Focused Community Strategies: Strategic Planning During Organizational Transition
Project Overview: A Case Study in Integrated Organizational Transformation
When Focused Community Strategies engaged Cerca Solutions in 2024, the organization sought support in developing a new strategic direction. After more than 45 years of place-based work in Historic South Atlanta, FCS had built strong community relationships and a track record of impact as a Community Quarterback organization within the Purpose Built Communities network. However, they recognized the need to evolve their approach to maximize their effectiveness in neighborhood transformation.
The Challenge
FCS's initial request centered on strategic planning, but our discovery process revealed several interconnected organizational challenges that required attention.
The organization was evolving into its full role as a community quarterback while simultaneously expanding work into additional neighborhoods. Their existing operational model and strategic framework had been developed for a different scale and scope of work. FCS needed a strategy and organizational structure that could support their expanding community quarterback responsibilities—coordinating diverse stakeholders, aligning multiple partners, and leading comprehensive neighborhood transformation efforts across a broader geographic area.
FCS also faced a planned leadership transition allowing the need for a vision aligned with their new leader. Additionally, the organization was evolving its consulting division to refocus resources on direct community impact work.
Organization-wide surveys conducted during our discovery phase revealed significant internal internal changes that needed to occur such as updating their communication channels, their professional development goals and opportunities and bringing together an inspiring and unifying vision for the organization for the future. These needs represented potential barriers to organizational effectiveness that would undermine any strategic plan if left unaddressed.
Our Approach
Cerca Solutions implemented a nine-month process that integrated strategic planning with organizational development and leadership transition support.
Phase 1: Discovery & Assessment
We conducted comprehensive stakeholder engagement, including staff surveys, community surveys and forums, and board interviews. When staff survey results revealed deeper organizational needs than initially anticipated, we adjusted our approach to address internal alignment before proceeding to strategy development. This systems-thinking perspective recognized that organizational needs, strategic clarity, and community impact are interconnected rather than separate concerns.
Phase 2: Culture Building & Leadership Transition
We facilitated full-day staff workshops that provided meaningful input opportunities for team members to shape organizational direction. These sessions gathered staff ideas directly while building engagement around the strategic planning process. We worked with the Senior Leadership Team to position the new CEO as an opportunity for organizational renewal, with staff involvement in strategy development creating investment in the new direction under his leadership.
Phase 3: Strategic Framework Development
Through collaborative sessions drawing on FCS's 45 years of experience and stakeholder input, we developed an integrated strategic framework including:
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Theory of Change articulating FCS's premise that "place matters" and their distinctive four-phase approach (Assemble, Assess, Align, Activate), four core values (Neighboring, Dignity, Equity, Flourishing), four foundations of flourishing neighborhoods, and four strategic initiative areas
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Five-Year Strategic Plan organized around ten strategic objectives: including six foundations focused on internal organizational structures (culture, systems, board/fundraising, communicating impact,etc.) and four initiatives focused on external community impact (community health and wellness, mixed income housing, housing, education, and economic mobility)
The new framework fundamentally changed how FCS's teams work together. Housing development now considers educational access. Economic development creates businesses serving as community health assets. Educational programming addresses housing stability as a learning barrier. Teams maintain distinct expertise while working towards a singular aspiration.
Phase 4: Implementation Planning
We worked closely with the Senior Leadership Team to translate their strategic vision into detailed tactical roadmaps with specific initiatives, timelines, responsibilities, and metrics for each priority. For example, under organizational culture, this included quarterly staff town halls, professional development budgets, transparent performance evaluations, and structured feedback systems. For program areas, plans specified concrete actions such as partnering with developers on affordable housing, identifying infill lots for construction, convening business associations, developing cradle-to-career educational pathways, and establishing health partnerships.
Key Deliverables
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Theory of Change Document: 14-page framework comprehensively articulating FCS's approach to neighborhood transformation
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Five-Year Strategic Plan: Detailed roadmap with ten strategic objectives spanning internal organizational development and external community impact. This included the following:
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Tactical Implementation Plans: Year-by-year breakdown of specific initiatives, responsibilities, and success metrics for 2025-2030
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Measurement Framework: Integrated approach tracking both place-based outcomes (neighborhood conditions) and people-based outcomes (individual/family transformation)
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Strategic Plan Overview: An 8-page summary of the Strategic Plan Document. Used for easy communication of the work.
Results
The nine-month engagement produced both immediate and longer-term impacts for FCS:
Organizational Alignment: FCS now operates with a shared understanding of how its work creates neighborhood transformation. Teams coordinate across program boundaries organically, maximizing impact through integrated approaches rather than mandated coordination.
Cultural Improvement: Staff engagement increased measurably, with team members reporting feeling heard and valued. Structured feedback systems ensure ongoing organizational learning and adaptation rather than one-time improvement.
Successful Leadership Transition: The planned executive leadership change became an opportunity for organizational renewal rather than a disruption, with staff rallying around the new direction they helped create under promoted internal leadership.
Strengthened External Relationships: The clarity of the theory of change and strategic plan enhanced FCS's ability to communicate impact. Other community development organizations have inquired about similar support based on the quality of FCS's strategic framework. This concise articulation and display of FCS' vision for the future positions them well to advance that vision in an increasingly changing funding landscape.
Operational Refocusing: FCS successfully navigated the transition of its consulting division while maintaining momentum in direct community impact work, with clear strategic priorities guiding resource allocation.
The Cerca Solutions Approach
This project demonstrates several distinctive elements of Cerca Solutions' methodology:
Systems Thinking: We recognized interconnections between organizational culture, leadership transitions, and strategic clarity. When staff surveys revealed organizational issues, we addressed them as fundamental to strategy rather than secondary concerns, preventing development of a plan the organization lacked capacity to implement.
Authentic Stakeholder Engagement: We created genuine opportunities for staff, community members, and board to shape organizational direction through co-creation rather than input on predetermined options while also balancing the need for getting to a resolution on what was realistic and feasible.. This approach built ownership essential for implementation.
Integration of Vision and Execution: We helped FCS articulate inspiring vision while simultaneously developing tactical plans, measurement systems, and organizational improvements needed to achieve it.
Adaptive Process: When circumstances required—whether staff survey results, leadership transition, or emerging organizational needs—we adjusted the approach while maintaining focus on positioning FCS for greater community impact.
After 45 years of neighborhood transformation work, Focused Community Strategies now has a clearer framework for integrated, strategic action that honors their history while establishing coordinated systems for their next chapter of impact.
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Project Duration: 9 months
Client Type: Faith-based community development organization
Service Area: Historic South Atlanta
Organization Size: 40+ staff, $6M+ annual operating budget
Primary Services: Strategic Planning, Theory of Change Development, Leadership Transition Support
