Why Representation Belongs in Strategic Planning Rooms

In honor of Pride and Juneteenth, a reflection on what it means to build equity into the heart of nonprofit strategy.

Strategic planning isn’t just about what your organization does. It’s about who gets to shape that future. And yet, too often, strategic plans are written in rooms that are too small and too similar, leaving out the very people most impacted by the work.

As we mark both Pride and Juneteenth, it’s worth pausing to ask:

·         Who’s in the room when we plan for the future?

·         Whose voice gets to define what success looks like?

·         And what are we missing when our processes exclude, however unintentionally?

At Equilibria Strategies, we believe representation in planning rooms isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic and moral imperative.

Representation Is More Than a Checkbox

Representation doesn’t just mean having a diverse cast of faces around the table. It means that people, especially those with lived experience and underrepresented identities, are meaningfully engaged in shaping goals, setting priorities, and determining what counts as impact.

Why does this matter? Because those closest to the work often hold the insight needed to do it better. And because equity can’t be something we layer onto a plan after the fact, it has to be part of how we design the plan in the first place.

Pride and Juneteenth: Moments to Reflect, and Recommit

Pride reminds us that identity, voice, and visibility matter. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom, in any form, requires acknowledgment of history, systemic repair, and collective responsibility. Together, these commemorations call us not just to celebrate progress but to examine our practices to ask if we’re truly building structures that reflect and uplift the full richness of our communities.

So, if your organization has a strategic plan in motion, or one on the horizon, here’s your invitation: Make the planning room bigger. More honest. More representative of the world you want to help shape.

What Inclusive Strategic Planning Can Look Like

You don’t need to overhaul everything to start moving in the right direction. Here are a few practices we’ve seen create fundamental shifts:

• Co-creation from the start. Involve staff, community members, and partners in shaping the questions, rather than just reacting to a draft plan.

• Lived experience as expertise. Invite people with direct knowledge of the issues you’re tackling to serve as guides, not just guests.

• Shared decision-making. Practice power-sharing by creating roles or structures (like steering groups or facilitated dialogues) that distribute influence, not just input.

• Accessible processes. Consider language, format, and timing when engaging people in your planning. Inclusion also means making participation possible.

When you center representation in your strategy process, here’s what you gain:

• More resilient decisions. Diverse perspectives surface risks and opportunities early, before they become roadblocks.

• Deeper commitment. People are more likely to support what they’ve helped shape.

• Greater alignment with values. A planning process rooted in equity ensures your goals reflect not just what’s possible, but what’s just.

A Final Thought

Representation in planning rooms isn’t just about equity—it’s about building better, more durable strategies. It’s how you ensure your vision isn’t built on assumptions, but on real understanding.

And for those of us in nonprofit and mission-driven spaces, that kind of integrity is the work.

As we honor Pride and Juneteenth, let’s commit to developing strategic processes that reflect the world we’re trying to build—one shaped by many hands, many voices, and the wisdom of lived experience.