Case Study: Habitat for Humanity

Overview

Strategic planning is essential to create direction for an organization. DLN Consulting Inc., in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity of Southwest North Dakota (HFHSWND), began this process by assessing the success and mistakes of the past and the operational structure of the present.

HFHSWND is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHSWND seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat for Humanity invites people from all walks of life to work together in partnership to help build houses for families in need. Habitat for Humanity Strategic Plan Cover

Objectives

HFHSWND approached DLN as a young organization with more questions than they felt they had answers for. The board members wisely understood the need for direction and effective goal setting which comprises much of what a strategic plan covers. In addition, DLN discovered areas for improvement that the board members themselves hadn't recognized, such as the need for internal team-building.

Activities

DLN met with the HFHSWND board members multiple times, beginning with a discovery process which included polling the board to identify areas of concern amongst individual members.

A surprising discovery was made when board members identified several elements of concern, such as the need for volunteer labor in an increasingly competitive "market" for such helpers. An inordinate amount of resources were being dedicated towards eliminating an issue that was essentially outside of any one organization's control.

Through a DLN-administered board development training, the board members were enlightened to the fact that many of their primary concerns exist within any volunteer-driven organization, and suffering distress over the matter only served to further frustrate board members. This perpetual frustration served only to hinder HFHSWND's overall mission.

A road map towards reaching HFHSWND's long-term goals was created in the form of a detailed, 17-page Strategic Plan which DLN created for the organization. The strategic plan formed the core living document from which the HFHSWND could work from on a daily basis, and use to evaluate Habitat for Humanity Strategic Plan inside page sample progress from month-to-month and year-to-year.

Analysis

The strategies and board development training that DLN Consulting was able to tailor for HFHSWND allowed the board members to regain their focus on the bigger picture. The chains of frustration were slipped from their collective shoulders when they were taught to recognize which problems were outside of their control, so they could then focus on those issues which were within their grasp to affect change.

HFHSWND has since distributed its Strategic Plan amongst stakeholders within the organization, and has been able to reach many milestone goals that were once considered unobtainable. This startup nonprofit now recognizes that there will always be hurdles to overcome, but now possesses the confidence and capabilities to overcome those hurdles that are impeding progress, while identifying and ignoring those which are outside their control.

The Strategic Planning Process developed for HFHSWND

1) Pre-planning worksheet; compilation of results

2) Procedures for Session

    3) HFHSWND Purpose
         a. Vision
         b. Mission

4) Strengths and Challenges for Success

    5) Development of Work Plan
        a. Priority Areas
        b. Goals/Outcomes/Action Plan
        c. Evaluation Measures

6) Follow-up by DLN Consulting, Inc.

Contact DLN Consulting today for more information on how Strategic Planning can benefit your organization as it did for Habitat for Humanity of Southwest North Dakota.