STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic Planning, usually conducted every 3-5 years, helps the agency leadership make decisions and gain consensus about priorities it wants to pursue, how to target resources and insure the agency budget reflects those strategic priorities. The strategic planning process should involve both the entire board of directors and senior staff and can be a either a very concentrated effort that takes place during 1 – 1.5 full days of intensive planning or it can be a more comprehensive phased process that takes a series of sessions and activities over weeks or months.

Basic Strategic Planning Elements:

  • Clarify a vision of a set of desired results it wants to have achieved inside and outside the agency 3-5 years from now
  • Assess the agency’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relative to the set of elements in its long-term vision of desired results.
  • Identify a set of strategic directions and goals (targeted improvements) that begin moving the agency toward its long-term vision while taking into account its current capacities and opportunities
  • Develop action plans for each goal (targeted improvements) that outlines specific tasks, timelines, measurable milestones, roles and accountabilities, and budget  and structural implications.

 

More Comprehensive Strategic Planning Elements to Consider Based on Agency Needs (in addition to the basic elements outlined above):

  • Review agency mission statement, consider changes and revise as necessary
  • Get stakeholder input and feedback of internal and external stakeholders including: Funders, Clients, Program Participants, Staff, Board and Partner Agencies. This can take the form of interviews, focus groups, surveys.  Done remotely or face-to-face.
  • Identify specific trends that will directly or indirectly impact the agency moving forward and Implications for the agency’s vision and strategic directions. These can be (Economic/Financial Trends, Social Trends, Health Trends, Religious Trends, Legislative/Political Trends, Funding Trends, Giving Trends, etc.)
  • Surface and articulate alternative scenarios such as the possible “best” case, possible “worst” case and “most likely” case relative to major directions, goals, challenges, circumstances or external realities the agency is facing.
  • Conduct a competitive analysis that clarifies how your agency stacks up against other similar agencies in the same geographic area that are delivering the same kind of programs and services. This helps the agency understand its unique niche and competitive advantage or disadvantage and where to target improvements and/or develop strategic partnerships or explore a merger.
  • Conduct a cost benefit analysis – research on possible new directions so an agency can have a clear understanding of what all is involved with different options of directions they are considering. It outlines the key elements, pros, cons and tradeoffs of each option.

MULTI-AGENCY COLLBORATIONS / COALITIONS / NETWORKS / PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

Nonprofits are often called upon by funders or inspired on their own to work with other nonprofits, government agencies, faith groups and/or the private sector to work together to solve a common problem.  Joyce Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth Consulting has 25+ years of experience working with over 30 different collaborative efforts involving as few as 3 agencies and up to 150 agencies to join forces to achieve a shared vision.

Multi-Agency Collaboration Design and Facilitation Services by Hollingsworth Consulting:

  • Develop a compelling and motivating shared vision and purpose of the collaboration
  • Design the administrative structure and process for collaborative activity
  • Articulate the vested self-interests of each partner agency in the collaboration. This clarifies what each partner agency needs and wants  from the collaboration project in order for it to fully engage, commit and dedicate appropriate leadership and resources to it.
  • Exemplify the attitudes, behaviors and characteristics of collaborative leaders
  • Review the stages of group development and phases of collaborative activity
  • Review the success factors for collaborations
  • Understand the benefits and challenges of collaborations
  • Clarify roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder and partner in the collaboration
  • Facilitate collaborative strategic planning (described in a separate service)
  • Neutrally facilitate the joint meetings/planning sessions of the agencies in the collaboration which can involve strategic planning (described in a separate service)
  • Get stakeholder Input and feedback (described in a separate service)
  • Draft a MOU Memorandum of Understanding between the partners outlining agreements, focus of activities, fiscal agent, funding, finances, and specific roles and responsibilities of each partner agency.

Conduct a self-assessment and evaluation of the collaborative process, plan and outcomes and use the combined findings to celebrate progress and achievements, reveal patterns of concern, target changes and make improvements.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT & GOVERNANCE

All nonprofits are required to have a board of directors that is responsible for ensuring the governance, oversight and resources for the agency. The Board also hires, manages and evaluates the performance of the Executive Director.  Hollingsworth Consulting has 25+ years of experience working with nonprofit boards of directors on such board development and governance activities as:

  • Facilitate board retreat (to address one or more of the below)
  • Conduct strategic planning that includes senior staff (described in a separate service)
  • Develop dashboard to easily track key agency indicators and measures
  • Clarify board roles and responsibilities (contrasted with staff roles and responsibilities)
  • Understand the purpose of different board committees and task forces
  • Create focused and interactive board meetings
  • Prepare annual board calendar to fulfill all board responsibilities – month by month
  • Develop board orientation manual
  • Write, review, revise and update organization by-laws
  • Prepare organization chart
  • Draft organization policies and procedures
  • Conduct board self-assessment and use the combined findings to: celebrate progress and achievements, reveal patterns of concern, target changes and make improvements.
  • Board member recruitment
  • Review evaluation tool to annually assess the performance of the executive director
  • Conduct succession planning

STAKEHOLDER INPUT AND FEEDBACK

Understanding how different stakeholders perceive and experience a nonprofit agency’s mission, leadership, strengths, weaknesses, purpose, programs, services, challenges and opportunities is essential for knowing how and where to target improvements within the agency.  Stakeholder input and feedback can come from internal stakeholders such as board members, staff, and clients and external stakeholders like foundation program officers, government agency staff who manage your agency’s contracts or government grants, and partner organizations.  Hollingsworth Consulting has 25+ years of experience working with nonprofits to get honest, clear and useful stakeholder feedback by designing, facilitating, analyzing, and documenting a variety of forms to get useful stakeholder feedback and input including:

  • One-on-one interviews with key stakeholder leaders to explore their perceptions and thoughts about the agency mission, direction, programs, leadership and related issues
  • Focus groups of similar kinds of stakeholder leaders to capture input and feedback with targeted open-ended questions that explore their experiences in specific areas and issues the agency wants
  • Surveys to capture perceptions and experiences of specific targeted stakeholder groups. The goal is to craft appropriate survey questions that elicit actionable information which the agency leadership can then use to make informed decisions on making changes and improvements within the agency.
  • Evaluation forms to capture the experiences, reflections and perceptions of those who: participate in agency programs and receive services, attend agency major events, retreats and planning sessions, and/or receive agency training sessions and workshops.
  • Self-Assessment Tools to measure how well individuals or groups such as boards or collaboration partners are doing relative to their stated roles and responsibilities, mission, purpose and goals. The combined findings help the group celebrate progress and achievements, reveal patterns of concern, target changes, make improvements and get back on track.
  • Stakeholder Expectations is an exercise facilitated by Hollingsworth where agency leaders and program and service staff name who all the different internal and external stakeholder groups are for their organization. For each of these stakeholder groups they identify what they perceive to be the set of expectations (realistic or not) that each stakeholder group has of their agency and whether or not they think those expectations are delivered or not.  The group then prioritizes which stakeholders are most important to pay attention to and for those, discusses how to better meet and/or manage the expectations of those stakeholders.

 

Note:  Stakeholder input and feedback is usually embedded as one key activity or phase in a larger project such as comprehensive strategic planning process where stakeholder input and feedback is done before the agency develops it long-term vision and strategic direction.  Stakeholder input and feedback can also be used effectively in the middle of a multi-agency collaboration or prior to the design or redesign of an agency program or service. It can also be part of an agency board retreat such as the board self-assessment tool to help the board understand what it does well and where it needs to improve.

EXECUTIVE COACHING

Hollingsworth Consulting has 25+ years of experience of recommending and offering executive coaching as part of any longer term project.  This provides for regular and proactive check-ins with agency leadership to address challenges and concerns in a timely fashion that emerge during any multi-phase project.  Executive coaching often involves:

  • Provides a confidential and safe space for the leader to express concerns, fears and insecurities
  • Share models and examples of how other leaders in similar situations have dealt with the problem they experience
  • Understanding the leader’s leadership style and its particular strengths and weaknesses in different work situations and coaching the leader on options for approaching something differently
  • Help the executive identify and unpack project challenges and problems in order to reveal root causes that can be creatively, compassionately, practically and directly addressed in a timely fashion
  • Help the leader, as needed, find ongoing support and a mentor
  • Collaborating in partnership with the agency leader to develop creative solutions to problems as they arise that leverages the strengths of the leaders and group as a whole
  • Identify and supply practical tools and resources that have been successfully employed in other agencies to successfully address the same problems – while maintaining confidentiality
  • Offering just-in-time training for the executive on emerging specific issues and topics

NEUTRAL MEETING FACILITATION & MEETING MODERATION

Expert, neutral facilitation is central to all of Hollingsworth’s Consulting Services.  Her 25+ years of experience in facilitation and the many different facilitation tools and techniques she employs actively engages participants in groups large and small while providing a clear structure, process and roadmap for moving forward.  As a neutral player she has no stake in the directions the group chooses.  Hollingsworth draws from the group’s wisdom, strengths and experience, incorporating differences, constructively managing conflict, and focusing energy in a unified direction – all of which creates a sense of group ownership for the project – leading to its success.

 

In addition to using her facilitation skills in strategic planning, board development and multi-agency collaborations she has also been asked to serve as a moderator of panels of experts on issues such as:

  • Community Policing Strategies in the Rogers Park Neighborhood of Chicago
  • Diversity and Aging Services at a National Conference of the Alzheimer’s Association
  • Funding Public Education Policy Form at the University of Chicago
  • Innovation in Social Service Delivery at the Graduate School of Social Service Administration

AGENCY MERGERS

Sometimes funders recommend that agencies consider a merger of agencies if there is duplication of efforts and limited resources.  Other times agencies, on their own initiative, explore a merger to better leverage the resources each brings to the table and serve the larger community.  Hollingsworth Consulting has been part of a number of major conversations and planning efforts of agency mergers.

These agency merger projects involve some or all of the following activities:

  • Basic and comprehensive strategic planning elements (Described under Strategic Planning service)
  • Board development and governance (Described under Board Development and Governance service)
  • Stakeholder Input and Feedback (Described under Stakeholder Input and Feedback service)
  • Neutral Meeting Facilitation (Described under Approach and Methodology)

TRAINING WORKSHOPS AND/OR CONSULTATION TOPICS:

Joyce Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth Consulting can and does deliver standalone workshops on any of these topics.  More frequently, she integrates concepts from these topics into client projects as it is relevant.

  • Strategic Planning for Individual Agencies and/or Multi-Agency Collaborations
  • Action Planning to Implement the Strategic Plan
  • Collaboration Skills and Tools for Nonprofit Agencies Working with Other Organizations
  • Board Roles and Responsibilities
  • Developing, Reviewing and Revising a Mission Statement
  • Establishing, Leading and Supporting Teams
  • Change Management and Different Responses to Change
  • Logic Models, Flowcharts, Organization Charts
  • Outcome Measures and Measuring Impact
  • Dashboards of Key Agency Indicators and Measures
  • Using Stakeholder Expectations to Shape Direction
  • Succession Planning
  • Stages of Group Development
  • Process Improvement Tools and Techniques to Increase Customer Satisfaction, Reduce Cycle Time or Reduce Costs