TCC Group | Strategy

Strategy

For over 30 years, we have worked with nonprofits, philanthropies, and corporate community involvements programs to plan for the future. We believe that strategy is an iterative framework that articulates success in terms of desired outcomes, sets priorities, and guides decision-making in order to maximize effectiveness. We help our clients develop many different levels of strategy — programmatic, organizational, community-wide, and sector and system-wide. Each is distinct, yet connected in their shared focus on social impact.

Effective strategy informs internal and external stakeholders about where the initiative or organization is headed, what the priorities are, and how resources, such as time and money, will be allocated. In so doing, a strategy also implies what the organization will not be doing, thereby giving leaders criteria for making important decisions and increasing the overall quality and effectiveness of their work.

Strategy Process	How TCC Group Helps
Identifying critical questions to ask	Understanding the needs Framing the issues Identifying the most critical questions to be asked
Assess current quality of activities, capacity needs, and other external issues	Conducting organizational assessments, financial trend analysis, program audits, market research, competitive analysis, benchmarking, and literature reviews Interpreting data Prioritizing findings
Develop strategy, including general statement of intended outcomes and frameworks to achieve desired results	Sharing findings with leaders Facilitating development of desired outcomes & program strategies that build on findings using tools such as logic models and scenarios
Create detailed plans that guide implementation and include specific strategies for leadership, management, finances, and operations	Convening stakeholders to determine priorities, goals, and objectives Helping to determine the organizational capacity needed to support program strategy Drafting the plan with clear benchmarks of success
Implement, assess, and refine plans with ongoing learning.	Coaching leaders on implementation Evaluating the success of the plan

Click here to contact Paul Connolly, Senior Partner and Director of Client Services, to discuss our experience in this field.

See our results.

Cases In Point

TCC Group developed a comprehensive strategic plan to help the John R. Oishei Foundation become a more effective catalyst for change in the Buffalo-Niagara region of western New York. The plan positioned the foundation as a more proactive grantmaker with greater focus in its program areas of interest. The Foundation is now more intentional in its role in supporting the organizational capacity of nonprofits in the region and serves as a clearing house of knowledge about community needs and viable solutions.

10,000 Degrees (previously the Marin Education Fund) was established in 1981 to provide educational equity through college access programs, scholarships, and recipient support to needy students in Marin County, CA. TCC Group facilitated a business planning process to guide the organization's programmatic expansion beyond the county. TCC first undertook a feasibility study to address fundamental questions facing 10,000 Degrees' growth and expansion, and then developed a comprehensive business plan. TCC Group also conducted an in-depth evaluation of 10,000 Degrees�� to document how the program model was effective and strengthen its case in seeking financial support for the programmatic expansion.

Wells Fargo retained TCC Group to assist in developing its Social Responsibility Group's (SRG) corporate citizenship strategy. The process coordinated efforts between SRG departments and company business units to align their actions with Wells Fargo's corporate vision and values. TCC then developed a logic model informed by Wells Fargo's senior leadership. The resulting plan created seven complementary strategies that provide both strong social and business benefits. TCC is currently working on the implementation of these initiatives.