Services
Biases, blind spots, and denials can block effective strategy.
A competitive strategy or blind spots exercise gives an organization “permission” to remove itself from a stuck position and assume the role of an unencumbered, unbiased third party. These types of strategy workshops will reveal new strategic options and approaches.
Walk before you run
Short strategy exercises for your board or your staff
Take a mind-clearing step back. Need some practical strategic insights but don’t have a lot of time? Not enough board “bandwidth” or availability to run a full Strategic Opportunity Workshop? Not yet ready for scenario analysis. We can run one or more short exercises for your board or your organization that will expand the strategic conversation, tackle the tough questions. In just a few hours these exercises can help focus and clarify your big picture discussions. Our mini-workshops will help you:
- Reveal false assumptions
- Identify hidden blind spots
- Identify overlooked questions
- Locate measures of impact funders will recognize
- Flag strategic weak points
Run a Strategy Game: Stress test today's plan
Your organization’s true impact is relative to the other organizations serving the same audience. A strategy game enables both nonprofits and funders to confront today’s vital questions and improve their strategic options.
- Does your strategy need a tweak or substantial changes?
- Can you identify ways to scale your services?
- Can you, or should you, collaborate? If so, with whom?
- What can you learn from another nonprofit’s successful strategy?
- Which nonprofits in a foundation’s portfolio can grow and become more strategically resilient?
- Do your rivals see the market differently than you do, which can drive them in a different direction?
- What infrastructure does a rival have that you do not? How has it helped them?
Scenario Analysis: Explore tomorrow's landscape
Both foundations and their nonprofits want and need to develop resilient strategies for the coming decade. Scenario analysis enables you to plan for a very uncertain future. We can help you answer big picture questions, such as:
- Who might your stakeholders be five, ten or fifteen years from today?
- How could political or social forces change and dramatically alter your market?
- What are the uncertainties that will drive tomorrow’s storyline?
- How can you best prepare and build capacity for any future you will encounter?
- What are the likely future needs? Who will fund your services, or whom should you fund?
Implementation Support
- Roll out your strategy
- Meet critical goals on your timeline
- Offer creative solutions to challenging obstacles you encounter as you execute your plan
