RFP: Strategic Planning Consultant

Request for Proposal:
Strategic Planning Consultant

Due: Monday, July 7, 2025
To be awarded by July 18, 2025

National Parks Conservation Association
Strategic Planning

Timeline: Mid-July, 2025 through June 30, 2026

National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is seeking proposals from a qualified consultant or consulting firm to co-create, facilitate, and oversee the process and development of NPCA’s next Strategic Plan, to be finalized (in draft) by May 2026, with final board approval in late June 2026. NPCA’s current Strategic Plan covers our work from 2021 to 2026.
We are specifically seeking a consultant with demonstrated cultural competencies and experience working with nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organizations. We desire candidates with a strong track record of deploying inclusive processes that honor and integrate varied perspectives and lived experiences. The selected consultant will work collaboratively with staff strategic planning leads along with our executive team, staff, board members, donors, and key partners, volunteers, and other stakeholders to co-create a strategic plan that reflects our organizational values and priorities. Importantly, the plan will need to be designed to provide flexibility for implementation within the complex environment in which we operate. The desired process should be inclusive and intentional, with efforts to envision the long-term direction of the organization while strategizing for the next 5 years.

HIRING LEAD
Priya Nanjappa
Vice President of Conservation Programs
[email protected]

NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION (NPCA)
Website:
www.npca.org

Mission:
To protect and enhance America’s National Park System for present and future generations.

Our Story:
With more than 1.6 million members and supporters beside us, we are the voice of America’s national parks since 1919, working to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations. We celebrate the parks — and work tirelessly to defend them — whether on the ground, in the courtroom or on Capitol Hill.
From our national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and various locations nationwide, we call on our program and policy experts, committed volunteers, staff lobbyists, community organizers and communications specialists to inform and inspire the public and to influence decision makers to ensure that our national parks are well protected.

PROJECT SCOPE AND DELIVERABLES
This is an unprecedented time for our national parks, and thus for the work our organization does. Our current strategic plan covers the period of 2021 to 2026. We seek assistance in developing out a robust process to help chart our course for the next 5 years, ensuring ample opportunities for input. Importantly, flexibility in the design and subsequent implementation is necessary. We aim to complete the final draft of the plan by May 2026, for final approval by our board in late June 2026.

We have initiated some preliminary steps and conversations to engage various audiences, and as part of that we have sketched out a schedule for the process (attached). We are very open to collaboratively refining or modifying this initial outline with the selected Consultant.

Deliverables:

• A detailed project plan.
• Stakeholder engagement and data collection tools (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups).
• Facilitation in-person of at least two board/staff retreats, and at least eight virtual planning or refining sessions, in addition to regular check-ins with organization leads.
• Distillation of emerging themes and broad areas of consensus.
• Draft and final versions of the strategic plan document, developed in collaboration with organization leadership.
• Recommendations for implementation, evaluation, and review.

QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal consultant or firm will have:

• Proven experience facilitating strategic planning for nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations; work with advocacy organizations is a plus.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit structures, policy and systems change work, and coalition building.
• Demonstrated cultural competence and ability to work effectively across multiple different perspectives, while adhering to NPCA’s nonpartisan mission.
• Experience applying equitable approaches to facilitation practices.
• Skill in integrating multiple perspectives into cohesive strategic frameworks.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
Interested candidates should submit a proposal that includes:
1. Cover Letter outlining interest and relevant experience.
2. Approach and Methodology: A description of how you would approach the project, including stakeholder engagement and inclusivity.
3. Timeline with key milestones and deliverables.
4. Budget: Proposed fee structure, including hourly/daily rates, estimated hours, and any anticipated expenses.
5. Qualifications and Experience: Résumé(s), bios, or organizational profile, including specific examples of cultural competency.
6. References: At least two references from organizations where similar work was accomplished.
7. Sample Work (if available): Two to three examples of previous strategic plans or facilitation products.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION TIMELINE
Deadline for Submission: July 7
Interviews with Finalists: July 9-15
Selection Notification: by or before July 18
Start Date: As soon as practicable
Project End Date: June 30, 2026

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Please submit your proposal electronically in PDF format to the Hiring Lead (see above), with Subject Line: Strategic Planning RFP – [Your Name or Firm Name]
Questions can also be submitted to the Hiring Lead, no later than July 3.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

NPCA Strategic Plan 2026-2031
Phases

PRE-PLANNING PHASE: Establishing key teams (May/June)
- Establishing a few small core teams (among staff and also Board) to assist in certain phases
- Assembling a small external Advisory Panel to help think through the process, and to assist in selecting a Strategic Planning Consultant

PHASE I: Self-Assessment (May to June/July)
- Reflecting on our core areas of mission, purpose, and success; our past role for the parks and NPS (in general, and apart from the current Administration actions), and any areas of misalignment
- With expert assistance, examining our structure as well as business and operational processes
- Process: External (partners and volunteers) and internal (NPCA Board and staff) focus groups, in-person and virtually, to reflect and provide feedback on the above topics; engage a professional business consultant to assess our balance of programmatic and operational staff and organizational health

-PURPOSE: To assess which aspects of our work MUST move forward, and which aspects of work we have yet to explore that we may consider leaning into (with acknowledgement that it may look different as it moves forward)

PHASE II: Learning (July to Sept)
- Concurrent with other phases, periodic and brief learning sessions for all staff, with external experts to share current state of knowledge and information in various topics
o Virtual sessions with key experts and Q&A in areas pertaining to our work
- PURPOSE: To help inform discussions on needs, gaps, and opportunities, and strategies

PHASE III: Forward-Looking (July to Sept)
- IMMEDIATE: Initial strategizing for short term/current environment for achieving our mission
- FUTURE: Thinking far ahead (50 years or more), what kind of organization should we be – what role and function should we play?
- What changes are we already seeing across the landscape (media, donors, Congress, community engagement, etc.)?
- What are some key steps that we would need to take to get there in the next 5 years, next 10 years?
- Process: With Strategic planning consultant and guided by strategic questions, engaging key advisors and long-term partners and donors, to facilitate decision-making toward our long-term vision and direction
- PURPOSE: To identify the long-term vision and direction, and clarifying our pathways to getting there.

PHASE IV: Identifying Emerging Focal Areas (Aug to Nov)
- With strategic planning consultant and possibly business consultant
o analyzing high level areas of alignment with our self-assessment and forward-looking discussions
o identifying initial overarching thematic areas of focus to explore further
- PURPOSE: Begin outlining initial themes for the full strategic plan

PHASE V: Vetting and Refining (Nov 2025 to March 2026)
- With strategic planning consultant:
o Presentations and breakout sessions at All-Staff on what we’ve gathered
 Examine whether themes make sense or what may be missing
o Iterative process of engaging broad groups of board, staff, partners, donors to review and refine the thematic areas

PHASE VI: Drafting and Review (Feb to May 2026)
o Drafting initial plan to include detailed objectives, strategies, metrics, and timelines, in line with long-term
o Continued iterative process to refine and review draft objectives and strategies, including with all staff, board, and with partners, volunteers, and donors at Spring 2026 board meeting and advocacy week
- PURPOSE: To draft and review of the full strategic plan

PHASE VII: Finalizing and rollout (May to July 2026)
- Final editing and reviewing by core board and staff teams (May)
- Initial design for external-facing version, and internal-facing version
- Developing internal comms strategy and rollout following board vote
- Final vote at June 2026 Board Meeting
- Final design for external-facing version, rollout to partners, members, and the public (July/Aug)