More and more, nonprofit leaders are proclaiming a desire to “approach everything we do through an equity lens.” It’s a beautiful thing to witness, and a long time coming. But when it comes to nonprofit strategy development, all this talk about equity feels like just that: a lot of talk, and not nearly enough concrete action. Many organizations have made great strides in their efforts to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging through their day-to-day work, but if you take a close look the process many nonprofits use for strategic planning (and other strategy development, like fundraising planning) how much has really changed? Are the same board and staff members still sitting in the same closed rooms with the same consultants, having the same conversations they’ve always had to establish their priorities? Are the same donors and funders still pulling the same strings and calling the shots behind the scenes?
At some organizations, the answer (unfortunately) is yes. We’ve been on a mission to change that, as you know well if you’ve followed along with the launch of our Shared Power StrategyTM philosophy over the last year. Organizations that are bringing the philosophy to life are reaping the benefits by using an inclusive process to build strategies that are truly equipped to advance equity.
But you don’t have to work with us (or even be in the midst of a strategic planning process) to approach your nonprofit’s strategy development though an equity lens. Here are six fairly simple things any nonprofit can do to make strategy development more equitable and inclusive.
Ask diverse stakeholders for input and feedback throughout the entire strategic planning process
There are five “rules” that make up our Shared Power StrategyTM philosophy, but at its core, it really comes down to this: in order to develop strategies that are truly equitable, you need to include all your organization’s diverse stakeholders in the process, with a particular emphasis on the people and communities you serve. And when I say “include them,” I don’t mean you can just issue a survey at the beginning of the strategic planning process, and then continue on your merry way. I mean you should aim to give them a true seat at the table throughout the entire course of your strategic planning (or other strategy development) process. You should ask them for input about the direction your strategy will take at the onset of the process, ensure their voices are part of the conversation as you shape priorities, and then get their feedback on the plans or other strategic deliverables you create.
Consider the identities and lived experience of facilitators
In a process like strategic planning where you’ll be assisted by outside facilitators, it’s critical to consider their identities and lived/living experience. Whenever possible, you should aim to ensure that at least some of the facilitators you’re working with have things in common with the stakeholders they’ll need to engage for input in the strategy process. For example, let’s imagine you’re an organization focused on food insecurity that is considering developing a new program strategy to serve the Thai community in San Francisco. In a perfect world, at least one of your strategy facilitators will identify as Thai, have experience with food insecurity at some point in their lives and/or live in the Bay Area (ideally all three). When facilitators have identities and lived experiences in common with the stakeholders they’ll need to engage through venues like listening sessions and interviews, it can help stakeholders feel comfortable opening up and being who they are.
Of course, it’s not always possible to find facilitators with both the facilitation experience you need and perfect alignment with your stakeholders’ identities and lived experiences, but taking these factors into consideration is an important step in the right direction. By the way, that’s why we’ve built our team the way we have at Prosper Strategies; we engage diverse consultants and build teams tailored to each organization that emphasize consultants’ expertise and lived experience. We often work directly with nonprofit staff members to bring diverse identities and experiences to facilitation as well (more on that in the next section).
Partner with employee resource or affinity groups
Many mid-size and larger nonprofit organizations have employee resource groups (ERGs), affinity groups or caucuses for employees with particular identities, such as groups for employees who identify as Black, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, Deaf, etc. These affinity groups can be valuable partners for any organization that wants to bring an equity lens to strategy development. When they’re willing and able to be involved, ERG members can provide initial feedback on surveys and listening session questions that will be used to engage external stakeholders with similar identities. You can also consider asking ERG members to facilitate listening sessions and focus groups made up of participants with similar racial and ethnic backgrounds or language preferences, per the prior tip. Please remember, however, that it is not their responsibility (nor typically a part of their job description) to provide this sort of support. They should be compensated for their time and/or have their other job responsibilities redirected in order to give them the bandwidth for this sort of work.
Learn about and utilize trauma-informed facilitation practices
Gathering stakeholder input for nonprofit strategy often involves facilitating difficult conversations with people who are currently experiencing trauma, or have in the past. These conversations are not to be taken lightly, and can be very triggering for participants if they’re led by inexperienced facilitators. Ensure anyone who will be involved in facilitation has knowledge of and experience with trauma-informed facilitation practices in order to create safe spaces for participants to share their experiences. If you’re looking to learn or help others do so, Nonprofit Learning Lab is offering a Trauma-Informed Facilitation Workshop every month for the rest of the year. Register here.
Co-create group agreements
As defined by The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University:
Group agreements are rules, intentions, or guidelines for behavior and interaction that are communally formulated and agreed upon. They are a useful tool for fostering participation, inclusivity, and habits of explicit consent and accountability.
The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University
Whenever possible, aim to engage all stakeholders who will provide input on your strategy development in the process of co-creating group agreements for the work. This allows stakeholders to own the responsibility of making important decisions about what topics are on and off limits, how information they share will be represented to others, and more. Learn more about group agreements and find examples on The National Equity Project’s website.
Offer a variety of different ways for stakeholders to be involved in strategy development
Every individual has different information processing and sharing preferences, and different people will want to provide feedback and input in different ways. Your strategy process should be designed accordingly. Rather than providing just one channel for stakeholders to share feedback (for example verbally via Zoom), aim to create multiple feedback channels, such as written response opportunities via chat or email, anonymous feedback opportunities via a survey tool, and private verbal response opportunities via phone.
What other ideas would you add to the list?
Making strategy development more equitable certainly isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be as tough as many would have you believe, either. What things are you already doing at your organization that give stakeholders an opportunity to be involved in strategy development, and help them feel safe showing up as their true selves in the process? What other ideas do you have for how you might do so in the future? Tell us in the comments.
