News, Updates & Resources

Project risks, strategic risks, operational risks…All organizations face risk – no matter the sector or the size. Well-managed organizations should have a complete risk management framework established to identify and manage this inherent facet of doing business in today’s ambitious environment.

Just like any nonprofit or for-profit organization, nonprofit trade and professional associations should regularly undertake a strategic planning process to achieve long term goals and fulfill their mission for their various stakeholders.

If you participate on a board of directors, you know that you have multiple obligations to the organization and to the community. You work hard to lend your skills and expertise in civic leadership. Perhaps you are looking to motivate your group for the New Year, which is right around the corner.

If you participate on a board of directors, you know that you have multiple obligations to the organization and to the community. You work hard to lend your skills and expertise in civic leadership. Perhaps you are looking to motivate your group for the New Year, which is right around the corner.

A solid strategic plan is a great tool that will help for-profit and nonprofit leaders optimize their performance and results, and ultimately the bottom line. Resources are always limited. All leaders need to be especially careful when making financial decisions. When done well this ensures maximum and most efficient impact for each dollar spent.

Are you an executive director of a non-profit, or a small business owner? Perhaps you are considering joining a local board for civic leadership. If so, you will want to have a firm grasp of roles and responsibilities for a Board of Directors.

As a leader it is not always easy to remain patient when some of your team’s time-management or work quality is in question. However, by adopting a positive approach to communicating with your team members, you can hold them accountable to complete tasks efficiently and effectively.

Most of us at some point in our lives have struggled with saying the word “no.” Whether it was accepting an invitation to attend an event, meeting a former colleague who was looking for a job, or taking on an additional project you didn’t have time for, saying yes seemed the easier response at the time. But, then this can result in less than optimal outcomes for all sides.

Whether you’re a part of the management team, a business owner, or a director of a nonprofit, your team looks to you for leadership. This means more than just telling people what to do or setting goals for the organization and making sure they’re met. Today’s leadership role isn’t about power, it’s about purpose. Our based in Minneapolis is sharing why it’s time to adopt purposeful leadership and what this means for your organization.

Strategic planning in the healthcare industry is just as important as in any other kind of professional organization. Your organization gathers information related to internal and external factors,...

Since it was brought to the forefront of business planning by Albert Humphrey in the late 1960s, the SWOT analysis has been relied upon by corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, and even schools to make key decisions and form strategies. This planning tool in which you measure your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats can be beneficial, but often, organizations rely too heavily on this method while not performing it correctly or without recognizing its weaknesses. Our strategic planning firm in Minneapolis is providing a closer look at whether you should perform a SWOT analysis on your organization and, if so, how to avoid common pitfalls.

Most people associate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with highly specialized or regimented organizations, such as hospitals, research facilities, government agencies, or the military. However, these are not just for complex organizations, and are highly valuable for even minor areas and tasks (Biologic Technical Applications, 2012). To help you create and apply SOPs to your organization, our strategic planning agency in Minneapolis is sharing the steps on getting started.

While the past year showed how school districts could rise to the challenges of helping students access remote learning, studies are showing that it simply wasn’t as effective as learning in a classroom setting (Chen, Dorn, Sarakatsannis, and Wiesinger, 2021). We know that learning gains and knowledge retention is significantly reduced for students in remote learning settings, and while the full extent isn’t known yet, research indicates that students may return with fewer than 50 percent of the learning gain in math and 70 percent in reading compared to a typical school year (Kuhlfeld and Tarasawa, 2020).

The past year was exceptionally challenging for nonprofit organizations. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn as well as a focus on racial justice and equality led to organizations struggling to maintain a relevant message in a struggling climate (Kim & Mason, 2020). However, organizations that are able to realign their strategic vision and implement it are able to weather changes and thrive. To help you prepare for the future, our strategic planning company in Minneapolis is sharing the five signs your nonprofit needs to update your strategic vision.

The nonprofit sector has been steadily growing in the United States for the past two decades. In 2016, over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations were registered with the IRS, a nearly five percent increase from 2006 (NCCS Project Team, 2019). This growth is in direct opposition to the amount of money being donated to nonprofits. While COVID-19 is blamed for a steep decline in donations, the truth is that small and medium-sized donations were down significantly before 2020.

Woodland Strategies specializes in helping organizations develop Values, Mission and Vision Statements. Generally, creating internal and external messaging such as this can take many months, and is often done as a team. It’s worth the time commitment. Statements such as these provide excellent operational guidelines for all stakeholders, both internal and external. This experience also provides an outstanding opportunity to establish stronger teams within any for-profit or non-profit entity.

What is the difference between a coach and a mentor in the workplace? Both play very important roles in helping organizations and their members achieve their short term and long-term goals. These roles may overlap at times, or they may even exist in a hybrid form, but they are not the same thing Whether you implement one or both, these relationships can be a great win/win for everyone involved.