consultation, analysis, drafting
- Branch leaders, staff, volunteers – local insight and ownership
- Competencies: Strategic thinking, facilitation, analysis, decision-making, communication
- Culture: Openness to dialogue, learning, reflection, and constructive challenge
- Mentors (optional): Peer National Societies, IFRC structures, experienced practitioners
- Governance
- Statutes and mandates defining authority and accountability
- Clear decision-making roles for approval, oversight, and adaptation
- Data
- Organisational assessments (OCA/BOCA), financial audits, service data
- Volunteer and membership information, evaluations, monitoring results
- External data on humanitarian needs and trends
- Tools & Technology
- Planning and consultation tools (surveys, workshops, assessments)
- Monitoring and review mechanisms to support reflection and adaptation
- Facilities & Equipment
- Physical or virtual spaces for consultations, workshops, and governance reviews
- Financing Mechanisms
- Internal budgets and, where relevant, partner or IFRC support
- Alignment between strategy, operational planning, and resource mobilisation
Guidance & Learning Resources
- IFRC Strategic Planning Guideline (2025)
- Associated slide tools and peer learning materials referenced in the Guideline
- Review and learn, get inspired by existing Strategic Plans from other National Societies
