When Strategic Planning Surfaces Problems You Can't Solve

One thing that always makes me a little queasy when doing strategic planning is when the process surfaces structural issues that are beyond the organization to actually solve.

Over the past several months, I've been working with two gender-based violence (GBV) shelters on strategic planning and the same issues surface again and again:

Staff burnout,
Compensation pressures,
Funding constraints, and
Increasing complexity of the work.

These are not new concerns. I have been working in this sector for over a decade and these issues are widely acknowledged across the GBV sector.

What is striking, though, is how often these challenges are framed as organizational issues in strategic planning engagement. In reality these are structural problems.

Shelters are responding to increasing demand with funding models that have not kept pace with the realities on the ground. In many communities, shelters are effectively acting as crisis response, housing support, mental health triage, and systems navigator. So, shelters are providing wraparound supports - which is broadly recognized as the best way to support folks escaping violence - with funding models designed for a much narrower mandate.

None of these conditions are created by the organizations themselves. And none of them can be solved by a single organization.

And this is where it starts to get uncomfortable with strategic planning:

What is the point of a strategic planning if the most pressing problems lie outside of the organization's control?

It's a fair question and one I think about a lot.

Strategic planning cannot fix structural funding gaps or single-handedly resolve workforce disruption and cost of living increases. And it certainly cannot repair the broader systems that shape the realities survivors face when they seek support.

But that doesn't mean that strategic planning can't help. In fact, when done well, it can help organizations do three important things:

Help clarify where an organization can focus its energy: When resources are limited, clarity matters. Strategic planning allows organizations to ask difficult questions about where they can have the greatest impact - and where they may need to step back.

Strengthen the organization internally: Burnout and turnover are not only sector issues; they are also shaped by how organizations structure work, support staff, and make decisions. Strategic planning can create space to examine internal processes that influence how sustainable the work feels day-to-day.

Position organizations within the broader system: A strategic plan can help clarify an organization's role in the broader ecosystem: as a service provider, a community partner, an advocate, or a leader helping shape the future of the sector.

In other words, strategic planning is about helping organizations navigate structural problems with greater clarity.

Next week I'll share a simple framework I often use in strategic planning conversations to help organizations think through what they can control, what they can influence, and what requires broader systemic change.