This book shows how leaders and managers of public and nonprofit organizations can use strategic planning to strengthen their organizations. This expanded edition includes many new examples of successful and unsuccessful strategic planning practices, along with new chapters that address how to implement strategies, how to reassess strategies and the strategic planning process, and how to fulfill the key leadership roles that must be undertaken if strategic planning is to be effective. The book is organized in three parts. Part one introduces the reader to the dynamics of strategic planning. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of strategic planning and why such planning is important for governments, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities. Chapter 2 presents an approach to strategic planning called the Strategy Change Cycle. Chapters 3-10, which make up part two, describe in detail how to apply the approach step by step. Part three includes two chapters (11 and 12) designed to help leaders understand what they will need to do to get started with strategic planning and to make it work. Chapter 11 covers the many leadership roles and responsibilities necessary for the exercise of effective strategic leadership for public and nonprofit organizations. Chapter 12 assess the strategic planning experiences of the four organizations used as examples; the chapter also provides guidance on how to begin strategic planning. Five resource sections are provided: (1) a model external scanning process; (2) a review of literature on strategic issue identification; (3) process guidelines for using ovals to develop strategic issues maps and advice on how they can be converted into strategy maps; (4) a review of literature related to potential strategies for public and nonprofit organizations; and (5) concepts related to developing a vision of success. The bibliography contains 481 references. (KC)