Strategic Development & Planning

You know that clear and cohesive strategies are critical for social impact organizations to achieve their goals – but they can be hard to identify and map out when you are immersed in the work. Our strategic development and planning services range from simple frameworks to full-fledged plans, depending on your needs.

This can include:

• Working with leadership and staff to create foundational frameworks that clarify your vision, mission, values, and goals
• An analysis of the current state of your organization in order to inform future direction
• Landscape scans to better understand the ecosystem in which your organization operates
• Interviews with internal and external stakeholders to gain important insights and generate new ideas
• Logic Models and Theories of Change to map desired outcomes, goals, and the activities necessary to achieve those goals 
• Definitions of success and evaluation design to help clients understand the impact of their efforts and identify ways to improve

Nonprofit Business Planning

Does this sound familiar to you? We’re flying the plane as we’re building it! If so, you may need a business plan.

When a proposed service or revenue-generating venture is on the table, a detailed plan will help you be successful. Luma will work with you to develop a comprehensive business plan that can include:

• A thorough evaluation of goals, metrics, and budgets including financial modeling to assess program and agency-level revenue, expenses, and projections for existing or contemplated programs
• Implementation planning: high-level marketing, management, and operating planning
• Feasibility research: assess external environment and an analysis of the opportunity including market research (gauging demand of a proposed venture’s products or services) and industry research (competitive landscape analysis)

Social Impact Collaborations

You want to achieve or accelerate social impact? The key is collaborative partnerships and networks.

Collaborations can range from loose alliances focused on knowledge sharing to formal networks aligned  to achieve a common goal. Luma has deep experience helping foundations support collaborations among their key partners as well as helping nonprofit leaders form collaborations to achieve collective goals.

Our partnership and network design services can include:

• Working with groups of leaders to develop shared vision, goals, and values to drive the collaboration 
• Designing and facilitating meetings that move collaboration partners through the stages of connection, identification of shared goals and values to action, shared production, and sustainability planning
• Working with collaboration members to design the structure and governance of a desired partnership or network
• Merger exploration and implementation support between two or more organizations

New Program Design

That’s a really good idea you have – but how does that idea become a program? Luma will partner with your organization or foundation to research promising practices and help with program design for your potential new service, program, organization, or grantmaking initiative. We’ll start by exploring these steps: 

• Defining the vision of the program and what success looks like
• Building goals and strategies
• Aligning the program to the organization/foundation mission and strategy
• Researching and analyzing the environment in which the program operates
• Identifying best practices and promising models
• Designing the new program or organization 
• Assisting with implementation launch, including start-up activities, capacity needs, and budgets

Advocacy Strategy Development and Support

Does your organization need a strategy to educate policymakers at the local, state, or national level to elevate the voices of those you serve? Depending on your goals, Luma’s advocacy strategy development and support services could include: 

• Assessment of public policy opportunities
• Development and implementation of advocacy strategies
• Shaping an advocacy agenda with leadership and voices of those you serve
• Educating policymakers and elevating your presence with government agencies 
• Gaining support for larger issues in collaboration with other organizations
• Navigating government and political channels
• Executive advocacy coaching and training 

Landscape Scans and Sector Research

How well do you really know the landscape in which you are currently working or wish to work? When is the last time you asked folks (AKA service recipients, internal and external stakeholders, partners, experts) about their opinions?

To provide the most effective services, you need a thorough understanding of the ecosystem in which your organization works.

Luma delivers primary and secondary market research (often as part of our other service offerings but also as a standalone) that provides critical insights about the landscape in which your organization operates so you can achieve the greatest impact with your resources and capital.

Our sector research and landscape scans may include:

• Surfacing promising practices and models
• Identifying new opportunities and trends
• Conducting peer research and comparative analysis
• Identifying similar efforts to avoid duplication and consider partnerships
• Developing actionable ecosystem reports and maps to inform program design

Re-envisioning for Grantmakers

Has your foundation been riding along a comfortable path but wants to take your grantmaking to the next level? It might be time to develop a new grantmaking approach or refresh your current one.

This might be exciting – and might also be daunting. Either way, we can help. Luma will sit down with you to think through your values, issue interests, and desired outcomes to design or restructure your grant programs through an equitable lens. The goal is to deepen impact and heighten relevance. The world has changed; your grantmaking practices also need to.

What this can look like:

• Developing goals, strategies, and theories of change 
• Identifying opportunities for impact within specific issue areas
• Centering equity in philanthropic giving
• Conducting grants due diligence and assisting with grantee relationships
• Guiding continual learning to refine and improve philanthropy
• Learning from beneficiaries and forming productive partnerships with grantees

Donor Advising

We believe that giving generates joy and supports positive change. There are scores of truly worthy nonprofits who could benefit from your philanthropic dollars. How do you decide which to support? And how often and how much? How do you assess the impact of your gift?

Luma guides individuals and families through a meaningful process that will surface your values, beliefs, and giving priorities to create a giving plan and impact analysis (both for the organization and for you!). If you want to refresh your current giving strategy, design a new one, or need facilitation of multi-generational family discussions and decisions, we can help guide the development of new ideas.

Our services encompass many areas that can help donors advance their giving, including:

• Identifying the values that guide your giving
• Recognizing issues of interest to a donor 
• Clarifying desired impact and focusing strategies and goals to get there
• Assessing need and effective nonprofits in a specific geographic area
• Facilitating visits with nonprofits and experts
• Assisting with continual learning to refine and improve giving
• Measuring success
• Engaging whole families and next generation in meaningful and joyful philanthropy

Thought Partnership

Executive and mid-level leadership can be isolating and bewildering – especially for new leaders. During times of change, leaders benefit from an experienced professional who can see multiple viewpoints, articulate ideas, and help set goals. Sometimes leaders simply need a sounding board and thought partner. 

Many of us at Luma are former executive directors and have firsthand experience working through leadership and organizational challenges at a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. We bring understanding, perspective, and deep knowledge to all of our interactions. We got you.

• 1:1 coaching for CEOs and Executive Directors 
• Helping you create solutions to multifaceted problems
• Supporting leadership development with mid-level directors and managers