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Strategic Planning


  • Case Study:
    Healthy Gulf

Healthy Gulf is a nonprofit providing research, communications and coalition-building tools to communities with the goal of reversing over-exploitation of natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico region. This organization had set the goal to defend and strengthen clean water policies in Mississippi through advocacy, litigation, building and mobilizing the constituency advocating for protective water policies. One of their benchmarks was to complete white papers that identify communities experiencing sewage problems and complete the community engagement work needed by June of 2017. By 2018, although the white paper was completed, the organization never figured out a path forward with the Mississippi Center for Justice. There were also difficulties with developing and implementing a comprehensive communications plan which focuses on the magnitude of wetland loss. Another major challenge was how to integrate existing partners and intersectional issues into the work.

Converge facilitated a process through which Healthy Gulf developed a five-year strategic plan including a leadership transition plan with an equity and inclusion lens. The final plan included five strategic directions, core strategies, program priorities, and an executive summary. More specifically, Converge developed and managed a Strategic Planning Committee, assessed Healthy Gulf’s current state and developed key stakeholder analysis, and facilitated a strategic planning retreat. We provided project management throughout this process.