The Process
Starting with understanding what’s most important to you, we then conduct interviews and market research to define what’s most important to you and what could affect you achieving it.
Next, in focused sessions, we will uncover where you are and how you got there, looking at your strengths and decision making criteria
This is where the magic happens! Taking the Big Questions in priority order, we’ll start developing and testing strategies. Once we answer one Big Question, we’ll re-evaluate and then move on to the next one, in that way turning your organization into a perpetual strategy machine.
Now it’s time to figure out the Big Questions we need to answer to continue your journey towards making the impact you desire.
The Details…
Strategic Planning (Steps A - E above)
Pre-Planning Session: Meet with Senior leaders to understand the scope, scale, and commitment to the process
Board and Staff Interviews: We will start the process by gathering insights and perspectives from diverse voices.
Market Research: We will then analyze current trends, identify opportunities, and understand the competitive landscape.
Strategic Sessions: With a group of your choosing, we will then conduct one full or two half-day sessions for collaborative brainstorming and focused discussions.
Synthesis of Findings: From there, we will combine insights from interviews and research to inform the development of a robust strategic plan focused on what’s most important to you.
Commitment:
Time: Two months
Cost: Flat Fee, as negotiated
Adaptive Strategic Execution (Steps F and G above)
Focused Sessions: We work with committees/leadership team on answering the Big Questions identified in Phase 1
Execute/Evaluate/Evolve: We provide you with insight and guidance as strategies are executed and your organization, and the challenges you face, evolve over time
Annual Evaluation: At the end of 12 months, we recap the previous year, ensure the overall plan is still relevant, and leaders and staff are equipped to be self sufficient going forward
Commitment:
Time: Up to one hour per week, as needed
Cost: Hourly, as negotiated
Contingency Planning
Identify Critical Risks: We begin by conducting a risk assessment with you to identify potential disruptions (e.g., financial shortfalls, key personnel changes) that could impact your mission or operations.
Prioritize and Develop Response Scenarios: We then help you rank identified risks by likelihood and potential impact, and develop response scenarios, including clear actions for each scenario to minimize downtime or damage.
Establish Roles and Responsibilities: We help you designate team members for specific roles in each contingency plan, outlining responsibilities and chains of command to ensure swift action when needed.
Create Communication Plans: We can also help develop internal and external communication strategies for different scenarios, including messaging templates for stakeholders, staff, donors, and clients.
Test, Review, and Update Plans Regularly: A plan is only good if it’s addressing what’s most important. To ensure that, we can schedule regular tests (such as drills or simulations) to assess the effectiveness of your contingency plans, using feedback to refine and update plans as you, your needs and the landscape evolve.
Commitment:
Time: One month for the initial plan, 2-3 hours for testing
Cost: as negotiated