Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, Associations, Unions, State Agencies, and Local Governments

Successful planning requires including the right people in the process and providing a level playing field for participation. If your planning process for your nonprofit organization, state agency or local government involves stakeholders with different agendas or different levels of authority, a neutral facilitator is important to the process.

In addition to its professional facilitators, Forums Institute provides an effective method for engaging stakeholders in a planning process. By doing so, the planning process gains the added value of creating strategic alliances; sharing best practices; and defining action steps.

Our ability to bring together the appropriate individuals in a planning process is particularly helpful when there have been long-lasting divisions among the stakeholders in your nonprofit organization, state agency or local government. For example, New Jersey is known for fragmentation because of home rule, as well as the split between Southern and Northern New Jersey. This fragmentation hinders effective sharing of ideas and best practices, as well as development of shared services.

Using its proven method, Informed Contemplative Dialogue, Forums Institute stimulates improved communication in the groups it serves with facilitated, participant-driven discussion, as well as ample networking and alliance-building opportunities.

Participants value our strategic planning process:

"The work groups came up with concrete tasks and steps - not just talk."

"[I got] the sense that the group can create an effective work product, which may lead to a solution."

"[I] realized for the first time that people with different views have a valid basis for their beliefs."