The term “representation” gets thrown around a lot by nonprofit boards and teams as they prepare for strategic planning. But what does representation really mean? And how can organizations with a diverse range of stakeholders ever hope to achieve it?
There are actually two types of representation that are critical to successful nonprofit strategic planning.
The first is constituent representation
Constituent representation is the practice of ensuring the voices and perspectives of people and communities you serve are represented in the strategic planning process.
Typically, for most strategic planning teams, this involves some sort of survey or other research mechanism to solicit constituent input into the strategic plan. For our clients, we go a few levels deeper. Informed by our Shared Power Strategy Philosophy, we design strategic planning processes that involve constituents at every step, not just upfront. In addition to surveys, listening sessions and interviews, we often integrate constituents directly into strategic planning committees, vet components of the strategic plan with them, and partner with them to build feedback loops so that they can be the ultimate judges of whether a strategic plan is successful.
But whether you’re taking an all-in, Shared Power Strategy approach (which we recommend!), or simply surveying your constituents at the onset of a strategic planning cycle, it is important to take a thoughtful approach to sample design, which is really just fancy research speak for choosing which constituents to engage.
There are two types of sampling nonprofits should consider to achieve constituent representation in the strategic planning process:
Representative Sampling
Representative sampling is a method sometimes used in quantitative research (such as surveys) to select a subset of individuals from the larger population your organization serves that accurately reflects the characteristics of that entire population. The goal of representative sampling is to ensure that the sample chosen is an unbiased and accurate representation of the population as a whole, which makes it possible to generalize findings from the sample to the larger population with a known degree of confidence. Representative sampling can be statistically significant, but it is often too costly and time consuming for most strategic planning processes.
Represented Sampling
Represented sampling refers to a method of selecting constituents to engage in the strategic planning process in a way that aims to include the major subgroups or segments within the population your organization serves. The gold standard is to include a “proportional” or “balanced” representation of different demographic, geographic, or other relevant characteristics that exist within the larger population of constituents. For example, if you organization serves 60% Black individuals and 30% Latinx individuals, the group of constituents involved in strategic planning should have roughly that same proportion of participants with each identity. This approach aims to mirror the diversity and heterogeneity of the people your organization serves. However, represented sampling acknowledges that most nonprofits serve people with a wide range of intersectional identities and characteristics, and that it is not possible to proportionally reflect all those identities in a small group of constituents involved in strategic planning. Instead, this approach aims to recruit a mix of constituents to participate in strategic planning who are roughly representative of the population your organization serves. Represented sampling is most often used in qualitative research (interviews, focus groups etc.) and while it is highly informative for strategic planning, it’s not typically statistically significant.
Most organizations will aim for a represented (rather than representative) sample of their constituents to engage in the strategic planning process. Here are a few ideas for getting a represented group involved.
Consider What You Already Know About the Demographics of Your Constituents
Does your organization use intake forms or any other methods to capture demographic information about the people you serve? For example, do you have data on the age, gender, race/ethnicity, household income, etc. of the people who use your organization’s programs and services? If so, start with what you already have. If not, work with your program staff to make some rough estimations.
Determine Which Identity-Based Characteristics are Most Relevant for Strategic Planning
If your organization is lucky enough to have a lot of demographic data on its program/service participants, you’ll want to determine a few factors to prioritize when recruiting a represented sample of constituents to engage in the strategic planning process. To narrow it down, ask yourself: which of these characteristics are most likely to have an impact on an individual’s perspectives about the direction our organization should take? The answer will depend on your organization’s mission and focus. For example, if you’re an organization that works with people living with disabilities, you might want to prioritize recruiting a represented sample of individuals who use wheelchairs versus those who do not. Or, if you’re an organization that aims to get more women of color into STEM careers, you might want to prioritize recruiting a represented sample of racial and ethnic identities into your strategic planning process.
Offer Options for Engaging in Strategic Planning That Are Aligned with Constituent Preferences
After you’ve determined who you will aim to involve in the strategic planning process, it’s time to think about how. Consider what you already know about the engagement preferences of the people in your represented sample, and if you don’t know much, ask. Then, design options for getting involved that are aligned with their preferences. For example, if your organization serves single moms, you’ll probably want to avoid inviting constituents to participate in a strategic planning committee that meets during the early evening hours (the bedtime rush). Instead, you might offer the opportunity to participate in online surveys, virtual focus groups, and committee meetings that take time during weekend days and include free childcare.
The second type of representation that is important for strategic planning is consultant representation
Consultant representation is the practice of engaging consultants, researchers or others to lead the strategic planning process who reflect the identities of the people and communities you serve.
Here again, it’s important to remember that most organizations serve a wide range of constituents with a variety of intersectional identities. Hiring a team of consultants who truly reflect that wide range of identities is not typically possible. That said, when consultants or researchers have identities or lived experiences in common with your constituents, it can go a long way to help constituents to feel comfortable opening up and sharing their perspectives.
Here are a few ways to make that happen:
Be Intentional and Discuss Identity When Seeking out a Strategic Planning Partner
Consider the characteristic that your constituents see as most defining of their identity. Is it their gender identity? Their race? Their language? Their age? Then, aim to seek out a strategic planning partner with at least some members of the team who have that identity in common. At Prosper Strategies, we have intentionally developed a diverse bench of experts with a wide range of different identities so that we can build strategic planning teams with this sort of identity alignment in mind.
Position Program Participants As Researchers
While it may not always be possible to hire a strategic planning consultant who represents the identities of your constituents, your consultant isn’t the only person who can conduct research and engage your constituents in the planning process. Consider whether any of your existing program or service participants might be able to be trained (and compensated) to conduct listening sessions, committee meetings or other engagements that inform your strategic plan. If so, your consultant can play a more behind-the-scenes role, leading preparation, analysis and planning while someone who is more representative of your constituents’ identities can take the lead on constituent research and engagement.
As with most things in this realm, representation shouldn’t be treated as an all-or-nothing pursuit. Try experimenting with some of these ideas for constituent and consultant representation next time you go through strategic planning. Start small, and continue to improve each time you go through a strategic planning cycle. As you do, you’ll likely see your strategic plans become more and more effective.
