Strategy & Operations - Local News Catalyst

Clarify your strategy and strengthen your internal operations.

A clear strategy and effective operations are the backbone of any successful nonprofit. This is especially true during periods of uncertainty and crisis. Find support to prepare for the future, refine your approach, strengthen your operations, and set your organization up for long-term success.

Scenario & Contingency Planning

Scenario and contingency planning helps all types of nonprofit organizations prepare for uncertainty by identifying potential risks, mapping out possible futures, and developing flexible strategies to respond effectively. By anticipating challenges—such as funding cuts, leadership changes, and other disruptions, nonprofits can make more informed decisions, protect their missions, and stay resilient in times of change. These resources can help:

Webinars

Resilience in Uncertain Times: Scenario and Contingency Planning for Local Public Media

This webinar offers practical guidance on scenario and contingency planning tailored to the unique challenges facing public media in this current moment.

You may also find the COVID-focused Contingency Planning for Public Media webinar useful for more insights into contingency planning during a crisis.

Draft Scenario Plan

Interested in developing your own scenario plan but don’t know where to start? Use this draft plan for a generic public radio station as a starting point for your internal work (note: this is a work in progress and will continue to be built out).

Please contact us at catalyst@publicmedia.co if you have questions about how to develop a scenario plan for your organization.

Additional Resources

The Bridgespan Group has a number of helpful scenario and contingency planning resources for nonprofit organizations on its website, including a scenario planning toolkit.

It’s also a good idea to keep up with the latest developments that may be impacting the industry:

Protect My Public Media summarizes the latest federal funding threats
Current reports on recent federal funding (and other) developments
National Council of Nonprofits’ tracks the latest executive orders

Strategic Planning

Navigating change is an increasingly vital challenge for public media organizations. Strategic planning helps clarify the way forward and identify what matters most for future success. This is often easier said than done, particularly when you’re already pressed for time and resources or are uncertain of what the planning process involves.

Here are some resources to help you clarify and sharpen your strategic goals and align your mission, vision, and resources for greater impact.

Webinars

Practical Strategic Planning for Public Media Organizations

This webinar outlines key steps involved in a strategic planning process, including identifying the right time to move forward and discussing effective ways to engage staff and board as well as institutional and community stakeholders in the process.

Station Strategic Plans

Many stations publish their strategic plans on their websites and are great sources of insight and inspiration. The plans are often found in sections like “About Us,” “Governance,” or “Public Information”. And plans will be shared here as we learn about them.

Additional Resources

More coming soon!

Organizational Effectiveness

Organizational effectiveness helps turn good intentions into real, lasting impact. When systems, people, and strategies are aligned and functioning well, nonprofit organizations are better equipped to make informed decisions, adapt to change, and use resources effectively.

Resources coming soon, including a survey to conduct with your staff to get input from across your organization on the core areas of organizational effectiveness (mission, strategy, goals, financial planning, local partnerships, community presence, diversity, and more).

Support Organizations

There are many public media and journalism support organizations providing a range of resources to help strengthen local newsrooms and their organizations.

Colorado Media Project provides a quick and convenient way for newsrooms to explore and discover a variety of resources and services tailored to different needs, including community listening, digital infrastructure, DEI, ecosystem development, editorial skills, newsroom operations, nonprofit management, peer networking, and revenue development.

Public and community media support organizations include PMJA, NFCB, CDP, Greater Public, SRG, PMCC, and more.

We’re continually adding new resources as they're developed. Let us know if there’s something specific you’d like to see, and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on the latest additions.