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Writer's pictureRoots & Rivers Team

Why We Reassessed Our Strategic Plan

Two women sit around a coffee table on an outdoor patio looking at a chart paper schedule.
Hayley (foreground) and Janani (background) mid-retreat on a sunny June day.

We’re approaching the last stages of our 2022-2025 strategic plan, and a lot has changed since we first wrote it. Back then it was just Roots & Rivers CEO and Founder Annelies Tjebbes working with a handful of external collaborators to capture a big vision for Roots & Rivers. Today, we’re a team of four, each bringing unique perspectives and ideas to the work we do. As a team, we’ve been working closely together for nearly two years now, and that made our 2024 annual retreat the perfect time to revisit our strategic plan and see if it still truly represents the work we do every day.



Starting With Our Stories


Multi-colour sticky notes stuck to a piece of chart paper sorted into the categories: mission, theory of change, what we do, principles.
Sticky notes being sorted.

Each of us has our own way of describing Roots & Rivers, shaped by our personal insights and daily experiences. To kick off our reassessment, we took some independent time to jot down our “whys,” “whats,” and “hows” of the work. This led to plenty of sticky notes which we grouped and re-grouped into these categories:


  • Theory of Change: How we believe the interventions we make contribute to change

  • Vision: The world we want to see

  • Mission: How we specifically contribute to that world

  • What We Do: The activities and services that help us get there

  • Principles: The values that support how we do our work


This sorting was collaborative and iterative—each of us coming back to it over time. When you’re in the day-to-day, you feel more-or-less aligned with your team, but when you go deep, things get interesting.


We didn’t settle on final conclusions at the retreat itself. Instead, over the following weeks, we captured the ideas we’d generated, updating our thoughts in a shared document to help us land on new, clear language that really reflects us.


A Look at Our Updated Vision and Mission


After all that reflection, our vision and mission have evolved, moving toward clearer, more specific language.

Vision

Old Vision: We envision an interconnected mosaic of thriving, equitable, and sustainable communities.
Updated Vision: Thriving organizations building equitable communities.

Why the Change?

Our discussions around the theory of change were key here. We realized our core focus is on creating healthy, resilient organizations that support vibrant communities. This update better reflects that commitment to organizations, which is central to how we contribute to community wellbeing.

Mission

Old Mission: To equip social purpose organizations to make tangible and meaningful progress on the complex community challenges they are addressing.
Updated Mission: Strengthen the capacity of values-aligned organizations to serve and uplift their communities.

Why the Change?

We wanted to be specific about our impact on organizations. While our ultimate goal is thriving communities, we reach that by supporting stronger, healthier organizations that are ready to take on complex challenges.


Expanding on Who We Serve and What We Do


In this process, we also realized it was time to get clearer about who we serve and what we do.


Who We Serve

  • Social Purpose Organizations: Non-profits, charities, foundations, grassroots organizations, collectives, and social enterprises

  • Public Service Organizations: Municipalities, universities, school boards, and healthcare


Why This Addition?

We previously referred to our clients as “social purpose organizations,” but not everyone sees themselves in that label. By listing specific types, we’re inviting a broader range of organizations to feel seen, and also acknowledging the diversity in our client relationships, especially as we are increasingly working with public service organizations.


What We Do

What we do goes beyond a list of services. We wanted to be clear about communicating how our collaborative approach aims to:

  • Engage communities meaningfully

  • Align teams for better collaboration and decision-making

  • Reflect on current practices and plan for impactful futures

  • Learn, evaluate, and keep improving


Why This Addition?

Instead of just listing strategic planning, evaluation, and facilitation, we wanted to show the intentionality and impact we bring to the process, helping clients move from planning to meaningful action.


Moving Forward


This reassessment has left us feeling more grounded and aligned with our shared purpose. We hope sharing this journey reminds others that strategic planning isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s a living document that grows with your team, evolves with your organization, and adapts to the changing needs of the people you serve.


At Roots & Rivers, we’re embracing this refreshed vision and mission with enthusiasm, knowing it reflects who we are today and what we bring to every partnership. Here’s to the rest of the journey, and to building stronger organizations, together.

If you're interested in some other ways you can reassess your strategic plan, read our guest post on the Enkel blog that explores some specific activities you can use to check in on on your plan or get in touch with our team for an exploratory conversation.

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