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Writer's pictureNonprofit Learning Lab

How to Plan, Scope and Define A Project: Best Practices for Managing a Project at Your Nonprofit

Working at a nonprofit means juggling many responsibilities at once. You might find yourself organizing volunteers, pivoting to community needs, supporting clients, attending staff meetings, and collaborating with community partners—all while staying focused on your organization’s mission. Managing a project can feel overwhelming, and navigating whether the project is right for your organization can be a challenge.


By focusing on clear project management principles and asking the right questions before you start a project, you can create a plan that leads to success. Asking questions like “Does this project align with our mission?” or “Do we have the staff strengths, capacity, and resources needed to see this through?” can help you determine whether a project is a good fit. This approach clarifies priorities and also ensures that your team’s efforts are spent on initiatives that are both impactful and sustainable.


We cover key project management strategies to help you scope and define your next project. 


Why Are We Working on This Project?

The first step in any project is asking, "Why are we doing this?" Understanding the purpose behind your work helps you stay aligned with your mission and ensures the project solves a real problem.


Questions to Explore:

  • What problem or need does this project address?

  • How does this align with our mission?

  • What impact do we want to achieve?


Example:

"We are launching this project to provide 500 additional meals monthly to underserved families, addressing food insecurity and strengthening our role as a community resource."

Answering these questions provides clarity for project planning


What Are Our Ultimate Goals and Deliverables?

Your project’s goals and deliverables are its destination. Goals explain what you want to accomplish, while deliverables are the tangible results of your work. Using project management techniques like SMARTY goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound & Yours) helps keep these clear and realistic.


Example Goals:

  • Distribute 500 meals monthly for six months.

  • Recruit and train 50 new volunteers within three months.

  • Secure partnerships with two local food suppliers.


Setting clear goals ensures your team knows what success looks like and what to aim for.


What Restrictions Do We Have? What Can We Not Do in this Project? 

Every project has limitations—whether it’s a tight budget, limited staff, or strict deadlines. Identifying these restrictions early helps avoid surprises and allows you to plan around them.


Key Considerations:

  • Budget: How much funding is available? Are there grant restrictions?

  • Staff: How many team members are available, and what are their skills?

  • Time: Are there deadlines or other projects competing for attention?


Example:

"This project has a $10,000 budget, a team of three staff members, and a six-month timeline. Volunteer recruitment will be limited to weekends due to staff availability."


Addressing these limits early helps you follow project management best practices like resource management and risk planning.


Which Team Members Will Be Working on This?

The people on your team bring your project to life. Clearly assigning roles and responsibilities ensures everyone knows their part.


Questions to Ask:

  • Who will lead the project?

  • What specific roles will each team member take?

  • Will volunteers or external partners be involved?


Example Team Roles:

  • Project Manager: Oversees planning and execution.

  • Volunteer Coordinator: Handles recruitment, training, and scheduling.

  • Communications Lead: Promotes the project to donors and beneficiaries.


Strong project management skills are key to building a team that works effectively toward shared goals.


When Are Our Deliverables Due?

Timelines keep your project on track and ensure everyone meets their deadlines. Using project management processes like creating milestones can help you monitor progress and adjust as needed.


Steps to Build a Timeline:

  1. Identify key milestones (e.g., project launch, volunteer onboarding).

  2. Work backward from the final deadline.

  3. Leave room for flexibility in case of delays.


Example Timeline:

  • Month 1: Needs assessment and resource allocation.

  • Month 2: Recruit and train volunteers.

  • Month 3: Begin meal distribution.


Timelines are a core part of project planning and help keep your project running smoothly.


What Is Out of Scope?

Sometimes, it’s just as important to define what you won’t do. Outlining what’s out of scope helps your team stay focused and prevents resources from being spread too thin.


Questions to Define What’s Out of Scope:

  • What tasks or activities fall outside the project’s purpose?

  • Are there additional needs we can address later in another project?


Example:

"This project focuses solely on meal distribution. It does not include long-term nutrition education, which may be explored in a future phase."

Clarifying scope ensures your project stays realistic and manageable, a key part of project management strategies.



Deciding Not to Move Forward

One of the hidden benefits of scoping a project is that it helps nonprofit leaders evaluate whether the project is feasible at this time—or if it’s better to delay or decline altogether. Through careful project planning and identifying limitations, leaders can avoid taking on projects that overextend resources or fail to meet organizational goals. For example, if a project requires more funding than available or the timing conflicts with other priorities, it may be best to wait.

By thoroughly scoping a project, nonprofits can make informed decisions that save time, money, and effort, while staying focused on the organization’s most impactful work.


Next Steps

Managing a nonprofit project requires thoughtful project planning and strong project management skills. By asking the right questions—like why the project matters, what your goals are, and what restrictions exist—you can create a clear plan that aligns with your mission and resources. Knowing if a project is even feasible also provides strategic guidance. 


Final Questions to Consider:

  • How can you use these project management techniques to improve your next project?

  • Are there areas where your team could benefit from additional project management training?


Taking the time to answer these questions isn’t just about making a plan—it’s about building a roadmap to impact. Ready to get started?



Recommended Trainings

Are you looking to expand or scale a program in your organization, agency or nonprofit? Need some guidance before dedicating a lot of resources, capacity and staff time? Program development, expansion and scaling is a process and takes time for staff, board members and volunteers. This workshop will explore methods and strategies to brainstorm and create ideas for the purpose of program development, scalability, sustainability and expansion. This workshop will explore three important elements in program expansion and scaling, including: the how of expanding and scaling programs, who to involve such as internal and external partners, and methods to ensure program quality.


Do you manage projects at your nonprofit? Struggle to meet deadlines, handle logistics, stay within budget, collaborate or lead a team and clarify roles? Sometimes, we find ourselves coordinating logistics and timelines of fundraising campaigns, community events, advocacy campaigns, new software integrations, strategic plans, conferences, galas or website re-designs. Managing projects requires framing, coordinating of logistics, communication, a plan, systems to use, definition of roles and bringing the team together even if it is a team of 2 to 100. Sometimes in our role, a project is given to us to launch or maintain and other times the project is our own idea. Managing and completing large projects can be stressful, especially when strapped for time and resources.


Use code friend10 when registering to get $10 off!


 

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