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The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution: Real-Time Strategic Planning in a Rapid-Response World
Nonprofit Strategy Revolution FINALIST, Ben Franklin Awards, Independent Book Publishers Association, Business Category The world changes continuously and rapidly. It’s foolhardy to believe that strategies should not do so as well. Nonprofit leaders already know this, but traditional strategic planning has locked them into a process that’s divorced from today’s reality. That’s why plans sit on the shelf and why smart executives are always seeking workarounds in between planning periods. The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution offers a nimble and powerful alternative. In this groundbreaking book, strategy expert David La Piana introduces “Real-Time Strategic Planning,” a fluid, organic process that engages staff and board in a program of systematic readiness and continuous responsiveness. With it, your nonprofit will be able to identify, understand, and act on challenges and opportunities as they arise. At the heart of this practical book is the Real-Time Strategic Planning Cycle. Based on four years of research and testing with a variety of nonprofits, this proven process guides you through the steps to sound strategy. You’ll find tools for clarifying your competitive advantage; generating a strategy screen—criteria for evaluating strategies to be able to respond quickly; handling big questions; developing and testing strategies; and implementing and adapting strategies. This useful guide also includes exhibits and case examples showing how concepts play out in real-life; a total of 27 tools—10 of which are essential for forming strategies; Theory to Action sidebars telling you which tool to use for a given task; and a CD (IMPORTANT the CD has now been replaced with a link to download the files from the Internet) with all the tools and interactive worksheets you’ll need, as well as a Facilitator’s Guide to Real-Time Strategic Planning that gives you everything you the day’s agenda, instructions for preparing flip charts, prework to be done, handouts, and worksheets. Use The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution and get the clarity and direction you need for maximum mission success.
181 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2008
47 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 25, 2022
What are the main ideas?
* 3-year strategic plans don't work. they take too long to develop, they are outdated almost as soon as they are finished, and they rarely have their intended impact on any organization
* 3-year strategic plans don't actually help organizations strategize because we live in a VUCA world that moves faster than they can
* it doesn't make sense to take 18 months to create a 3-year strategic plan
* strategy development is best done in an on-going way
* implementing your strategy is a different step than creating it
If I implemented one idea from this book right now, which one would it be?
create a strategy screen and use it to help make decisions for some other part of my life.
How would I describe the book to a friend?
this book is half exposition and half tools. the exposition itself is only about 100 pages very much worth the read. it's especially worth it if you're working in nonprofits and interested in making them more effective. the tools at the back are useful if you're going to implement the methodology. but even if you're not interested in working with his actual framework, the theory is excellent. the chapters about organizational strategy are incredible. the ones about programmatic and operational strategy are less illuminating and still have many good insights. i am recommending this book to many of my nonprofit friends who are in the process of or consulting for other developing 3-year strategic plans.
all that praise spoken, it's a little outdated at this point. adrienne maree brown's emergent strategy, for example, has less written analysis of the contextual issue of 3-year strategic planning, but takes pushes strategy thinking to a whole other plane. i love this book for its critique and will implement some of the tools but integrate the thinking.
* 3-year strategic plans don't work. they take too long to develop, they are outdated almost as soon as they are finished, and they rarely have their intended impact on any organization
* 3-year strategic plans don't actually help organizations strategize because we live in a VUCA world that moves faster than they can
* it doesn't make sense to take 18 months to create a 3-year strategic plan
* strategy development is best done in an on-going way
* implementing your strategy is a different step than creating it
If I implemented one idea from this book right now, which one would it be?
create a strategy screen and use it to help make decisions for some other part of my life.
How would I describe the book to a friend?
this book is half exposition and half tools. the exposition itself is only about 100 pages very much worth the read. it's especially worth it if you're working in nonprofits and interested in making them more effective. the tools at the back are useful if you're going to implement the methodology. but even if you're not interested in working with his actual framework, the theory is excellent. the chapters about organizational strategy are incredible. the ones about programmatic and operational strategy are less illuminating and still have many good insights. i am recommending this book to many of my nonprofit friends who are in the process of or consulting for other developing 3-year strategic plans.
all that praise spoken, it's a little outdated at this point. adrienne maree brown's emergent strategy, for example, has less written analysis of the contextual issue of 3-year strategic planning, but takes pushes strategy thinking to a whole other plane. i love this book for its critique and will implement some of the tools but integrate the thinking.
March 5, 2013
The book was easy to read and had good examples, but from perspective it needs more details in some chapters.
August 14, 2016
Like most popularizations of business topics it felt like common sense buried in jargon and bureaucratic procedures. Just how smart are business people anyway?
December 9, 2016
Reimagines strategic planning, from a periodic one off process which culminates in a multi-year plan, to a framework for dynamic decision-making. While his approach retains much of traditional strategic planning: determining an organization's strengths and weaknesses, how it is placed among its competitors, etc.; the purpose of the process is to use that framework as a way of making decisions on an ongoing basis--does this new opportunity play to our strengths? Does it further our mission? Will it turn a profit, pay for itself, need to be funded from other revenue, or be so expensive it consumes the organization?
After reading this, for the first time I felt that creating a strategic plan for my not-for-profit was both doable, and a useful way to spend our time....rather than something we had to do to satisfy funders.
After reading this, for the first time I felt that creating a strategic plan for my not-for-profit was both doable, and a useful way to spend our time....rather than something we had to do to satisfy funders.
January 9, 2012
Good framework for incorporating strategic thinking into an organization's way of doing business. Doesn't hang together on the concepts of strategies as they result to goals and vice versa, but some very good thinking.
September 4, 2012
Excellent, practical approach to strategy development for nonprofits. And excellent planning tools to help staffs and boards move through various strategic issues.
December 22, 2014
One of the best books for Nonprofit executives that I have ever read. Please throw out the old SWOT Strategic planning processes and read this book for La Piana's approach.
February 2, 2017
Not revolutionary
September 14, 2025
Easy read. Great framework for helping nonprofits stay on track and ahead of changing conditions. Loaded with templates to help you develop each phase of the real-time strategic planning process. Some sections could have been a little deeper with detail and direction.
February 26, 2021
This is a really interesting book about strategy--I really liked the simplicity of the model, and the idea of the strategy screen.
March 25, 2025
A must read for all nonprofit nerds
January 12, 2026
Great book. It is better in print because of the strategic planning templates in the book. Still, a great skill-builder for nonprofit leaders, even in audiobook format.
August 21, 2025
I picked up The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution while supporting a client—a doula coalition piloting a statewide initiative—and it couldn’t have been more timely. I was looking for a practical, grounded way to think through organizational strategy, and La Piana delivered a framework that’s both refreshingly clear and incredibly useful.
The book is a quick read (about 180 pages), but don’t let its brevity fool you—it’s highly technical and loaded with insights. La Piana challenges the rigidity of traditional strategic planning, arguing that in our rapidly changing environment, a five-year plan too often becomes obsolete before it’s even implemented. Instead, he offers an approach rooted in real-time strategic thinking, grounded in an organization’s evolving context.
What resonated most with me was the Strategy Pyramid—breaking down strategy into three cascading levels: organizational, programmatic, and operational. This felt particularly relevant as I helped the coalition define its vision, mission, and values. La Piana makes it clear that strategic coherence starts at the top—your identity and purpose—and every programmatic and operational choice should flow from there.
One concept that initially rubbed me the wrong way was “competitive advantage.” As someone who works primarily with cooperatives and organizations embedded in movement ecosystems, I bristled at the notion of competition. But La Piana’s framing won me over: competitive advantage isn’t about outshining others—it’s about clearly articulating what you do best so you can collaborate more effectively. Knowing your unique strengths allows others to lean into theirs, reducing duplication and increasing synergy across the ecosystem.
Tools like the strategy screen and the big question framework make this book stand out. They offer real-time filters and adaptive thinking tools that help groups avoid chasing every new opportunity and instead stay grounded in what they’re truly built to do.
If you’re looking to move beyond dusty strategic plans and toward living, breathing strategy that can respond to real-world conditions, this book is essential. Whether you’re a consultant, nonprofit leader, or strategist inside a cooperative or grassroots organization, La Piana’s work is a powerful companion.
This book changed how I think about strategy—and how I support others in shaping theirs.
The book is a quick read (about 180 pages), but don’t let its brevity fool you—it’s highly technical and loaded with insights. La Piana challenges the rigidity of traditional strategic planning, arguing that in our rapidly changing environment, a five-year plan too often becomes obsolete before it’s even implemented. Instead, he offers an approach rooted in real-time strategic thinking, grounded in an organization’s evolving context.
What resonated most with me was the Strategy Pyramid—breaking down strategy into three cascading levels: organizational, programmatic, and operational. This felt particularly relevant as I helped the coalition define its vision, mission, and values. La Piana makes it clear that strategic coherence starts at the top—your identity and purpose—and every programmatic and operational choice should flow from there.
One concept that initially rubbed me the wrong way was “competitive advantage.” As someone who works primarily with cooperatives and organizations embedded in movement ecosystems, I bristled at the notion of competition. But La Piana’s framing won me over: competitive advantage isn’t about outshining others—it’s about clearly articulating what you do best so you can collaborate more effectively. Knowing your unique strengths allows others to lean into theirs, reducing duplication and increasing synergy across the ecosystem.
Tools like the strategy screen and the big question framework make this book stand out. They offer real-time filters and adaptive thinking tools that help groups avoid chasing every new opportunity and instead stay grounded in what they’re truly built to do.
If you’re looking to move beyond dusty strategic plans and toward living, breathing strategy that can respond to real-world conditions, this book is essential. Whether you’re a consultant, nonprofit leader, or strategist inside a cooperative or grassroots organization, La Piana’s work is a powerful companion.
This book changed how I think about strategy—and how I support others in shaping theirs.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews