Strategy Academy: A Cohort-Based Strategic Planning Program for Small Organizations

Our unique, cohort-based, online strategic planning program is specifically tailored for organizations ready to take a leap forward.

With Laridae’s Strategy Academy, you’ll navigate a self-directed strategic planning process with expert guidance, equipping you and your team to build lasting planning skills.

Engage with your community, staff and connected partners, while learning how to move strategy into action.

What you can expect through this experience:

• Expert guidance: Laridae’s team will be guiding the group through this process through facilitated learning and discussions, one-on-one coaching for your senior leader, tools, and tips. Though you will be expected to complete some work between sessions, your will be guided and coached by our team of supportive experts.
  
  
• Self-directed: Ultimately, your group is building your own strategic plan. There will be some homework that your team will need to complete throughout the journey.
  
  
• Group accountability: This is a cohort-based experience, where we will learn from each other and hold each other accountable to our progress. Be prepared to present your final plan to the group – it’ll be good practice for when you share you work more broadly

Join us in this unique experience and shape the future of your organization with confidence and clarity.

Who is Laridae’s Strategy Academy for?

Laridae’s Strategy Academy is specifically designed for the dedicated leaders of small organizations that are at the forefront of change and ready to elevate their impact. If your organization has the drive to advance through strategy, this program is tailored for you.

It’s the perfect fit for a collaborative team of:

• Executive Leaders and Senior Staff: Inspiring figures leading their organization, keen to sharpen their strategic acumen and unite their team under a shared vision.
  
  
• Board Representatives: Committed governors of the organization, looking to play an active role in shaping its strategic future.

Criteria for participation

Your organization is a good match for this program if:

• Your organization has annual revenues under $3 million, with paid staff.
• You are committed to investing time in a comprehensive strategic planning process.
• You have the capacity to send three to five members for an immersive experience over a four month period.
• Your senior leader can dedicate 8+ hours per month for four months to drive the process forward.

Embrace this opportunity for three to five representatives from your organization, including a combination of staff and board members, to contribute to a rich dialogue and a comprehensive strategic planning process.

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Clarity: Gain a solid understanding of strategic planning and the nuances of thinking strategically within your organization.
  
  
• Stakeholder Identification: Learn to pinpoint who your key stakeholders are and the roles they play in the community engagement process.
  
  
• Engagement Toolkit: Following the module, you will receive a template engagement toolkit that includes template communications and draft engagement questions.

Between Modules

• Engage: Between the first and second session, you will take the work you’ve completed as well as we the engagement toolkit to gather input from your community and your partners.
  
  
• 1:1 Coaching: Meet with your coach to explore the feedback and ask any questions you may have regarding engagement.

Key Takeaways:

• Engagement Synthesis: Discuss and distill the key themes from stakeholder engagement to inform your organization’s future direction.
  
  
• Vision and Impact Definition: Clarify your organization’s vision and the impact you aim to have, setting a defined course for the future.
  
  
• Strategic Information Gathering: Identify essential information needed to sculpt your strategic plan for the next 3-5 years, ensuring a prepared and informed approach.

Between Modules:

• Organizational Snapshot: using a template document, complete an 8-10 slide presentation that brings together the history, trends, and internal and external factors impacting your organization.
  
  
• 1:1 Coaching: meet with your coach to further refine your impact statement and to dig into the Organizational Snapshot together, ensuring all key information is gathered and ready for the next module.

Key Takeaways:

• Facilitated Discussions: Navigate through structured strategic discussions to ensure every voice is heard and every insight is valued.
  
  
• Strategic Alignment: Reach a unified agreement on 3-5 major strategic directions and key commitments to guide your organization’s journey.
  
  
• Draft Strategy: Start a draft strategic plan in a page that gathers the thoughts and direction discussed through the session.

Between Modules:

• Refine your Strategy: Reflect on the draft and finalize your plan.
  
  
• 1:1 Coaching: Present the final draft, explore any additional considerations, and prepare to present the plan in the final module.

Key Takeaways:

• Presentation Practice: Sharpen your ability to communicate your strategic plan effectively and handle inquiries with confidence.
  
  
• Action Plan: Start crafting a draft action plan that outlines the steps to bring your strategy to life.
  
  
• Success Measurement: Begin to explore how to measure success, ensuring that your achievements can be quantified and evaluated.

Time commitment

This program will be facilitated online via Zoom.

Each organization can send 3-5 participants. We recommend including a core team of 1) your Executive Director and 2) a board member. Additional board members or senior staff can be included as well, based on your needs and capacity.

The lead participant — usually, the Senior Leader — should plan on investing 4 hours per month in online learning sessions, as well as 8+ hours per month on independent activities.

Investment

The investment is $5,950 plus HST per organization.