Strategic Planning

ACCORD believes that the process of strategic planning is as important as the plan. Through participation in the process, stakeholders "buy in" to the changes that result and resistance to the plan is reduced, if not eliminated. For these reasons, ACCORD ensures a "team approach" to strategic planning through:

• Meaningfully involving an organization's key stakeholders: board, staff, funders, donors, and other relevant parties;
• Eliciting board and executive staff input into the planning process;
• Creating a workable, flexible plan with clear accountability for implementation.

Through these participative processes, clients identify their mission and core values, a vision for the longer-term future, measurable goals, and short-term objectives.

ACCORD's strategic planning counsel can be as comprehensive as the client desires, i.e., beginning with information gathering and proceeding through implementation. Or, consultants can offer targeted planning interventions on specific issues, such as new program or service development. In any case, ACCORD's approach is collaborative, working with the client's data, expertise, and staff, thus minimizing the cost to the client and increasing the likelihood of successful implementation due to the active participation of key stakeholders in the process.