If our objective is:

• Strategic Planning
• Development
  • Funds
  • Staff
  • Board
  • Program
  • Volunteers
• Marketing/Communications
• Facilities Management

The appropriate first step is a review of what we know and what we need to know inorder to make informed decisions.

We can gather information as follows: 

• Internal Information
  • Staff interviews
  • Board interviews
  • Financial data
  • Customer/Consumer/Client "counts" by appropriate demographics
  • Annecdotal Information
• External Information
  • Focus Groups, In-depth Interviews and Surveys
    • "Target Market" : current and "not-yet" customers/consumers/clients
    • Funders
    • Suppliers
    • Regulatory agencies
    • Local community leadership - elected and "un-official" community leaders
      

Assembling the information into a cogent form that will enable us to understand the: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats which provide us with the basis for planning ahead.