NON-PROFIT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Organization Qualifications

• • In order to qualify for this program, your non-profit organization needs to be well established (in existence for 3 or more years) and have an operating budget equivalent to between $ 40,000 USD per year to $ 1 Million USD per year. Exceptions may be made for organizations with a higher operating budget that are experiencing significant resource constraints. 
  • Your non-profit organization must feature an active Director-level leader (e.g., Executive Director, CEO, Chairperson, etc.) who will be responsible for overseeing the strategic planning process and implementation cycle. This person must also be able to liaise with the SME Strategy team for all planning-related communication.
  • Your non-profit organization must possess a minimum of 6 core members — consisting of staff, board members, or highly-involved volunteers.
  • For optimal participation in the virtual strategic planning process, we recommend that you select between 4-12 participants to be present for the entire process.

Application Guidelines

• • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Once your application has been assessed, and if you have been shortlisted, a 30-minute virtual Zoom meeting will be required between your strategy leader(s) and our consulting team to finish the application process.
  • While we appreciate all applications, submissions do not guarantee acceptance to our program. We typically welcome up to 20 non-profit organizations into this program each year. 
    

If Your Organization is Accepted

• • Upon acceptance, full program payment equal to $5,500 is due to secure session dates. 
    
  • Our non-profit program sessions are offered virtually over Zoom. We may make some exceptions for in-person non-profit program work if your organization is in an area where we have a local facilitator (within 1 hour of Calgary AB, Victoria BC, Boston MA, or Portsmouth NH) depending on availability. 
  • SME Strategy will schedule and hold a pre-strategy kick-off call with your strategy leader(s) to book the date(s) of your session(s).
  • While session timing is negotiable, it must fit within SME Strategy’s flexible operating hours and facilitator availability.
  • We require a minimum of 7 days notice to schedule, cancel, or rebook a strategic planning session, whether in person online (with the exception of emergencies).
  • Upon completion of the project, SME Strategy requests a client story interview where we will highlight and publish the great work that your organization does and how strategic planning has been beneficial for your team.