Strategic Planning

Practical advice, an efficient process, and a strategic plan that leads to action

Free Consultations

We make strategic planning manageable

Organizations too often avoid strategic planning because they worry it will be overly complicated or cumbersome, take too much time, or result in little more than a three-ring binder that sits on the shelf. Our strategic planning experience with dozens of clients (both for-profit and non-profit) has demonstrated that successful strategic planning—strategic planning that truly guides the organization into the future—can be accomplished efficiently, in a timely manner, and without gobbling-up staff time.

We know your organization is unique, as are the people who care about it. Instead of presenting a “one-size-fits-all” approach to strategic planning, we spend time getting to know your organization, assessing your needs, and then tailoring a planning process to achieve your desired outcomes and fit your budget. Together we will develop a nonprofit strategic planning or business strategic planning process that meets your timeline, stays reasonable in scope, and delivers effective strategies to guide your organization to future success.

Success is a plan that results in action

“So what will we have when we’re done?” It’s the question we are asked by every strategic planning client.
Our answer is, “You’ll have a plan that truly guides your work, results in action, and delivers measurable results.”

Specifically, when our clients embark upon a comprehensive nonprofit strategic planning or business strategic planning process they can count on the following:

Agreement on a concise mission statement that makes it clear what your purpose is and what you exist to do.
A shared vision of where you want to travel together over the next few years and what you want to accomplish by the time you get there.
A set of “strategic priorities” or goals that will make it clear what you plan to accomplish and that will serve as the framework for your action-planning.
Measurable objectives that provide specific, quantifiable, realistic targets that measure the accomplishment of your work over a specified period of time.
Action plans for achieving your objectives that are tied to budget, staff and/or volunteer resources, and timelines.
A structured monitoring process that ensures that the long-term strategy stays front and center, despite the pressures of the day-to-day.

Along the way we will help you engage your key stakeholders in the process , communicate the details of your plan, and support the successful implementation of a plan that is truly strategic and delivers measurable results.

Begin here

For nonprofit clients, we’ve written a guide to help you and your board consider the options as you prepare to embark upon a nonprofit strategic planning process: Before You Plan—Strategic Planning Advice for Nonprofits. In addition, we have developed a variety of resources and written extensively about business strategic planning, and you will find several blog posts on strategic planning in the Starboard Blog section of our web site.

Let’s talk

Our clients can count on us to begin every project with a conversation—a conversation that helps us to understand your unique needs and consider how best to assist you. Call now (207) 992-4406 to begin the conversation and learn more. All initial consultations are free of charge.

Why strategic planning often incites fear and loathing

Any fear board members feel about strategic planning is often related to what they experienced in the last strategic planning process – too long, too many meetings, and yielded little more than a plan that sits on a shelf. It should come as little surprise then when board members say: “We’ve got a lot on our plates right now. Let’s talk about that next year.”

Moreover, many organizations have a strategic plan in place and just aren’t following it:

“We finished the plan, and then everything changed, and the assumptions upon which it was built are no longer valid.”

“It was a five-year plan, but we found that we accomplished a lot more than we expected in the first year, and we quickly discarded things that didn’t work, so we stopped referring to it.”

Our commitment is to help organizations put in place a process that results in the plan they need and will want to use without wearing out the planners along the way. In short, your strategic planning process should energize.

Learn More

Swipe to Scroll

What Our Clients Say

We're always pushing to take our organization to the next level, and Starboard has helped us reach new heights in our leadership and management, employee engagement, and talent management. My experience has been that Starboard works hard to add value in every way possible. As a result, I always hear positive feedback from employees following Starboard's engagements with us.

– Larry Barker, CEO of Machias Savings Bank

Scott helped me see through the fog to focus on the most pressing issues creating tension, challenges and structuring the organization for success in a new environment. My regular connections with Scott kept me on track, focusing on moving the needle’ on the items that required my attention.

– Aaron Dority, Executive Director Frenchman Bay Conservancy

Scott's style is direct, empathetic, and thought-provoking. He has provided critical knowledge, experience, and connections that have allowed us to build a stronger Board and take advantage of opportunities. Coach, cheerleader, and catalyst are three words I would use to describe his work with our organization.

– Cynthia Randall, Executive Director of Cornerstones of Science

The interviews that Starboard conducted with our partners and key funders proved to be an invaluable part of our strategic planning process, as was their expertise in helping to shape a plan that guides our work every day.

– Claire Berkowitz, Executive Director of the Maine Children’s Alliance

We hired Starboard to lead us through our first ever, professionally led strategic planning process. We were at an important juncture in our growth and direction and had to make some really big decisions. We definitely hired the right firm to guide and support us! The Starboard team were great facilitators, professional, yet at the same time, down-to-earth. We couldn't have hired a better firm to work with us. The results have been fantastic!

– Ken Schmidt, Past President & CEO of Penobscot Community Health Care