CRE approaches all planning – strategic planning, business planning, and program planning – as a process to make the best decisions now that will guide the organization in the future. We partner with our clients to ensure they are informed by meaningful data, leading to actionable decisions. Planning aligns stakeholders, sets clear goals for success, and supports organizations in making effective use of limited resources to ensure sustainability while maximizing and measuring impact. The end-goal of all planning efforts is to enable nonprofits to better achieve their missions in a financially sustainable way.
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Strategy + Planning - CRE
Theory Of Change
CRE works with clients to clarify how their organization creates change in the world and delivers impact for the people it serves.
We help clients define and create their theory of change by answering five critical questions. The direction derived from answering these questions focuses and aligns individuals, resources, and programs on activities that the organization has determined will produce the intended results – and thus the desired impact. Much of the planning and organizational work we do with nonprofit clients begins by helping them to identify and understand their own theories of change, and ends with advice on how best to put theses theories into action.
Strategic Planning
CRE designs and facilitates planning processes that help clients make strategic decisions about how they can best position their organization now and in the future.
Strategic planning determines the programs and activities that will enable an organization to achieve its goals. We take into account the current and anticipated environments, trends, and realities surrounding an organization to ensure sustainability in our planning.
Business Planning
CRE develops and leads financial and infrastructure planning efforts to help organizations develop the most effective paths toward financial sustainability.
We help clients analyze and understand the work they do and what it costs to do that work. We pinpoint the financial resources needed to support our clients’ missions so they can make the best decisions about how to sustain and grow their organizations.
Program Planning
CRE works with organizations to help them strengthen, focus, and scale their programs to achieve success.
CRE helps clients explore and understand the communities they serve and their target population’s needs, and then set impact goals. We align the appropriate interventions to intended outcomes and help clients implement the changes their stakeholders are looking for.
Outcomes Measurement
CRE helps clients improve their effectiveness by working with them to define success, pinpoint how that success is achieved, and manage for outcomes.
We start by reviewing and sharpening intended outcomes, and then develop concrete, measurable or observable success indicators and tools to measure this. Outcomes measurement often occurs as part of, or as a follow-up to, strategic or program planning.
Community Collaboration
CRE helps public agencies and community-based organizations solicit and incorporate input from community stakeholders to ensure informed planning and stronger results.
We help convene and gather information from a broad range of stakeholders, interpret this data, analyze implications, and strategize solutions with community members. We go beyond the traditional focus group approach and help identify and integrate the perspectives of stakeholders into organizational and program planning.
Strategic Alliance
CRE enables nonprofits to position themselves in times of change, and works with leaders to consider options ranging from collaborations and joint programming to strategic alliances and mergers.
We work with nonprofits to explore all growth and downsizing options. Our long history in the nonprofit sector uniquely positions us to provide research and advice to clients considering collaborations and alliances.
