Rooted Strategy Community Lab
A six-month guided learning and practice program for leaders of equity- and justice-centered organizations to build strategic plans that center community power, transform data into insights, and drive meaningful impact
Strategic planning processes are often either too generic, too expensive, too disconnected from community, or too heavy for staff to execute alone.
INTRODUCINGRooted Strategy Community Lab:
a cohort model grounded in shared learning, practical tools, community grounding, and a strategic plan you actually can implement.
If your organization…
Has a big vision but needs support translating it into direction and action
Wants to build internal planning capacity instead of outsourcing it entirely
Wants a strategic plan that reflects your community, values, and lived realities
This program is designed for you.
OVERVIEWSign up for the Summer 2026 Rooted Strategy Community Lab!
Summer 2026 Details
Cohort Dates
July 1 – December 15 (1st + 3rd Wednesdays*)
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM PT
Time
Starting at $2,500 — See Pricing & Access for Details
Location
Virtual
Pricing
*Sessions take place on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, except in July. Check schedule below for details.
Rooted Strategy Design Principles
This six-month guided cohort program is designed for organizations who want a strategic planning process that is:
Equity-Centered
Rooted in community voice, shared power, and intentional reflection
Highly-Participatory
Engages staff, partners, and stakeholders in meaningful ways
Data-Grounded
Uses qualitative and quantitative insights to guide direction
Action-Oriented
Turns concepts into clear goals and objectives that will actually get used
A Note from the Facilitator
Joyce Chiao
CEO, AbundanceHi there,
I’m Joyce Chiao, founder of Abundance, where I work with community-based organizations, nonprofits, and public agencies to center and advance equity and justice in their work. I created Rooted Strategy Community Lab to guide leaders of these organizations through the strategic planning process, providing space for reflection, peer learning, and actionable next steps. The program centers the organizational expertise you bring while helping you navigate complexity, surface hard questions, and translate insights into practical, equity-centered plans.
I’m excited to learn alongside you and support your organization in building strategy rooted in values and community accountability. You can read more about my background and work here.
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Who This Program is For
Rooted Strategy Community Lab is open to any organizational leader ready to approach strategic planning differently. While the program is broadly accessible for all organizations of various sizes and stages, it is especially supportive for:
Small- to mid-sized organizations (often under ~$5M)
Organizations that need a structured, equity-centered roadmap but lack internal capacity or facilitation support
Organizations advancing social, economic, or racial justice
Organizations that want a strategic plan aligned with their values, not just a compliance document
Leaders who are actively doing or planning to do this work internally
Organizations that want a process that feels scaffolding, not burdensome, for staff with capacity to learn and lead strategic planning
What You Will Learn & Build
A Clear Purpose & Structure
The journey begins with each participant outlining a clear purpose and structure to guide your strategic planning process, establish supportive guardrails, and build stakeholder alignment from the onset.
A Community-Led Vision
Each session considers who needs to at the center of your organizational strategy and supports participants in building an approach that is rooted in community, equity, and justice.
An Assessment and Analysis
Each participant will be guided through the creation of a current state assessment, with data collection and findings analysis that moves from “what” to “so what” to “now what.”
A Draft & Final Strategic Plan
This six-month program culminates in a draft and final strategic plan, aligned to your values and strengthened by feedback from staff, community, and collaborators.
What You Will Receive
1 Introductory Call
One 45-minute 1:1 introductory call with Joyce to discuss your strategic planning goals, program needs, and questions as we prepare to launch
12 Live Sessions
Two 90-minute sessions per month for six months that take you step-by-step through designing and leading your strategic planning process
3 Consultation Sessions
Three 1-hour 1:1 consultations with Joyce that can be used throughout the six months for tailored guidance, feedback, and thought partnership
Templates and Guides
Sample materials with guidance on adapting them to your organization — including assessment tools, planning outlines, and draft plan structures
Supportive Peer Community
A cohort of leaders navigating similar opportunities, challenges, and equity commitments for robust idea-sharing and problem-solving
Optional Advisory Add-Ons*
Customizable services for organizations that want more hands-on support with specific components of the strategic planning process
*Cohort participants receive discounted pricing for these deeper advisory services.
A Six-Month Guided Strategic Planning Journey
Rooted Strategy Community Lab guides participants through strategic planning from start to finish — beginning with a clear approach all the way through a final organizational strategic plan. Each session explores a core component of equity-centered strategic planning and how it can be applied to your organization.
Part 1 | Getting Started
Strategic Planning Project Set-Up
Prepare your organization to embark on the strategic planning process, and design an approach that fits your organizational needs and context
JULY
Month 1 — Grounding and Preparing
Session 01 | July 1Grounding Your Strategic Plan Purpose & Approach
We clarify the purpose, structure, and scope of your strategic plan, and we design core activities for this process to support your organizational objectives.
Session 02 | July 22Designing Equitable Community Engagement
We explore the power dynamics and barriers to access that often prevent strategic plans from being informed and built by community, and we develop an approach to engaging the people most impacted by your work in a way that invites shared ownership.
Part 2 | The Story of Today
Current State Assessment
Explore organizational needs, outcomes, gaps, and opportunity areas to build a clear picture of your current organizational context to inform future priorities
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER
Month 2 — Understanding the Story of Today
Session 03 | August 5Document Reviews, Surveys, and Benchmarking Research
We explore how to collect meaningful data, from document reviews to surveys to benchmarking, that informs the Story of Today without overburdening staff or community members.
Session 04 | August 19Interviews, Focus Groups, and Listening Sessions
We build your qualitative tools, practicing question design and facilitation techniques that honor lived experience and encourage open, honest input.
Month 3 — Turning Your Findings into Meaning
Session 05 | September 2Analyzing Quantitative and Qualitative Data
We will discuss methods for analyzing data in ways that surface patterns, insights, and tensions across your engagement activities.
Session 06 | September 16Turning Findings into Recommendations
You will practice translating your analysis from “What” to “So What” to “Now What” — to craft insights that are useful, strategic, and grounded in community realities.
Part 3 | The Story of Tomorrow
Future State
Visioning
Builds upon “The Story of Today” to develop a vision of what is possible through the work of your organization and outline future direction
OCTOBER
Month 4 — Visioning Towards the Future
Session 07 | October 7Structuring an Equity-Centered Visioning Process
We review your visioning activities (e.g., retreats, town halls, etc.) to confirm that they align with your equity commitments, supports your community engagement aims, and builds upon your assessment findings.
Session 08 | October 21Designing Participatory Visioning Sessions
We build agendas, facilitation approaches, and decision-making structures so participants can engage deeply and meaningfully.
Part 4 | The Path to Tomorrow
Strategic Plan Development
Charts a path to actualize “The Story of Tomorrow” by gathering community feedback to refine, add detail to, and ultimately finalize the Strategic Plan
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER
Month 5 — Drafting Your Strategic Plan
Session 09 | November 4Reviewing Your Visioning Outputs
We synthesize visioning outcomes and begin shaping your strategic directions and priorities.
Session 10 | November 18Drafting Your Organizational Strategic Plan
You will draft organizational vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives, using your visioning outputs and supported by templates tailored to the needs and culture of your organization.
Month 6 — Refinement + Finalization
Session 11 | December 2Gathering Feedback and Refining Your Draft Plan
We build feedback loops with staff, community, and stakeholders to help you refine your draft.
Session 12 | December 16Finalizing Your Organizational Strategic Plan
We finalize your strategic plan with clarity, alignment, and community accountability, and we discuss implementation considerations.
Pricing & Access
Rooted Strategy Community Lab is a cohort-based strategy container designed for organizers, practitioners, and leaders doing equity- and justice-centered work. Pricing is structured by considering resource availability and constraints, with the intention of supporting collective access while sustaining the Lab.
Participants are encouraged to use their judgement to select the tier that best matches their access to financial resources, individual and organizational, at the time of registration. We trust you to choose what is right for you.
Community
$2,500
This rate is a solidarity rate, offered in recognition of structural inequities, not as charity. Seats at this rate are limited.
This rate is for:
Individuals whose organizations are not formally sponsoring them but whose income reflects professional-level compensation
Participants with an organizational budget between $1M and $3M
Sustainer
$5,000
This rate reflects the true cost of the program and helps sustain the Lab while supporting community access.
This rate is for:
Individuals doing equity, justice, or community-based work without institutional backing or professional development budgets
Organizers, educators, and nonprofit staff in under-resourced organizations (Organizational budget below $1M)
Institutional
$7,500
This rate reflects the scale of larger organizations, where strategy investments impact teams, programs, and systems.
This rate is for:
Participants with an organizational budget above $3M
For Enterprise pricing and organizational training options, please get in touch via the Contact page.
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This program is designed to support you as you lead your organization’s strategic planning process, so participants should expect a moderate commitment outside of sessions. Most weeks involve planning or preparation work that directly applies what you are learning to your organization’s real work. While capacity is needed, the program aims to streamline processes by providing tools and templates as starting points — so you can focus on executing your organizational strategic planning process.
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No. Participants come with a wide range of experience, from first-time planning leads to seasoned leaders who want a more grounded, community-centered approach. The cohort is structured to meet people where they are, with practical tools and guided support at every step.
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Strategic planning looks different for every organization. While the program is structured as a six-month learning and practice journey, participants are encouraged to adapt the scope, pace, and depth of their planning process to fit their organization’s needs. Some organizations may use the cohort to complete a focused, shorter-term plan, while others may use it to lay the foundation for a longer, more comprehensive process. The tools, frameworks, and guidance are designed to be flexible and reusable so you can right-size your approach and revisit it over time. To explore whether this program will fit the timeline needs of your organization, you can reach out to Joyce via the Contact page.
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Many participants will leave with a draft or near-final strategic plan, depending on their organization’s scope and pace. More importantly, participants build the skills, frameworks, and confidence to lead strategic planning work thoughtfully — both now and in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Some sessions may be recorded and edited so that only Abundance’s facilitation remains. These facilitator-only recordings may be reused in future educational offerings, including paid digital courses to support greater access to the program. Participant faces, voices, names, chat messages, and identifiable contributions are not included or shared.
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Participants have the option to add on deeper advisory or facilitation support for specific components of their strategic planning process, such as stakeholder engagement design, data synthesis, or draft review. Cohort participants receive preferred pricing for these add-ons and will work directly with Joyce as your consultant.
Need a full-cycle strategic planning consultant? You can also reach out to Joyce via the Contact page to discuss a customized engagement.
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Yes! If this timing doesn’t work for you, visit the Registration page, and scroll down to join the interest list to be notified about future cohorts. Additional cohorts will be offered based on demand and capacity.