Strategic Planning & Board Governance for Nonprofits
"Organizations that plan for the future have a chance to succeed in changing times. Organizations that do not plan for the future have no future at all."
At Paradigm Associates LLC, we empower organizations with tailored strategic planning and robust board governance solutions, ensuring sustainable growth and effective leadership.
Our services include:
Comprehensive Strategic Planning
Developing actionable plans that align with your organization’s vision and goals.
Board Governance Assessment
Evaluating board effectiveness and governance structures to support optimal decision-making.
Leadership Development Programs
Enhancing leadership skills to foster organizational growth and resilience.
Organizational Alignment Strategies
Ensuring all departments and stakeholders work toward common goals.
Process Improvement Initiatives
Streamlining processes for greater efficiency and impact.
In the case of nonprofit and volunteer-intensive organizations, focused and effective planning is often the difference between a long and successful life and a short and unhappy existence.
Effective Organizational Planning:
1. Begins at the top of the organization.
2. Involves the full leadership and management team.
3. Provides for stakeholder input.
4. Links to larger organizational goals.
5. Reflects realistic assessments of needs and capabilities.
6. Is rapid, focused, and action-oriented.
7. Commits to specific accomplishments within set time frames.
8. Targets specific actions for a short-term (1-3 years) impact.
9. Documents common objectives that require cross-department collaboration.
10. Establishes measurable progress indicators.
11. Embraces continuous evaluation.
It can actually take longer to describe and prepare for the planning process than it takes to develop an effective organizational plan! Key steps include:
Identify Key Issues
Paradigm Associates provides materials for use as "food for thought" to assist leaders and others to consider a wide range of factors in constructing their plans. These are best used to surface issues of concern and to help stimulate focused discussions with your leadership team.
Evaluate Resources
Once key issues are clearly understood within the context of overall goals, your team can address the extent to which local needs and resources may impact your choices of how to proceed. Experience shows that trying to do too much and failing is less effective than trying to do a few things, succeeding, and then building on that success - over, and over, and over again.
Create a Plan
The plan the leadership team develops should be simple, direct, and clearly understood by all parties. To the maximum extent possible, it should reflect a consensus of what the entire team is willing to commit to accomplishing in a 1-3 year period. The plan document can be used as a "contract" for what will be accomplished in the coming 1-3 years and as such can help the organization achieve its overall goals and objectives.
Future View
The "planning horizon" is typically 1-5 years. This means that the current leadership team can commit the organization to a course of action that may not bear fruit until after many of them are no longer on the board or in a position of governance. This is consistent with a fundamental responsibility of organizational leaders: to plan for the future of their organizations without regard to their own stake in the outcome. Boards have a fundamental responsibility to lay out plans for their successors, just as their successors have the responsibility to assess progress and changing needs and revise those plans or make new ones for their own successors.
Nonprofit Board Development
Training and Governance Considerations
Among other Board Officer and Board Member training services we provide, several themes have emerged.
1. Develop a viable Board Member Evaluation Process that serves two purposes:
● Provide a platform to evaluate the effectiveness of existing Board members
● Provide talking points about shared expectations during the recruitment efforts for new Board members.
2. Develop Profiles of Desired Board Members' Skillsets and Attributes
The Board serves a critical function in the ongoing governance and support of a nonprofit organization. While some desired characteristics overlap, there is a difference in the focus that must be maintained if the Board is to optimize its contribution each year. This intention should be taken into account when recruiting new Board candidates.
3. Interview existing Board Officers and Members
Help the Nomination Committee assess their willingness and readiness to continue contributing time, talent, and treasure.
Testimonials
What our Clients Had to Say:
Doug took me through a strategic planning process for my company that really helped me grab a vision for where I could take it, and what it might look like when I get there. I'd recommend Doug to anyone who wants to take their business to the next level. Plus he's a blast to work with!
Paradigm Associates LLC, headed by Doug Brown, is a group of talented, experienced, and inspiring people. This is the "go to" place if you need a fresh perspective on a non-trivial issue.
Doug challenges me to leave the daily grind of business operations behind for an hour or two in favor of thinking creatively and strategically. He has helped me clear hurdles that were in the way of my success and is enabling a more focused intent on our company's strategic goals. If you are having trouble realizing your aspirations - Doug is the guy to assist.
Doug Brown from Paradigm Associates has been a great partner as we move through our Leadership Training Series and the Strategic Planning process. Highly recommend!
Recently I had the pleasure to work with Doug as a part of our Strategic Planning Process. Our organization has always used strategic planning to lead our efforts for obvious reasons. This is to say that I have worked with a number of people to facilitate our strategic planning. Our process is unique in that it engages all segments of our community that is Public, Private and of course our customer. Doug was no less that excellent in being about to adjust to the various groups, getting to the meat of where we were as an organization and assisting us in flushing out a new and freshly competitive direction. I have worked as CEO of non-profits and as a part of the public sector for more than 20 years and during this time I have met few people with Dougs depth of knowledge in his area of expertise. Without hesitation I recommend Doug and would be more than willing to work with him and his team again.
Doug and I worked together on an extremely fast course project that required five different individuals to come together from different geographic locations. His expertise as the leader in this team was very evident. He proactively listened and demonstrated the ability to be flexible when ideas came forth that were not his, but ultimately made the final result even better. Since that time,I have come to know him as a friend and a professional colleague. I believe he brings a lot to the table for any organization or individual seeking to improve their results.
I have had the pleasure of working with Doug over the past 8-months on a Leadership Development/Strategic Planning program for my executive staff. Throughout this process I have found Doug to be an amazing resource for both myself and team. His vast knowledge and practical experience provided real world examples my staff could relate to and begin practicing immediately. If you are looking for a down-to-earth, practical subject matter expert for your leadership team or business I highly recommend you reach out to Doug.
As Chairman of the Board, I recently had the opportunity to work with Doug on a strategic planning effort for the New York Society of Association Executives. Doug was terrific in working with Association leaders. His high touch, vast knowledge of planning skills, and focus on critical success factors was invaluable. NYSAE now has a new framework for success and I would highly recommend Doug for similar assignments. By the way, he is not a bad singer either! Thanks Doug!
ARC of Rockland spent several months interviewing consulting firms to assist our nonprofit in undergoing a strategic planning assessment and visioning process. After an extended search and interview process, Doug Brown of Paradigm Associates was our unanimous selection. Doug has conducted stakeholder interviews/surveys and has led multiple strategic retreats. Doug has worked hard to understand our organization’s culture in a very short period of time and has helped to tease out our challenges and opportunities. We have identified five strategic elements that we will focus on over the next 2-3 years and we are in the process of developing action plans to accomplish these goals.
Doug’s calm approach, inquisitive nature and extensive planning expertise is exactly what we needed to develop a plan for our future. Doug will continue to work with us in advancing our strategic plan and will be assisting our board of directors in further improving organizational governance.
I would recommend Doug Brown without hesitation – he is a true professional!
Contact Paradigm Associates LLC today to explore how our strategic planning and board governance solutions can drive sustainable growth and effective leadership for your organization.
We’re dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. If you have any questions or feedback, contact us directly by phone or email. Your insights are invaluable in refining the solutions we provide and delivering the results you expect.