Strategic Planning – When to Hire a Consultant vs. Doing It Yourself

At Growth for Good we are always looking to find solutions that maximize our clients’ impact in the communities they serve.  We are often asked by nonprofits and/or their board members when they should use a consultant for strategic planning versus doing it themselves, and here’s our advice:

High Demands: When the need for your services is outpacing your capacity, and growth is essential for the health of your community and/or constituents, it may be time to hire an outside consultant.  If efficient revenue growth and productive organizational development are particularly essential to fulfilling your purpose, a strategic planning expert can really help you stay ahead of the curve

Overwhelmed:  Some problems are what we call “good” problems -– like when there are too many ways to grow or multiple expansion opportunities for your organization. At times like those, it’s incredibly helpful to have guidance from a consultant who can help you vet the options, provide you with the competitive/market research that supports decision-making, and/or guide your team in setting key priorities and developing an action plan.

Conflict: While in an ideal world there would be harmony among organizational leadership, we know that’s not always the case. When board and staff leaders have a difference of opinion regarding the key priorities for an organization, a neutral, unbiased third party can help mediate and aid with developing a consensus for moving forward.

The Unknown: What’s next for your group? Is leadership transition or succession planning the giant elephant in the room for your organization? When current expectations aren’t being met and/or future needs are not being discussed, a professional facilitator can help lay out a plan and coach your board and staff leadership toward change.

Stagnation:  When you have many priorities across your organization and need focus, developing a strategic plan with a ranked and detailed action plan is essential. Through a collaborative process, consultants can help an organization develop goals, measurable outcomes, tactics, timelines, and the language needed to rally forces and achieve lasting growth and sustainability.

Don’t leave your destiny to chance! If you are considering hiring a consultant to help with your nonprofit’s strategic plan or you would like to do it yourself with professional coaching and facilitation, please let us know:  contact@growthforgood.com.

Excerpts from this article have also appeared in Marks Paneth’s Nonprofit & Government Times newsletter.

Photo Credits:Elena Koycheva, Daria Nepriakhina, and Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

“The Fundraising Plan and ongoing strategic advice provided by Growth for Good is invaluable to Hip Hop Public Health. The plan is practical, actionable, and doable. Worth the investment.” – Lori Rose Benson, Hip Hop Public Health executive director