STRATEGIC PLANNING FACILITATION TEMPLATE

Part 1: Pre-Meeting Preparation (1 Week Before)

Your success in the 2-hour session depends entirely on the preparation you do beforehand.

[ ] Step 1: Send the Pre-Planning Email: A week before the meeting, send the "Pre-Planning Email" with the refined questions from Chapter 4 to every board member. Give them a clear deadline to respond (e.g., 3 days before the meeting).

[ ] Step 2: Compile the Feedback: As the responses come in, copy and paste all the ideas into a single document. Organize them by category (e.g., all "Marketing & Reputation" ideas together). This document is your raw material for the meeting.

[ ] Step 3: Distribute the Compiled Ideas: Two days before the meeting, send the full document of compiled, anonymized ideas to every board member. This ensures everyone comes into the room having already considered the collective thoughts of the group.

[ ] Step 4: Prepare Your Facilitation Space:

In-Person: Secure a large whiteboard or several flip chart pages. Have plenty of markers in different colors.
Virtual: Prepare a virtual whiteboard tool like Miro or Mural. Create pre-made frames for each section of the agenda.
Timer: Have a visible timer ready (a physical clock or a timer app on screen).

Sample Pre-Planning Email Template

Subject: Getting Ready for Our Strategic Planning Session

Hi [Board Member Name],

As you know, our 2-hour strategic planning session is scheduled for [Date of Meeting]. To make our time together as productive and high-impact as possible, I need your valuable strategic thinking beforehand. Your input is essential for setting the direction of our organization for the next chapter.

Please take 15-20 minutes to thoughtfully answer the questions below and send your responses back to me by [Response Deadline, e.g., end of day Friday].

Your individual responses will be compiled anonymously with everyone else's and shared with the full board before our meeting. This will allow us to come into the session with a rich set of ideas to discuss.

Pre-Planning Questions:

Our Big Picture: "Looking ahead 12-24 months, what is the single most important, tangible outcome we must achieve to call this year a success? (e.g., 'Serve 500 more families,' 'Secure our first six-figure grant,' 'Launch the new mentorship program')."
Our Reputation & Marketing: "Right now, what do you think is the biggest misconception about our organization in the community? What is one specific marketing action (like a new video, a better website homepage, or a specific social media campaign) we could take to fix it?"
Our Partnerships: "Name one organization, company, or community leader we are not currently working with, but whose partnership could be a game-changer for our credibility and impact. Why them?"
Our Fundraising: "What is our single biggest barrier to raising more money right now? If we could remove that one barrier, what would become possible? Also, name one person or company you believe we should be talking to for funding that we aren't."
Our Team & Culture: "What is one thing we could do to make serving on this board more meaningful and effective for everyone in this room?"
Your Big Idea: "What is one bold, specific idea you have for this organization that you haven't had a chance to share yet?"
Thank you for your time and your commitment to this important process. I am truly excited to see the powerful ideas that come from this and to work with you all to shape our future.

Best regards,

[Your Name] Founder/Executive Director

Part 2: The 2-Hour Strategic Planning Agenda & Script

(Time: 0:00 - 0:10) Welcome & Framing the Session
Your Goal: Set a positive, energetic, and focused tone.

Facilitator Script:

"Welcome, everyone. Thank you for your time and for the incredible ideas you shared in the pre-planning survey. The goal of our next two hours together is not to create a 50-page document that will sit on a shelf. The goal is to create clarity, alignment, and shared ownership. We will move fast, think at a high level, and by the end of this session, we will have a clear mission for each key area of our organization and a clear owner for the next step. My role is to facilitate and keep us on track. Your role is to bring your best strategic thinking. Let's begin."
(Time: 0:10 - 0:40) The Big Picture: Needs, Solutions & SWOT
Your Goal: Ground the conversation in your community's needs and your organization's current reality.

Facilitator Script & Actions:

Discuss Community Needs (10 mins): "Based on the community outreach we conducted and the feedback you all reviewed, what was the most surprising or powerful thing you learned about the needs of the people we serve? Let's quickly discuss the top 2-3 needs we must address." (Capture these on the whiteboard).
Conduct SWOT Analysis (20 mins): "Now, let's take a quick but honest look at our own reality. We're going to do a rapid SWOT analysis." (Draw a 2x2 grid on the whiteboard labeled Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).

"Let's start with Strengths: Looking inward, what are our greatest assets right now?" (Write them down).
"Now for Weaknesses: Where are we weak? What skill gaps or limitations are holding us back?" (Write them down).
"Let's look outside at Opportunities: What trends, partnerships, or community needs could we leverage?" (Write them down).
"Finally, Threats: What external factors could harm our work?" (Write them down).
(Time: 0:40 - 1:40) Mission-Defining for Key Areas
Your Goal: Facilitate a discussion that results in a clear, co-created mission statement for each functional area.

Facilitator Script & Actions: "Excellent. Now that we have the big picture, we're going to build the core of our plan. For each of the following areas, our goal is to answer one key question to create a guiding mission. I will capture our final mission statement on the board."

For Organizational Profile (15 mins):

Ask: "Let's start with the top. When we are wildly successful five years from now, what will be different in our community because we existed? Let's capture that outcome in a single, powerful sentence that includes the partners and donors who will help us get there."
Facilitate & Write: Guide the discussion until you have a sentence. Write the final "Overall Mission Statement" on the board.
For Marketing (10 mins):

Ask: "To achieve that overall mission, what is the primary job of our marketing? Let's complete this sentence: 'Our marketing mission is to establish this organization as...'"
Facilitate & Write: Guide the discussion (e.g., "...as the most trusted voice on our issue," "...as the go-to resource for families in our city"). Write the final "Marketing Mission" on the board.
For Partnerships (10 mins):

Ask: "What is the strategic purpose of our partnerships? Let's complete this sentence: 'Our partnership mission is to build alliances that allow us to...'"
Facilitate & Write: Guide the discussion (e.g., "...reach new communities," "...add credibility to our work," "...access new funding streams"). Write the final "Partnership Mission" on the board.
For Resource Development (15 mins):

Ask: "What is the core purpose of our fundraising? Let's complete this sentence: 'Our resource development mission is to fuel our work by...'"
Facilitate & Write: Guide the discussion (e.g., "...building a community of grassroots investors," "...securing major multi-year grants from foundations"). Write the final "Resource Development Mission" on the board.
For Human Resources (Team & Culture) (10 mins):

Ask: "What kind of team—both staff and board—must we be to succeed? Let's complete this sentence: 'Our team mission is to foster a culture of...'"
Facilitate & Write: Guide the discussion (e.g., "...radical accountability and mutual support," "...innovation and continuous learning"). Write the final "Team Mission" on the board.
(Time: 1:40 - 2:00) Delegation & Next Steps
Your Goal: Ensure every strategic area has a clear owner before the meeting ends.

Facilitator Script & Actions: "This has been an incredible session. Look at what we've created together." (Gesture to the whiteboard with all the mission statements). "We have clarity and a shared direction. The final, and most important, step today is delegation. Our plan is only as good as our commitment to executing it."

Facilitate Delegation Script

We need a board member to take the lead on each of these areas, to take the mission we just created and build out the detailed action plan. Based on our conversation today and your own passions, who feels drawn to lead the charge for Marketing?" (Wait for a volunteer. Write their name next to the Marketing Mission. Repeat for each area: Partnerships, Resource Development, etc.).

Clarify Next Steps: "Thank you all for stepping up. Here are the next steps. For those who have taken the lead on an area, your task is to develop an in-depth action plan based on the mission we created today. That plan should include the steps, people, and budget needed. My role is to support each of you in that process. You will present your finished plans for approval at our next board meeting on [Date]."
End with Energy: "I am more excited than ever about the future of this organization. Thank you for your leadership and commitment. We have a clear plan. Let's go execute."

Part 3: Post-Meeting: Writing the Plan

Your Role as Integrator: Your job is not to write the plan alone. Start a master document and fill in the high-level sections we completed in the meeting (Overall Mission, SWOT, etc.).

Collect the Plans: As your board members complete their detailed action plans, integrate each one into the master document under the appropriate heading.
Complete the Budget: Once all the individual plans and their mini-budgets are submitted, you can create the full, comprehensive organizational budget.
Distribute for Review: Send the complete strategic plan document to the full board for their review before the next meeting, where they will officially vote to approve it.