Empathy and Evidence: The Dual Engine of Effective Strategy
Strategic planning isn’t just a business exercise—it’s an act of stewardship. A way of honoring your mission, your people, and the communities you serve.
When nonprofits, science-focused organizations, and purpose-driven leaders skip the strategic planning process, the cost isn’t simply inefficiency—it’s impact lost. Opportunities missed. Energy scattered. Teams burned out. And visionary ideas that never fully take root.
But when planning is done well—with empathy for the humans doing the work and evidence to guide the decisions—it becomes a transformative force. It narrows the noise. It aligns people. It builds systems that turn intention into meaningful, measurable action.
At RKO Consulting Group, we believe strategy is not a document. It’s a living, evolving roadmap rooted in clarity, collaboration, and care.
Why Strategic Planning Matters (Especially Now)
Today’s mission-driven organizations are navigating complexity at every turn—climate pressures, shifting funding landscapes, scientific uncertainty, political polarization, and the daily grind of doing too much with too little.
In this environment, strategy becomes more than a plan. It becomes a grounding force.
A strong strategic plan helps organizations:
Bridge ideas to implementation, ensuring big aspirations translate into action.
Align teams and boards, reducing friction, confusion, and decision fatigue.
Prioritize what truly matters, so limited capacity goes further.
Strengthen credibility, especially when communicating with funders, partners, and policymakers.
Build systems for follow-through, not just hope.
Without strategy, even the best intentions can stall. With strategy, organizations move from “We should…” to “We will.”
Our Philosophy: Blending Empathy and Evidence
Our team values a distinctive blend of heart and data—empathy and evidence—and that duality drives how we approach strategic planning.
Empathy ensures the plan is human-centered, practical, and rooted in the lived realities of the people doing the work. Evidence ensures the plan is credible, rigorous, and grounded in research, best practices, and stakeholder insights.
This is how we help you turn visionary ideas into genuine impact.
We create space for candid conversations, diverse perspectives, and moments of vulnerability. We also anchor decisions in data, research, and hard-won experience. Because meaningful change—especially in sustainable agriculture, science policy, and conservation—requires both.
Our Approach to Strategic Planning
Our process is designed not just to clarify your next steps, but to strengthen your team’s confidence, cohesion, and capacity.
This short- to mid-term engagement (typically 4–6 months) includes:
1. Pre-Session Planning Calls
We meet with your leadership to define your priorities, goals, challenges, and hopes for the future. This step ensures we begin with clarity and collective intention.
2. Facilitated Strategy Sessions
Virtual or in-person sessions that bring board members, staff, and key stakeholders into a shared conversation. These are thoughtful, solutions-focused, and structured to elevate the right voices.
3. Synthesis & Strategy Drafting
We turn your ideas, discussions, and insights into a concise, visual strategic plan—one that is clear, implementable, and aligned with your mission. This includes timelines, key initiatives, and measurable outcomes.
4. Follow-Up Review & Accountability Support
We present the strategic plan, confirm alignment, and help you establish structures to support implementation and ongoing momentum.
Your Deliverables
A finalized Strategic Plan (PDF)
Full facilitation notes
A 12-month action tracker to ensure follow-through
We don’t hand you a document and disappear—we partner with you to build clarity, alignment, and true ownership of your strategic priorities.
Why Our Clients Choose This Approach
Because they’re tired of planning that sits on a shelf.
Because they value a partner who listens deeply and guides decisively.
Because they want a strategy that respects both the people and the science behind their mission.
Our work is rooted in values that shape every engagement:
Empathy: Caring for people first—creating space for honesty, perspective, and psychological safety.
Efficiency: Designing thoughtful, streamlined systems that reduce overwhelm and create clarity.
Evidence: Bringing data, research, and scientific grounding into every step.
Experience & Intuition: Applying years of navigating complexity, conflict, and cross-sector work.
Authenticity: Showing up as real people committed to real progress.
Together, these values help organizations move from aspiration to action—and ultimately, to deeper impact.
Final Thoughts: Strategy as a Living, Breathing Practice
Strategy is only powerful when it is lived. When it becomes woven into the daily rhythms of your organization—not as a rigid checklist, but as a flexible, evolving guide.
Our role is to help you create a plan that feels true to your mission, grounded in evidence, and deeply connected to the people doing the work. A plan that builds confidence, clarity, and momentum.
Because meaningful work deserves meaningful action. And when empathy and evidence work together, transformation becomes possible.
If you're ready to turn your ideas into impact, we’re here to walk alongside you—bringing clarity, compassion, and scientific rigor every step of the way.