You’ve made a great start!

You have been doing amazing work, and you have a chance right now to take stock and focus on improving your overall organization by focusing on your story and aligning on your strategy. Some suggestions:This is a frequently asked question?

Overall Vision and Strategy

Develop a clear and concise mission and vision statement: This matters whether you are a for- or a non-profit. Consider seeking input from staff and stakeholders to define the organization's core purpose and begin to articulate long-term aspirations.

Create a basic strategic plan: Outline 3-5 key goals for the next 1-2 years with measurable objectives and action steps. Focus on achievable short-term wins.

Connect your vision to an action plan: Articulate how the organization's activities lead to desired outcomes for your business, audience, and community.

Conduct a basic environmental scan: What are the key trends and challenges in the media landscape relevant to the organization?

Audience and Community

Conduct basic audience research: What are your assumptions about your audiences and who you are serving? Look at your social media analytics, and consider simple surveys to understand audience demographics, interests, and needs. All of this will feed back into how your organization moves forward.

Start thinking about how you’re engaging with your audience: Audience has to be a two-way street. How are you both talking to and listening to your audience to feed back into your strategy?

Business Model

Develop a basic business model outline: What are your key revenue streams, costs, and value propositions. Consider a tool like a business model canvas to organize your thoughts.

Explore basic revenue diversification strategies: Consider diversifying beyond one primary source, perhaps adding membership programs, small events, or grant applications.

Check on your financial sustainability: We’ll talk more about this in other sections, but check your assumptions–do you think you have a business that can be sustainable (or grow?).

Market Position and Collaboration

Begin to understand your “competitors” and those that are similar to you to learn from: Identify 2-3 similar organizations and analyze their strengths, weaknesses, and target audiences.

Explore basic partnership opportunities: Identify potential partners with complementary work or resources, starting with small collaborations.