Why Good Plans Die in the Drawer

Most nonprofits have a strategic plan. Fewer have one that actually gets used.
You can tell the difference. One lives in a binder, dusted off for board retreats. The other lives in the decisions made every day. The first looks tidy. The second drives change. The gap between writing a plan and living it is where most organizations stumble.

The Implementation Cliff
A 2024 analysis by Eide Bailly found that 60 to 90 percent of nonprofit strategic plans never fully launch. Not because the goals were bad, but because execution fell apart. There was unclear accountability, weak follow-through, and no resources set aside to make it real.
Planning feels like an event, while implementation is a grind. Once the retreat ends, momentum fades. People go back to crowded calendars and crisis mode. Strategy slips quietly into the drawer.

The Data Behind the Drawer
Research from Victor Priest Chukwuma (Impact: Journal of Transformation, 2023) names what most leaders already sense: plans die when communication breaks down, when staff aren’t invested, or when leaders fail to keep the plan visible. The intentions may be good, but the infrastructure falls short.

When organizations do keep their plans alive, the payoff is real. A Mission Met survey of 169 small nonprofits found that 86% said having a current strategic plan helped them raise more revenue. Those who reviewed their plans regularly were six times more likely to see fundraising growth. The plan doesn’t raise the money. Following through does.

Plans That Live, Not Linger
The strongest organizations treat their plans like living documents. Staff see them, question them, and use them. A nonprofit holds quarterly reviews using the same plan. Every goal and metric gets checked against what’s changed. It’s not glamorous, but it works. The habit forces learning and alignment.

The Bridgespan Group calls this the “missing middle” of strategic planning: the space between design and delivery. It’s where good ideas either gain traction or lose oxygen. Their research shows that organizations defining ownership, timelines, and accountability early are far more likely to implement successfully.

Making the Plan a Habit
Implementation doesn’t need another task force. Here are some suggestions to bring life to your strategic plan.

Revisit one goal at every staff meeting. It doesn’t have to be a marathon review. It could be a five-minute check-in. Questions to ask are: What’s moving? What’s stuck? What do we need to adjust? That small rhythm keeps the plan visible without adding another meeting to the calendar. Over time, it also shifts culture. Strategy stops being a once-a-year exercise and becomes part of how the team thinks and works week to week.

Include key metrics in the dashboards people already check. If your team tracks attendance, fundraising, or program outcomes, weave strategic goals into those same reports. Don’t create a new spreadsheet that no one will open. Use the tools already in play so progress toward the plan shows up where people are already looking. When the data lives alongside daily operations, strategy stops feeling abstract. It becomes part of how success is measured in real time, not just at the next retreat.

You could ask at the board level, “What progress have we made toward the plan since our last meeting?” Then wait for an honest answer. Making this a standing question shifts the tone of board discussions from oversight to ownership. It reminds everyone that the plan is shared work. The goal isn’t to catch anyone off guard; it’s to keep strategy visible and alive. When board members expect to talk about progress every time they meet, implementation stops being an afterthought and starts becoming the culture.

These small habits make the plan harder to ignore.

When strategy moves from shelf to table, it stops being paperwork and starts being purpose. Neglect implies a choice, but most leaders aren’t choosing to ignore their strategy. They’re just buried under the daily rush. The plan fades from view, replaced by inbox fires and immediate demands. Over time, no one’s quite sure what’s in it, what’s been done, or what still matters. When strategy isn’t seen, it stops guiding decisions. Visibility is what keeps it alive. Decision-makers need to see it on agendas, in dashboards, and in conversations until it becomes part of how the organization thinks, not just what it once planned.