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Nonprofit Strategic Planning

As a nonprofit leader, you have vision for the impact your organization can have. Does your entire organization share that vision? Do they understand it? Does everyone use it as a guide for their day-to-day work?

Most nonprofits either take a top-down approach to strategic planning or they don't prioritize it at all. After all, why invest the time and effort for something that's going to collect dust on the shelf?

It's time to reclaim the nonprofit strategic planning process.
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Co-creation creates alignment. Alignment creates impact.

People have energy towards what they get to create.

The Strategy Energizer is a 4-5 month strategic planning journey that offers an inclusive, generative, strengths-based, and practical approach for effective strategic change at all levels within an organization.

The result? Buy-in. Engagement. Vision. Energy. Things that top-down, behind-closed-doors, consultant-driven planning processes can never achieve.

Approach matters in creating sustainable change.

These are the guiding principles for every session we facilitate in the strategic planning process.

Appreciative Inquiry-Based Facilitation

Do you want a change process that works?
Appreciative Inquiry is a strengths-focused, generative approach that taps into the collective intelligence of an organization to solve any challenge with unprecedented speed and high levels of engagement.

Rooted in Co-Creation & Inclusion

Do you want to energize your team?
Top-down approaches rarely work for creating organization-wide change. Co-creation creates an inclusive environment allowing diverse voices to upgrade your culture so that you can implement your strategies effectively.

Data-Driven Alignment

Do you want to make better decisions?
From deep passion and heart to important missions, nonprofit work is full of subjectivity. Our process creates alignment through objectivity by gathering and leveraging internal and external data to drive and inform the most important decisions you need to make to be a mission-driven organization.

Iterative Learning

Do you want to adapt to change better?
In times of unprecedented change, your nonprofit’s ability to be relevant is not based on a single point in time, but your ability to apply learning and adapt quickly over time. Through experiential learning, we teach your team how to be a learning organization.
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Want to learn more about our strategic planning process for nonprofits?

We published a series of podcast episodes focused specifically on strategic planning priorities.

Strategic Planning – Part 1: Why Strategic Planning?

In our kickoff episode, we're diving right into the deep end: Nonprofit Strategic Planning. We'll talk about how it's shifting from being a stodgy, outdated obligation to being a prime opportunity for organization-wide involvement and inclusion.
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Strategic Planning – Part 2: Being Strengths-Based & Inclusive

Our second episode in the 4-part series on Strategic Planning looks at the role of co-creation and Appreciative Inquiry in facilitating inclusive, bottom-up approaches to change. Tune in to learn how unlocking the wisdom of the many can help supercharge y
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Strategic Planning – Part 3: Data-Driven Alignment

Our third episode in the 4-part series on Strategic Planning looks at the role of data in supporting nonprofits to understand their unique value and demonstrate their impact.
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Strategic Planning – Part 4: Learning Organizations

Learning doesn’t happen by accident. So why and how do we lean in and create an environment that fosters learning? This episode covers exactly that.
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Energize where you're stuck.

We developed The Impact Cycle™ to demonstrate what drives nonprofit success. Every part of the cycle needs to be properly resourced, otherwise they all decline.

Culture

Inclusive and collaborative leadership empowers every person in your organization to align around a shared vision.

Program

Your day-to-day activities determine how far and how fast you move towards your mission and the impact you desire.

Impact

Measuring the outcomes and outputs of your efforts educate strategic decisions on where to allocate time and finances.

Revenue

Creative fundraising and revenue generation expand your ability to properly resource the programs you're passionate about.

Story

The clarity with which you share your impact with the world drives buy-in from your team and your financial supporters alike.
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The health of your organization is why we exist.

Our strategic planning methodology generates real, measurable results at every nonprofit we work with.

Improve culture

83.3%
improved their relationships with other staff members

Generate buy-in

100%
agree the strategic direction excites them for the future

Increase adaptability

91.7%
agree their staff is interested in better ways of doing things

Here's what nonprofit leaders say about working with us

“I was walking home from work last night and I marveled at how wonderful the Thrive Impact Strategic Planning Process was for our Board and Staff. The time we spent with the Thrive Team was a game changer!“

Kim Cox

President
The Father McKenna Center
“THRIVE IMPACT did an amazing job facilitating our strategic planning process. There was a lot of new data, historical perspectives and personality nuances that could have easily derailed us from achieving our goals. Their credibility, knowledge, and personalities were the reasons why we were able to get the clarity we needed!”

Lissa Goldenstein

Board Chair
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
“Our main revenue stream started to dry up and we needed to find the path forward. THRIVE IMPACT helped us find three new revenue strategies and started to see our revenue increase right away.”

Nantz Rickard

President & CEO
DCTV

A clear path forward.

Organizational alignment is only a few, simple steps away.

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Tell us about the gaps between where you are and where you dream to be.

Get Aligned

We identify the biggest areas of opportunity and guide you through aligning your team.

Realize Your Impact

Finally make the difference you set out to make in the first place—inside and outside your organization.
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