Strategic Planning
SERVICES
Turn Shared Priorities into a Practical Path Forward.
A useful strategic plan provides direction without losing sight of implementation. It reflects credible evidence, meaningful stakeholder participation, organizational capacity, and the context in which the work will occur.
Shaffer Evaluation Group designs and facilitates planning processes that help organizations clarify priorities, build alignment, and translate direction into action.
SERVICES
When strategic planning can help
A planning process may be valuable when:
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An organization is preparing for its next phase
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Leadership, staff members, or board members need greater alignment
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A program or partnership is expanding or changing direction
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Multiple stakeholders need a structured way to establish priorities
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Existing plans no longer reflect current needs or conditions
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Evaluation or research findings need to be translated into action
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An organization needs clearer implementation responsibilities and measures
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A collaborative initiative needs a shared vision and road map
SERVICES
What we provide
Planning support is tailored to the organization, participants, timeline, and intended use of the plan.
Services may include:
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Organizational and environmental assessment
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Background research and document review
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Stakeholder interviews, surveys, or focus groups
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Community consultation
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Board and leadership retreats
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Planning-session design and facilitation
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Mission, vision, and priority clarification
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Goal and strategy development
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Implementation road maps
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Roles, responsibilities, and timelines
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Performance measures
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Progress-monitoring plans
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Communication and rollout support
SERVICES
How we work
Understand
We review the organization’s current direction, evidence, operating context, capacity, and stakeholder perspectives. This creates a shared foundation for planning.
Align
Through structured conversations and facilitated sessions, we help participants clarify what matters most, explore choices, and establish shared priorities.
Move to action
We translate priorities into strategies, responsibilities, timelines, and meaningful measures of progress. The resulting plan is designed to guide decisions—not sit on a shelf.
FEATURED PROJECT
Community-Informed Strategic Planning at GTCC
Service: Strategic Planning
Portfolio: Higher Education
The Need
As Guilford Technical Community College prepared its 2025–2030 strategic plan, it needed a broad and credible understanding of priorities across its six campuses and the communities it serves. The consultation needed to include leadership, employees, students, employers, education partners, community organizations, and local government.
SEG’s Role
SEG facilitated visioning and consultation sessions with the Board of Trustees, college leadership, faculty, staff, students, and other internal groups. We also administered surveys to students, employees, and external partners, including multilingual outreach to adult education students. SEG analyzed survey responses and consultation transcripts using quantitative and qualitative methods.
How the Work Was Used
SEG provided interim findings, a comprehensive survey report, and a final presentation to the GTCC advisory board. The process surfaced priorities that college leaders could use to identify strategic focus areas and develop responsive strategies.
SERVICES
Experience across four portfolios
Arts & Culture
Facilitate planning for arts organizations, cultural institutions, grantmakers, creative initiatives, and partnerships working across arts and community priorities.
K-12 Education
Support school districts, schools, education agencies, and collaborative initiatives with stakeholder engagement, priority setting, implementation planning, and progress measures.
Higher Education
Help colleges, universities, departments, programs, and institutional partnerships plan for student success, organizational change, workforce initiatives, sustainability, and future growth.
Tribal Communities
Work with Tribal governments, Native-serving organizations, education programs, and community partners on planning processes shaped by their priorities, governance, context, and expectations.
Plan for implementation from the beginning
If your organization needs to establish direction, align stakeholders, or turn existing evidence into a workable plan, we can help design an appropriate process.
Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation.