🟦 When Equity Gets Left Out of Strategic Plans: A Call for Real Alignment

Strategic planning is meant to chart a bold, focused path for an organization’s future. It’s where missions are clarified, goals are set, and values are declared. And yet—equity too often gets treated as an add-on, a separate pillar, or a line item, rather than being embedded throughout the plan.

In a moment when many nonprofits and funders have made public commitments to justice and inclusion, it’s critical that strategic plans reflect not just where an organization wants to go—but how it plans to get there and who will be centered along the way.

Defining the Gap

According to the Race Equity Cycle framework developed by Equity in the Center (2018), most organizations operate in what’s called the “Awake to Woke” stages—where equity is aspirational but not operationalized.

In strategic plans, this shows up as:

• Equity named in values, but not in strategy

• Diversity goals focused on hiring, not culture or power

• Community engagement framed as input, not co-creation

• No shared definitions of equity, justice, or accountability

  
  

A 2021 report from The Bridgespan Group and Echoing Green also found that BIPOC-led organizations face systemic barriers to funding and influence—yet their strategic insights are often deprioritized or siloed in planning processes dominated by traditional governance structures.

Why It Happens

There are several reasons equity gets lost in strategic planning—even in well-meaning organizations:

1. Planning Processes Prioritize Efficiency Over Inclusion. Quick timelines, top-down decision-making, and rigid models often leave little room for collective input, nuance, or iteration.

   
   

2. Equity Isn’t Funded. Strategic planning budgets may not include resources for staff stipends, community listening sessions, language access, or racial equity facilitation. As a result, equity-related pieces get scoped out or minimized.

   
   

3. Fear of Conflict or Discomfort. Boards or executive leaders may avoid deep equity integration for fear of surfacing internal tension—especially around race, power, or privilege. So plans remain surface-level.

   
   

4. Performance Over Practice. Some organizations prioritize a polished final product over a process of honest reflection and alignment. Equity becomes a buzzword rather than a standard.

   
   

What Equity-Centered Strategic Planning Looks Like

An equity-centered strategic plan isn't just about what’s included—it's about how the plan is created and who shapes it. Best practices include:

✅ Naming Equity from the Start. Make equity a guiding lens—not a postscript. Define what it means for your organization and how it will shape decisions at every stage.

✅ Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement. Create space for meaningful input from staff, community members, and partners—not just leadership. This may include focus groups, anonymous surveys, or compensated advisory input.

✅ Power Analysis of Goals & Strategies. Assess how power, representation, and access show up in your existing structures and how your goals will shift those dynamics. For example: Who decides? Who benefits?

✅ Transparent Decision-Making & Accountability. Clarify how decisions are made, who signs off, and how progress will be tracked—not just by outputs, but by cultural shifts and relationship strength.

✅ Resourcing Equity. Include real budget lines for equity-related activities—like leadership coaching, community co-design, or compensation for participants.

Real Alignment Requires Real Courage

A strategic plan that sidelines equity is not just incomplete—it can do harm. It may undermine staff trust, weaken mission alignment, or signal to communities that their voices are optional.

At Atabey Strategies, we work with organizations to center equity in every phase of planning, from stakeholder engagement and facilitation to board alignment and operational goals. We also support organizations in revisiting existing strategic plans that need a reset—or a realignment with current values.

Equity is not a theme. It’s a practice—and it belongs at the center of strategy.