• Choose your champions: Select 2–3 leaders with decision-making power. Ensure that they have adequate time to do this work—reassigning or postponing other tasks if needed.
• Engage participants: Strategic planning thrives on diverse perspectives from across your organization. We’ll help you identify key voices and create a communication strategy that builds engagement from day one.
• Assess your resources: Know what you’re working with. Intellerate evaluates your budget, expertise, and time and recommends the optimal mix of internal effort and expert guidance.
• Create your timeline: You need a process that’s both thorough and efficient. We’ll develop and manage the project plan, keeping everything on track so that you can focus on the strategic work.
• Map your stakeholders: Identify everyone who has a stake in your success. We’ll help ensure that all key perspectives are considered in your planning process.

Strategic planning needs solid data about your organization, stakeholders, and environment. Here’s what we analyze:

• Your organization’s DNA We map your team’s roles, expertise, and functions—from staff to board members—to understand your full capabilities.
• Your foundational documents We review bylaws, handbooks, past plans, and projections to build on what works and learn from what doesn’t.
• Your strategic position Through detailed analyses, we evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), plus broader forces—political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE)—that shape your future.
• Your competitive edge We study your allies and competitors to identify opportunities and avoid common pitfalls.

We gather these insights through:

• Strategic surveys Our expertly designed surveys capture honest, anonymous feedback from your stakeholders.
• In-depth conversations Our structured interviews and focus groups reveal the deeper dynamics that numbers can’t show.

As an independent consultant, Intellerate ensures objective, confidential data collection—leading to the candid insights you need for effective planning.

When people gather in the same space—whether a conference room or virtual meeting—something powerful happens. Your stakeholders don’t just contribute diverse perspectives; they build the shared commitment needed for successful implementation. People invest deeply in a plan they help create, rather than one handed down to them.

A dedicated retreat transforms everyday thinking into strategic vision. In just a half or full day, expert facilitation can help your team define:

• Your mission and vision
• Your core values
• Your strategic priorities
• Your path to action

As your facilitator, Intellerate:

• Designs an engaging, productive agenda
• Guides inclusive discussions that stay on track
• Provides comprehensive meeting notes
• Creates a detailed post-retreat summary report

Your retreat generates powerful ideas—but how do you transform them into action? While templates abound online, creating an effective strategic plan requires more than filling in blanks. It demands clear, direct language that captures your organization’s mission, vision, values, and goals.

This is where Intellerate’s expertise makes the difference. We help you:

• Craft language that inspires action
• Express complex ideas simply
• Build in accountability
• Create a plan that reflects your culture

Then we guide a collaborative refinement process, working with your steering committee to ensure the plan rings true. As your partner, we:

• Act as an objective sounding board
• Integrate diverse feedback effectively
• Keep momentum going when faced with perfection paralysis
• Navigate challenges, from too little feedback to too much

The result? A living document that doesn’t just sit on a shelf—it drives your organization forward.

Completing your strategic plan is worth celebrating—but it’s just the beginning. Now comes the exciting part: turning your vision into reality.

First, share your achievement. Intellerate helps you craft compelling messages about your plan’s impact for multiple audiences. We’ll help you energize your team around their role, present effectively to donors and partners, update your website and materials, and align all stakeholders with your vision.

Then, we make accountability simple. Your action plan connects each strategic goal to specific action steps, clear owners, realistic deadlines, and measurable indicators.

Keep the momentum going by building plan reviews into your regular meetings—monthly, quarterly, or biannually. As your partner, Intellerate can:

• Facilitate progress check-ins
• Help assess what’s working
• Identify and address obstacles
• Guide necessary adjustments
• Keep your team focused on long-term success