Complexity And Conflict - The Influence Of Stakeholders In Strategic Planning Processes In Nonprofit Voluntary Associations

This paper explores the experiences of two Australian nonprofit member benefit associations as they attempt to strategically plan and emphasises the influence of their many stakeholders in this process. We discuss strategic planning and the influence of stakeholders in nonprofit organizations. We suggest a typology of stakeholders that may be of use in analysing their salience and contribution to the effectiveness of strategic planning. Overall, we conclude that strategic planning was a complex, conflict-ridden, and largely unsuccessful process for these two nonprofit associations because of the number and commitment of their stakeholders. Therefore we suggest that future research should focus on clarifying if such corporate management techniques as strategic planning are actually appropriate for all nonprofit organizations. Rather than drawing from for profit ideas, we advocate specific research in nonprofits to identify how best they can be managed taking into account the needs and commitment of their stakeholders.