Strategic Planning & Sustainability Archives

13 May, 2026

How Funders Can Identify Structural Funding Barriers

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-05-11T12:37:41-04:00May 13th, 2026|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Funding, Grantees, Grantmaking, Nonprofits, Philanthropy|0 Comments

Illustration of a Black woman using a wheelchair while working at a computer, with the text “How Funders Can Identify Structural Funding Barriers ” and Nicole Clark Consulting branding.

When program officers evaluate their funding portfolios, it’s natural to focus on grantee performance: Did organizations meet their goals? What outcomes did they achieve? Which approaches showed the most promise?

These are important questions, yet they tell only part of the story.

Sometimes the biggest barriers to impact have nothing to do with grantee organizations. Instead, the biggest barriers may be embedded in the structures surrounding the funding itself.

From application requirements and reporting expectations to payment terms and assumptions about what “capacity” should look like, If funders want to build stronger investment portfolios, they should identify not only how grantees perform, but how funding practices shape who can access resources and succeed.

(more…)

6 May, 2026

Ask Nicole: What Is A Strong Funder Portfolio?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-05-11T11:41:53-04:00May 6th, 2026|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Ask Nicole, Funding, Grantees, Grantmaking, Nonprofits, Philanthropy|0 Comments

Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know.

I wrote about why funders should create a process for evaluating their portfolios. Since then, I’ve been sitting with a related question: What makes a funder portfolio strong?

In my work with funders — particularly those who have brought me in to support their grantees — I’ve seen how easy it is for portfolios to take shape organically rather than intentionally. Over time, investments accumulate, priorities evolve, and new opportunities emerge. And while each individual grant may be well-intentioned, the portfolio as a whole may not reflect a clear strategy.

That’s where a more strategic, portfolio-level lens becomes essential.

Here are five questions to ask:

(more…)

23 Jul, 2025

Try This: Leading Strategic Planning with a Social Work Lens

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-07-23T08:42:52-04:00July 23rd, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Social Work, Try This|0 Comments

A group of five women of color collaborate around a table with open notebooks and papers. One woman writes while others observe and discuss. Text overlay reads “Try This: Leading Strategic Planning with a Social Work Lens.” — Try this activity to see your social work skills through a strategic lens.

What would be possible if more social workers stepped into strategic planning?

Social workers are natural systems thinkers, collaborators, and process facilitators—exactly the kinds of people organizations need when it’s time to step back and plan for the future.

Yet many social workers don’t see themselves as candidates to lead strategic planning efforts. That role often feels reserved for consultants, executive leaders, or those with formal strategy training. But strategic planning is about understanding people, holding complexity, and guiding values-aligned decisions, as much as it is about frameworks and facilitation.

If you’ve ever supported a group through change, named a pattern that no one else could see, or translated community needs into action, then you already have the foundation to lead a strategic planning process.

This activity helps social workers explore their readiness to lead a strategic planning process at the organizational level—and positions them to claim that leadership with clarity and confidence.

Objective:

To help social workers recognize and articulate the strategic, facilitative, and relational skills they bring to leading an organizational strategic planning process.

This activity is ideal for:

Social workers in program design, implementation, or operations roles
Social workers considering leadership or consulting roles
Social workers interested in using their skills to shape organizational direction

What you’ll need:

45–60 minutes of uninterrupted time
Pen and paper, whiteboard, or digital workspace
Optional: a recent or upcoming strategic planning process in mind

The steps:

(more…)

25 Jun, 2025

Try This: The Cross-Sector Collaboration Reset

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-07-09T16:37:49-04:00June 25th, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Community Partnerships, Cross-Sector Collaborations, Strategic Planning, Try This|0 Comments

Try this activity, and get your collaboration back on track.

Cross-sector work moves fast. Sometimes too fast. That’s where a cross-sector collaboration reset can help.

No matter where you are in your collaboration journey—whether you’re part of a brand-new collaboration or deep into a long-standing one—it’s easy to lose clarity about roles, priorities, or even why you started working together in the first place.

As a result of these dynamics, this 90-minute reflective group activity helps teams pause, reconnect, and realign—especially after tension, transitions, or shifting goals.

It’s less about fixing what’s broken and more about creating space to revisit your “why” together.

Objective:

The goal of this cross-sector collaboration reset is to help cross-sector collaborators reflect on how they’re working together, identify what’s supporting or blocking their success, and explore small shifts that can make a big difference.

This activity is ideal for:

Partners in newly formed collaborations looking to get grounded in shared understanding
Partners in ongoing collaborations who need a recalibration
Cross-sector working groups, coalitions, or co-leadership teams

What you’ll need:

90 minutes
Maybe a facilitator
Ideally, a quiet space (in-person or virtual breakout room)
Digital or physical sticky notes
Flip chart paper or shared virtual whiteboard
Optional: Pre-shared list of partnership goals or agreements

The steps:

(more…)

18 Jun, 2025

Why We Keep Trying: The Case for Cross-Sector Collaboration

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-06-18T08:47:58-04:00June 18th, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Community Partnerships, Cross-Sector Collaborations, Strategic Planning|0 Comments

Cross-sector collaboration asks more of us—but it gives more back.

Cross-sector collaboration isn’t always easy—but it’s needed to move the work forward.

When people across disciplines, institutions, and communities come together, we can see the whole picture, not just one piece of it.

While cross-sector collaborations can fall apart, we keep trying anyway.

Because when collaborators practice it well, collaboration becomes more than a ‘nice to have’—it’s a powerful strategy for trust, engagement, and lasting change.

Here’s why cross-sector collaboration is still worth it (even when you want to give up):

(more…)

Objective:

This activity is ideal for:

What you’ll need:

The steps:

This Is A Custom Widget