🌿 Built for Nonprofits Under $2M

Your mission
is too important
to run on
instinct alone.

Small nonprofits rarely have the time or budget for a consultant-led strategic planning process. Now you don't need one. Get a board-ready strategic plan in weeks, not months — guided by expert methodology, grounded in organizational development best practices.

Phases 0–3 always free
No consultant required
Board-ready Word doc included
Your Strategic Plan
Overall Progress 64%
🏛️ Phase 0 — Getting Ready✓ Done
🔭 Phase 1 — Environmental Scan✓ Done
📊 Phase 2 — Current StateIn Progress
🎯 Phase 3 — Strategic GoalsFree
✦ Coaching Note
"Your SWOT analysis is too general. Who specifically are your beneficiaries and what do they say about your strengths?"

Most small nonprofits plan the wrong way.

You're doing critical work in your community — but without a clear, documented strategy, you're making it harder than it needs to be.

💸

Consultants can cost $20,000–$40,000, or more

A full OD-led strategic planning engagement — including board retreats, stakeholder interviews, and facilitated sessions — can run well beyond that range depending on the size and complexity of your organization and planning process. For most nonprofits under $2M, it's simply out of reach. So planning either doesn't happen, or gets delegated to a template.

📋

Templates don't tell you what to do

Free templates give you boxes to fill in. They don't guide your thinking, challenge your assumptions, or make sure you've actually done the work of planning.

🗂️

Plans become documents, not direction

The most common failure isn't writing a bad plan — it's writing a plan that sits in a drawer. Without structure and accountability, strategy evaporates.

A guided process. Expert methodology.
Your plan, in weeks.

1

Build your foundation — free through Phase 3

Phases 0–3 are completely free with no credit card and no time limit. You will review your governance, refine your mission and vision, scan your environment, assess your current state, and set your strategic goals — four phases of real strategic work before you pay anything.

2

Unlock 7 additional expert-guided phases

Complete your plan with stakeholder engagement, implementation planning, OKR monitoring, continuous improvement, training and development, impact evaluation, and strategic adaptability — all at your own pace.

3

Get challenged by expert coaching throughout

Every section has contextual coaching notes that push you toward specificity, equity, and realism. The prompts are grounded in organizational development best practices — designed to make you think harder, not just fill in fields.

4

Download your board-ready strategic plan

When you're done, generate a polished, formatted Word document — ready to present to your board, share with funders, and use as your operational guide.

5

Add expert eyes — when you're ready

Upgrade to get written feedback on your completed plan, a live advisory session, or an ongoing advisory retainer. Expert support, on your terms.

11 Planning Phases
🏛️ Phase 0 — Getting Ready FREE
🔭 Phase 1 — Environmental Scanning FREE
📊 Phase 2 — Current State Assessment FREE
🎯 Phase 3 — Strategic Goals FREE
🤝 Phase 4 — Stakeholder Engagement
⚙️ Phase 5 — Implementation Planning
📈 Phase 6 — OKR Monitoring
🔄 Phase 7 — Continuous Improvement
🌱 Phase 8 — Training & Development
🏆 Phase 9 — Evaluating Impact
🧭 Phase 10 — Adapting to Change
Your progress saves automatically. Return any time.
Access from any device with your work email.

Everything a small nonprofit needs.
Nothing it doesn't.

Built around the real constraints of small nonprofits — limited time, lean teams, and leaders who wear too many hats already.

11
expert-guided planning phases
~6 wks
average time to complete
1
board-ready plan, yours to keep

One-time investment. Lifetime access.

No subscriptions. No renewals. Pay once and return to your plan whenever your organization needs it.

Planner
$497
One-time • Lifetime access
  • All 11 planning phases
  • Expert coaching throughout
  • Downloadable Word doc plan
  • Auto-save across devices
  • Phases 0–3 always free first
Get Started →
Planner + Live Session
$1,197
One-time • Lifetime access
  • Everything in Planner
  • 90-min one-on-one session
  • We contact you to schedule
  • Debrief, stress-test, board prep
  • One-time advisor engagement
Get Started →
Advisory Retainer
$2,500/mo
3-month minimum • Lifetime planner access
  • Everything in Planner
  • 2 × 1-hr calls per month
  • 3-month advisory engagement
  • Ideal for complex transitions
  • We reach out to arrange
Get Started →

Instant access for .org and .edu addresses • International organizations contact us for access • Secure payment via Stripe

11 phases that cover everything.

Built on organizational development best practices. Grounded in equity. Realistic about capacity.

PHASE 0 — FREE
🏛️
Getting Ready
Governance documents, mission & vision refinement
PHASE 1 — FREE
🔭
Environmental Scanning
PESTEL analysis, opportunities & threats
PHASE 2 — FREE
📊
Current State
SWOT, program inventory, financial health
PHASE 3 — FREE
🎯
Strategic Goals
SMART goals, theory of change, strategic intent
PHASE 4
🤝
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder map, engagement & communication plan
PHASE 5
⚙️
Implementation
Action plans, resources, quick wins
PHASE 6
📈
OKR Monitoring
Objectives, key results, review cadence
PHASE 7
🔄
Continuous Improvement
Learning structures, feedback channels
PHASE 8
🌱
Training & Development
Staff gaps, board development, succession
PHASE 9
🏆
Evaluating Impact
Logic model, impact metrics, reporting
PHASE 10
🧭
Adapting to Change
Risk assessment, scenario planning, agility
🌿

Built by a nonprofit strategist.
For nonprofit leaders.

Nonprofit Organizational Development Consultant

After years of facilitating strategic planning processes for small nonprofits, I kept seeing the same pattern: organizations doing critical community work, led by talented and committed people, but without the strategic clarity their work deserved.

Most couldn't afford a consultant-led process. Most didn't have time for a 6-month engagement. And the free templates they found online gave them boxes to fill in — not a methodology to think with.

I built the Nonprofit Strategic Planner to make the same OD-grounded, equity-centered, capacity-realistic process I use with clients accessible to any small nonprofit willing to do the work. This isn't a shortcut. It's the real thing — at a price that doesn't require a board vote.

Organizational Development Nonprofit Strategy Equity-Centered Planning Stakeholder Engagement OKR Frameworks

Everything you need to know.

Who is this for?
Nonprofit Strategic Planner is built specifically for nonprofits with annual budgets under $2 million — executive directors, board chairs, development directors, and program leaders who need a real strategic plan but don't have the budget for a consultant-led process. It is also used by academics and researchers studying nonprofit strategy. Organizations with .org or .edu email addresses get instant access. International organizations and universities are welcome — see below for how to request access.
How long does it take to complete?
Most organizations complete the full 11-phase plan in 4–8 weeks, working 2–3 hours per week. You can work at your own pace — your progress saves automatically and you can return from any device. There's no deadline.
What makes this different from a free template?
Templates give you empty boxes. This gives you a guided process. Every section has expert prompts and contextual coaching notes grounded in organizational development principles — designed to make you think harder, not just fill in fields. The methodology is equity-centered and capacity-realistic. It's the same OD-based approach used in consultant-led engagements, at a fraction of the cost.
What does the coaching look like inside the tool?
Every section includes contextual coaching notes that appear as you work. They are grounded in OD best practices and written to challenge vague or generic thinking — pushing you toward specificity, equity, and honest capacity assessment. You also get a coaching sidebar that weaves in what you have already completed in earlier phases, so the guidance builds on your actual work.
What does the downloadable plan look like?
When you've completed your phases, you can download a polished, professionally formatted Word document (.doc) that includes a cover page, table of contents, and all your completed planning work organized by phase. It's ready to present to your board or share with funders.
Is Phase 0 really free? What's the catch?
Phases 0–3 are completely free with no time limit and no credit card required. That covers Getting Ready, Environmental Scanning, Current State Assessment, and Setting Strategic Goals — four full phases of real strategic work. By the time you reach the paywall at Phase 4, you will have your mission and vision refined, your environmental scan complete, your SWOT and SOAR done, your programs and finances assessed, and your strategic goals set. Phases 4–10 require a paid plan.
When does the written review or live session happen?
The written review unlocks only after you've completed all 11 phases — this ensures there's a complete plan to review. For the live session and advisory retainer, we'll reach out to you after purchase to schedule at a time that works for you. Both are one-time engagements; your planner access is lifetime.
Can more than one person at my organization use it?
Currently each account is tied to one email address. We recommend having your primary plan owner — usually the ED or a senior leader — hold the account and involve others by sharing their screen during working sessions or sharing the downloaded Word document for review.
I don't have a .org or .edu email. Can I still access the planner?
Yes. Organizations and universities with .org or .edu email addresses get instant access. If your organization uses a different domain — including international universities, nonprofits registered outside the US, and NGOs — you can request access by emailing dave@davidharkins.com with your name, organization, and email address. We review requests promptly and approved domains are added to our access list so anyone from your organization can sign in going forward.

Your community deserves
a nonprofit that plans well.

Start free through Phase 3 — no credit card, no consultant, no deadline. By the time you reach the paywall, you will have done four phases of real strategic work and have every reason to finish.

Start Free — Phases 0–3 →

Phases 0–3 always free • Full access from $497 • Instant access for .org and .edu • International orgs contact us