What is strategy?

Use this page to learn about what strategy is and how it can help your organisation.

A strategy is a set of high-level decisions that set priorities and purpose.

Developing a strategy involves making decisions about:

• your organisation’s purpose and direction
• how you’ll direct your resources to deliver it.

The main parts of a strategy are:

1. A vision – a powerful description of the future; it's about how you want the future to be
2. A mission – why you exist and how you contribute to achieving your vision
3. Values – how you will work and behave
4. A set of goals – what you will do to bring about your strategy

A strategy can also include other things. For example, a summary of how the world around you is changing, or information on how you will understand the difference you’re making.

Developing and following a strategy can help you to:

• Make better decisions – when deciding what actions to take, or how to spend your money and time, a strategy provides a basis for making good decisions.
• Adapt to change – by understanding what's changing around you and how you need to respond, you can make sure your organisation's set up well to respond to change.
• Focus on what you’re best at – by identifying your strengths, you can deliver more impact.
• Collaborate – by identifying organisations to work with, you can achieve more together.
• Inspire and motivate – a strategy can inspire your staff, volunteers, supporters and partners, helping them to move towards a shared aim.
• Demonstrate your impact – a strategy provides a starting point to understand and communicate the change you’re making.

Read our guidance on creating the right strategy process for your organisation.