Strategic Planning and Implementation

Key components of a broad-based, participatory planning process include:

Environmental scan – organizational history, current reality, trends, force-field analysis, etc.
Consensus on the organization’s practical vision / preferred future (3 - 5 years)
Identification of barriers to attaining the preferred future
Development of strategic directions
Implementation steps – first year’s accomplishments, quarterly calendar, 90-day action plan

How much time does it take?

Up-front prep work (research, document compilation, surveys, interviews, etc.) takes 10-15 hours of prep time for the facilitator and 1-2 hours for the participants
Pre-meetings with client – usually two meetings of 2 hours each
Facilitator's Design takes 1-2 hours per every hour of facilitation time
Each facilitated session runs 2-4 hours
Documentation takes approximately 1 hour for every hour of meeting time
Post meeting with client – 2 hours

How much does it cost?

Most prep work and pre/post-meetings are on an hourly rate (typically $100-$200 per hour)
Design charges are usually included in the day rate
Facilitation day rates run from $2000 to $2500 per day for six to eight hours of face time/day
Survey charges including developing questions, getting them approved, posting the survey, and analyzing results are typically billed on an hourly basis ($75-$150 per hour)
Interviews are typically billed on a per-person basis ($75-$100 each) and this includes the summary of comments
Documentation services are usually $50-$75 per hour
Materials are often included in the day rate or they are billed on a per-person basis at cost+10%
On average, a strategic planning process costs $5,000 - $8,000
Non-profit and government agency discounts are applied at 15% off the total

Why hire an outside facilitator?