Strategic Planning services - To offer or not to offer? 🤔

That's a question that at least 80% of consultants in the social impact sector ask themselves at some point. Peter Nicholson and Janai G., co-founders of the Foresight Collective consultancy are no different.

And considering how many RFPs they've encountered from nonprofits willing to pay $45k, $75k, or even $200k for a consultant to guide them through the process of developing a 3-5 year strategic plan, clearly it's a question worth considering!

Yet, as is often the case with Peter and Janai on any given topic, there's room for debate.

Innovation and innovators are widely celebrated in the social impact sector and, more broadly, in Western culture. What are the pros and cons of that, though?

As is often the case with Peter and Janai on any given topic, there's room for debate.

What's your take?

Whether in the professional consulting or personal realm, new relationships need to be approached with caution. Most of us in the social impact space show up with the best of intentions in our work, yet that doesn't mean that we don't encounter (and sometimes unwittingly instigate! 😬 ) conflict, miscommunication, and misalignment.

The same could be said for any partnership, team, or other collective endeavor. How do we mitigate that possibility? In other words, how do we spot and avoid red flags?

As is often the case with Peter and Janai on any given topic, there's room for debate!

In the social impact sector, it's pretty common to hear the phrase, "those closest to problem best know how to solve them." This idea has been the premise (or at least touted as the premise) behind countless community engagement initiatives orchestrated by power-holding entities such as local government, philanthropy, and elsewhere in recent years.

But is that the whole story?

As is often the case with Peter and Janai on any given topic, there's room for debate!

The Foresight Team is working on a national scan of the nonprofit intermediary landscape on behalf of a client, which includes having a series of learning conversations with organizations from across the US. As we're hearing about some of the creative, impactful, and (dare we say?) innovative initiatives being driven forward visionary leaders and organizations, supported by visionary, progressive funders, we've been tempted to ask ourselves, "Why can't we do that in Detroit? or "Why don't we have that in Chicago?". But would importing ideas and approaches from elsewhere into our contexts be the catalyst for sustainable, progressive change in our respective cities and beyond?

As is always the case with the two of us, there's always room for debate!

Civil society is under attack. Programs, services, and entire systems that have served to protect the health and well-being of people in the US and abroad are being dismantled. In short, the house is on fire.

What elements can leaders in the social impact sector hold onto in our work as we respond to current threats and build towards a more just, equitable future?

As is always the case with the two of us, there's always room for debate!

At Foresight Collective, we are all about re-think assumptions and and ask better questions to land on better outcomes for communities. From our perspective, there's hardly an area more ripe for re-thinking than the social impact sector's framing of entrepreneurship as a pathway to wealth-building for BIPOC. What assumptions do we need to re-examine? How do might we shift how we invest in training and TA to achieve the goals we actually want to achieve?

As is always the case with Peter and Janai, there's room for debate!

"Those closest to a problem are best equipped to solve it."

We established that that isn't the whole story. Community residents and technical experts have important roles to play in social innovation.

But what does it look like to marry different kinds of expertise and experience to solve problems? How do we harness both to build systems and cities that work for the collective good?

As is often the case with us on any given topic, there's room for debate!

Burnout is an evergreen topic in the social impact sector - even before this moment of heightened uncertainty and multiple crises. But where does burnout come from? Is it an indelible aspect of working in our sector? And what's the solution?

As is often the case with us on any given topic, there's room for debate!

RFPs are a significant part of how we do business in the social sector. Foundations, nonprofits, and consultants often rely on them to get/give needed support. But that doesn't mean RFP processes are always effective or equitable.

When are they lazy, ineffective, and even extractive? How can they be useful and generative for both the issuer and respondents?

As is often the case with Peter and Janai, there's room for debate.