Overall Champion

The Role of the Overall Champion

The Overall Champion is a person at your organization that ensures that your organization’s strategic planning process is executed and integrated into regular operations. More specifically, the Overall Champion facilitates, manages, supports and leads the team in the use of the CAPE Cycle.

Executing this critical role is foundational to your organization's strategic planning success. 

Champion is Step 1 of the CAPE Cycle for a Reason

Many years ago our strategic planning cycle included only three steps -- Assess, Plan, and Execute. Besides having a monkeyish acronym (APE) we realized that our cycle left out the foundational element that leadership plays in effective strategic planning. 

Simply put, we’ve never seen an organization succeed with strategic planning that didn’t have a person or two that “championed” the process. Never.

With that in mind, we added “Champion” as the critical first step in the four-step CAPE Cycle.

One Champion or Co-champions?

You can have one champion or two co-champions? But which is better?

We’ve seen both approaches work. But, for the following reasons, the co-champion model works best in most cases:

• Strategic planning is easy to put off when you have a lot on your plate. Having a co-champion creates mutual accountability to ensure that the CAPE Cycle is implemented. 
• Two heads can be better than one when thinking through the plan. 
• Having two champions serves as an insurance policy in case one of the champions isn't available or has to leave the organization.
• It is just more fun to have a partner when leading the process. 

Who Should the Champion(s) Be?

At your organization, you likely have some clarity about who runs programs, who raises funds and who handles your finances. You’re likely less clear about who ensures effective strategic planning. This lack of clarity and accountability is a key reason that strategic planning can slip through the cracks. 

So, who should the Overall Champion(s) be?

In most cases, we’ve seen the organization’s executive director (or equivalent) serve as the Overall Champion or as a co-champion. However, we’ve also had board chairs and other staff members effectively fulfill the role.

One very effective co-champion arrangement is the pairing of the executive director with an administrative assistant. The executive director serves as overall strategic leader and motivator whereas the assistant makes sure that the mechanics of the process are followed. 

Time Commitment?

How much time does it take to be an effective Overall Champion? It depends on the complexity of your strategic plan and the size of your organization. 

For a fairly new nonprofit with a simple plan, the Overall Champion will only need to spend about one hour per month championing the process for the team. 

For a more developed organization with a larger team and plan, the Overall Champion can expect to spend two-three hours per month supporting the process and the team members. 

In any event, playing the role of Overall Champion is not a huge time commitment. 

Is Playing the Role of Champion Additional Work?

Yes. 

Especially at first as the Overall Champion is learning all of this.

But over time your organization’s Overall Champion(s) will simply view leading the CAPE Cycle as a normal part of the job.

Like so many important things in life -- staying fit, creating meaningful relationships, following a spiritual practice, etc. -- strategic planning takes an effort and focus in order to get the desired benefits. It’s interesting to note that in over twenty years of doing this work we’ve never seen a leader invest in our strategic planning process only to put it aside later on. Once you’re doing this work then you see and feel that your time invested leads to tremendous benefits. The transformative results for your organization are well worth it.