Have you ever contributed to the development and/or implementation of a strategic plan?
Well-funded non-profit organizations might be able to afford to employ a project manager to guide the development of a strategic plan. If they are unable to do so, they rely on staff members and organizational leadership to create a plan that will support program operations for years to come. Either way, the interviewer wants to know about your exposure to creating strategic plans as well as participating in their implementation.
If your ideas have ever been included in a strategic plan, share those with the interviewer! Be sure to include details about how those ideas manifested and how they contributed to achieving specific goals. Don't forget to share any projects or tasks within the plan on which you took the lead. If you have had no exposure to strategic planning, don't worry. Envision how you would go about working with others on your team and within the organization to craft a strategic plan for fundraising. The interviewer will be impressed by your creativity and vision!
"I have worked as Development Coordinator on the fundraising team for the last six years. During that time, I have been an individual contributor to two strategic plans, and I have assisted our project manager in creating goals and tasks related specifically to boosting donor engagement over a three-year period. Towards this end, I really enjoyed working through the details that led to specific steps that would help us meet our goals. In addition, I relished the opportunity to assign responsibilities based on individual team members' job descriptions as well as their strengths and interests. In the end, we exceeded our new donor engagement goal by 10% and increased donor retention by a similar percentage. My exposure to and experience with strategic planning has prepared me to guide project management efforts related to fundraising."
