Case Study: Strategic Planning for a Local Human Services Nonprofit in a National Network

People

Listening across the organization

Prosper’s Shared Power™ approach starts with a simple question: who needs to be involved for this work to be credible, adopted, and lasting?

For Catholic Charities Terre Haute, that meant staff, council members, donors and funders, volunteers, community partners, and people who had previously participated in programs. A strategic planning committee of leadership and council members guided the process, and listening sessions with staff, funders, and community partners at key points kept the input flowing.

Surveys drew 66 responses from staff, council members, donors, volunteers, neighbors served, and other community members, and Prosper went deeper through 8 stakeholder interviews.

A common starting point for leaders and council

To kick off the planning process, Prosper conducted three assessments. The Organization Assessment reviewed past strategic plans, structure, programs, facilities, financials, and key communications and fundraising materials, so leadership and council members started from the same picture.

The Ecosystem Assessment compared Catholic Charities with other organizations across core community services, including basic needs like food and shelter, domestic abuse services, and youth programming. Catholic Charities had the broadest coverage of any organization reviewed, which clarified the distinct role it plays in the Wabash Valley.

And finally, the Stakeholder Assessment brought in the perspectives of the people closest to the work. Staff, council members, and community members all rated Catholic Charities’ community impact highly.

Together they surfaced several insights. Catholic Charities was trusted and impactful, with an opportunity to strengthen visibility, partnerships, and influence. Programs were highly valued, but clearer, best-in-class program models, especially for youth services, and stronger alignment across facilities and structure would support long-term impact. And compared with its peers, it had a distinct role as a provider of essential basic needs across its community.

Strategy

Two days to set direction

Leading up to the retreat, Prosper worked with staff to develop organization-specific values, pairing and refining value words, agreeing on shared definitions, and describing what each value looks like in day-to-day work.

Leadership and council members then came together for a two-day, in-person retreat. On day one, the group grounded itself in the mission and talked through what it looks like when Catholic Charities does its best work, using concrete examples. Participants built out a three-year vision and brainstormed the strategic questions the organization would need to answer, such as what Catholic Charities should be best known for, what best in class means for each service line, what must be maintained, modernized, or expanded, and what staff and volunteer capacity is needed. On day two, the group refined those ideas into three pillars:

1. Create best-in-class models for each of our programs and define outcomes based on community needs
2. Optimize our organization structure and facilities to achieve maximum mission impact
3. Develop a network of funders, partners, and collaborators to strengthen the efficacy and sustainability of our programs

Testing the direction with the community

Prosper then ran additional stakeholder surveys and listening sessions with staff, council members, and community partners to pressure-test the pillars. The feedback was thoughtful and additive, strengthening overall buy-in from Catholic Charities Terre Haute’s stakeholders before implementation.

Progress

Equipping the team to carry the plan forward

Prosper worked with the planning team to set objectives and key results for each pillar and built an OKR dashboard to support accountability. Prosper also helped Catholic Charities Terre Haute turn its multi-year plan into a one-year activity plan and trained leadership to run future annual planning and monthly and quarterly check-ins. Written versions of the plan were prepared for internal and external use.

The goal was a plan Catholic Charities’ team could use every day.

Prosper has continued to support Catholic Charities through regular check-in calls to evaluate plan progress and provide strategic guidance as needed.