Are you ready to unleash your impact through strategic clarity ? Valery Navarrete Consulting partners with small- and medium-sized nonprofits and charities across Canada to deliver thoughtful and relational strategic plan and theory of change development processes.
Strategic Plan Development
Is it time for renewed alignment within your organization around your strategic direction for next three to five years, your priority initiatives, and your understanding (and metrics) of success?
Valery Navarrete Consulting works with small- and medium-sized social impact organizations to engage their boards, staff, clients, partners, and other community members in the development of multi-year strategies that reflect a shared vision for the future.
This approach:
- Centres the wisdom of the people living with the problem your organization exists to solve.
- Builds connection and buy-in among both your board members, and those who will be on the frontlines of strategy implementation.
- Ensures justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are not just words that appear in your final plan. They are principles we work together to build into your strategy journey from the start.
Interested in learning more about how to involve your community in strategic plan development? Check out Valery’s recent article: Three things to avoid if your nonprofit wants a community-centred strategic plan.
Strategic Planning FAQs
When is it the right time for a new strategic plan?
Strategic plans are a critical tool in organizational alignment. They introduce cycles of reflection, decision making, implementation, and monitoring during which participants align on and advance a shared strategy for the future.
The right time for a new strategic plan is when key players in your organization (such as the board, leadership team, frontline staff, participants, and key partners) recognize a need for renewed alignment on your:
- strategic direction
- priority initiatives
- understanding of, and movement towards, success.
While most of the organizations Valery works with undertake strategic planning every three to five years, there are contexts (for example, a significant leadership transition or a major change in revenue) in which a shorter or longer gap between plans might make sense.
How much does strategic planning cost?
Most of the strategic plan projects Valery works on with small- and medium-sized organizations land in the $10K to $40K range. Discounts and / or instalment invoicing for smaller charities and nonprofits are possible.
Inclusive strategic planning involves varying levels of community engagement tailored to the context of your organization. We are open to partnering with organizations interested in taking on certain project deliverables in house, such as some of the community engagement.
We also include, omit, or tailor other project elements to suit an organization’s needs. For example, an organization with strong operational planning capacity may choose to leave implementation support out of their project. Or, an organization with leadership development as a priority may choose to include coaching for one, or more, employee or volunteer in their project.
Variabilities such as organizational size and complexity also affect pricing, as does the inclusion or exclusion of deliverables such as a new mission and / or vision statement.
For organizations with limited budgets, one option is a half- or full-day workshop tailored to your organization’s context to generate a first draft of your next strategic plan and guidance for how to finalize it internally.
Theory of Change Development
When it comes time to share with others (and sometimes even yourselves!) the specific and measurable impact your social impact organization is trying to achieve, and how your activities lead to that change, are the key players in your organization aligned? Does this understanding of your impact reflect evidence and community knowing? Does it enable better decision making and resource allocation?
Valery Navarrete is one of a handful of consultants across Canada certified by the MakeWay Foundation to lead organizations through their Innoweave Impact and Strategic Clarity engagements. During these projects she guides organizations to the development of an evidence-informed and community-centred:
- intended impact statement
- Theory of Change
- and, action plan.
Valery is also available to lead your theory of change development project as an independent consultant.
Theory of Change FAQs
When is it the right time for a (new) Theory of Change?
A good Theory of Change (TOC) improves decision-making and resource allocation, clarifies internal and external communications, strengthens strategies, and maximizes results by aligning your organization around your:
- intended impact:
- who: audience(s) your organization works for / with
- where: location of your work
- what: specific, measurable, results (outcomes) your organization is prepared to hold itself accountable for delivering
- when: within what time frame (e.g. 5 years)
- how: the change mechanisms / activities that reasonably move you towards this impact.
There are two times when it is particularly helpful for an organization to develop or update its TOC. One is after a major change, such as a period of growth or leadership change. Another is any time you identify a lack of alignment around your intended impact and / or and change mechanisms. For example, if you notice differing perspectives within your leadership team or Board around your organization’s main audience, the results / outcomes you are targeting for / with this audience, or how you move towards this impact.
A TOC can be developed before, after, or even at the same time as a strategic plan.
How much does it cost to develop a Theory of Change?
Most Theory of Change projects with small- and medium-sized organizations land in the $10K to $30K range. Discounts and / or instalment invoicing for smaller charities and nonprofits are possible. Valery is also willing to support your organization to apply to Innoweave, which has a funding program to support nonprofits and charities to work with her.
Theory of Change development involves varying levels of community engagement tailored to the context of your organization. Valery Navarrete Consulting also includes, omits, or tailors other project elements to suit an organization’s needs.
For example, an organization with strong operational planning capacity may choose to leave implementation support out of their project.
We are also willing to partner with organizations interested in taking on certain project deliverables in house, such as some of the research or community engagement.
Variabilities such as organizational size and complexity also affect pricing.
Innoweave
Valery is an affiliate of Innoweave, which is a project of the MakeWay Foundation.
Innoweave has a funding program to support nonprofits and charities to work with Valery.
If you think working with Valery within one of the Innoweave project streams that she offers might be a good fit for you, please book a free consultation to explore submitting an expression of interest!