The NOW Report

A critical part of an effective Strategic Planning Process is the development of an organization's NOW Report (although sometimes called organizational status or in some cases an overview of an internally-focused organizational assessment).

The NOW Report serves multiple purposes: to ground all participants in the real world regarding the organization; to provide evidence, and in some cases, details about material strengths and weaknesses of the organization's internal status that will effect their ability to implement particular strategies identified during the planning process; and finally to help identify infrastructure issues that may require prioritization with regard to any allocation of funding and/or focus.

In a more complex organization, the NOW Report can also serve as a way to highlight key pieces of information and to simplify information into basics that Board members can understand more easily and therefore connect to the planning process more effectively.

Topic areas covered in a NOW Report often include some combination of the following:

Financial Condition

0. Profitability
0. Cash Flow
0. Debt
0. Investments
0. Systems Issues

Fund Development

0. Event Fundraising
0. Donor Development
0. Marketing
0. Endowments and Planned Giving

Risk Management

0. Insurance
0. Asset Protection 
0. Succession Planning
0. Pending lawsuits or unusual liabilities

Program

0. Overview of Services
0. Quality Control
0. Compliance Issues
0. Emerging Opportunities
0. Program - Fiscal Performance relationship

Human Resources

0. Staffing characteristics
0. Volunteer characteristics
0. Training Programs
0. Turnover
0. Job requirement changes
0. Statutory Compliance
0. Benefits
0. Compensation 

Facilities and Equipment

0. Overview of Inventory
0. Age and Condition
0. Capitalization and Depreciation
0. Deferred maintenance

The metrics developed in the NOW report can also be used as an ongoing performance measure to document progress or issues.