Practices and Challenges of Formulating, Implementing and Controlling Strategic Planning in Selected NGOs

Abstract

Strategic plan is one of the management tools which are used widely by different organizations to define the future direction of their organizations. The objective of this study is to examine the practices and challenges of using strategic plan in NGOs operation in Ethiopia. The study was carried out based on the information from the secondary and primary data sources which was administrated using questionnaire, interview and observation of the researcher. The data was organized using SPSS and the results are presented in tables and figures. The analysis was done by descriptive analysis method and finally it was found out that NGOs, these days, have good understanding about the benefits of strategic planning thus using it as an important tool that must be applied in their organization. Due to their peculiar organizational purpose which focuses on meeting social objectives, the challenges for implementing their strategic plan is diverse, especially securing funding for their program and involving stakeholders as real partners of their programs. Thus, this study had provided recommendations for the improvement of the practice and also suggested for anybody who has an interest on the topic to use as baseline information for next research to make in depth study on the application of the strategic planning in any organization.