In today’s rapidly shifting landscape, nonprofits and community-based organizations are facing unprecedented uncertainty. Federal funding changes, shifting policy priorities, and broader economic ripples are leaving many leaders unsure how to plan effectively—or even what assumptions they can count on.
This course offers a practical, flexible approach to planning in times of uncertainty. Using scenarios planning, you’ll learn how to explore multiple plausible futures, identify strategies that hold up across a range of possibilities, and recognize the signals that it’s time to pivot.
Designed for nonprofit leaders, board members, community organizers, and consultants, this interactive course provides a clear method, space for reflection, and real-time application to your own organizational context. You’ll leave with tools and insight to guide your team with more clarity and confidence—no matter what comes next.
Harbinger is pleased to offer this timely course twice in 2025 to help nonprofit and community-based organizations respond strategically to today’s extreme uncertainty—particularly around U.S. federal funding, program viability, and the shifting policy landscape.
This course was developed in collaboration with David Moore of Moore Strategic Consulting, a consultancy focused on strengthening mission-driven organizations that work to improve equity and opportunity. David will co-facilitate the September session.
Right now, many nonprofits find themselves in a holding pattern—or worse, in crisis mode—forced to rethink programs, budgets, and staffing with little reliable information about what lies ahead. Traditional planning approaches feel inadequate when core assumptions keep shifting. Yet we all know: not planning isn’t an option. And the cycle of planning, replanning, stalling, and restarting drains energy, undermines confidence, and makes it harder to stay on mission.
Scenarios planning is built for times like these. When the future is unpredictable, it provides a practical, flexible structure for making thoughtful decisions, identifying viable strategies, and recognizing when and how to pivot.
This course will guide you to:
Envision multiple plausible futures shaped by policy, funding, and social change
Identify strategies that are relevant and resilient across different scenarios
Shift from reactive mode to clear, forward-looking leadership
Build confidence in your ability to make decisions even when the path is unclear
Develop and track key indicators that can signal when it’s time to shift course
What You’ll Learn
In this hands-on course, you’ll:
Learn a clear, adaptable scenarios planning method you can use immediately
Practice leading through uncertainty rather than reacting to it
Understand how different emerging futures could affect your mission and operations
Identify flexible strategies that can guide your work across varied futures
Recognize key inflection points that may warrant action or change
Build your own capacity—and your organization’s—to manage uncertainty effectively
HOMEWORK? Yes, and it’s worth it!
The sessions are designed so you can immediately apply what you’re learning to your own situation. Plan to spend about three or four hours between sessions working through your own scenarios—either solo or with your team—and come back ready to reflect, deepen your insights, and move forward.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This course is designed for decision-makers and leadership teams in mission-driven organizations, including:
Executive directors and senior nonprofit leaders
Board leaders
Staff and volunteers guiding community initiatives
Organizational and strategy consultants
Community development professionals
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
David Moore, President, Moore Strategic
David works closely with national nonprofit organizations, local education foundations, community-based organizations, municipalities and research organizations to strengthen organizational impact. He coaches and consults with CEOs, leadership teams, boards and partnership structures to increase leverage, return on investment and community impact. He has been an advocate and partner with dozens of organizations strengthening community engagement, strategic planning, board development and partnership strategies.
David is a trusted advisor providing strategic leadership and facilitation. David draws from extensive experience in a variety of facilitation approaches to guides teams and organizations to produce results.
With an Ed.D. from the University of Cincinnati, an M.P.P. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Capital University, David combines the best of academic and research with practical experience and community knowledge to help shape educational models, organizations and communities.
Michele Archie, Principal, The Harbinger Consultancy
Michele draws from long experience with human and organizational resilience training; community dialogue program development and facilitation; and consensus decision-making processes to foster organizational improvement and durable community connections.
Michele helps conservation, heritage and community economic development organizations collaborate with small towns and rural communities to achieve preservation, economic and community benefits. She helps guide the development of regional collaboratives, strategic engagement and community-driven initiatives.
Michele’s approach has long been integrative and multi-disciplinary. She holds an M.S. from the University of Montana’s famously cross-disciplinary and action-oriented Environmental Studies program and a B.A. from Gonzaga University in political science.
SESSION DATES AND TIMES
Three live, two-hour video conference sessions. Sessions will be recorded in case you need to miss a session or want to review.
June 2025: Tuesdays, June 10-24, 1-3 ET
Or
September 2025: Thursdays, Sept. 18 - October 2, 2:30-4:30 ET
MORE DETAILS
Includes a post-course one-on-one or team consultation session to address your particular situation and needs.
$525 regular course fee, $425 early registration discount (ends April 30, 2025, for the June course, and May 30, 2025 for the September course)
Discounts for multiple participants from the same organization:
$425 each for 2-4 participants, $375 early registration
Contact us to discuss discounts for 5 or more
SESSIONS
Session 1: Getting Started with Scenarios
Rethinking planning in uncertain times
Examining assumptions
Framing your organization’s situation
Session 2: Emerging Scenarios
Developing plausible future contexts
Exploring implications and potential responses
Session 3: Building Strategies
Identifying resilient strategies
Planning for flexibility
Watching for inflection points
Location
This is a virtual training. See the event website for more details.
Trail Competencies
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Upcoming Event
Training Dates
Starts June 10, 2025
10:00 AMEnds June 24
12:00 PMThis event takes place in Pacific Daylight Time.
01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
12:00 PM Central Daylight Time
11:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time
10:00 AM Mountain Standard Time
10:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time
09:00 AM Alaska Daylight Time
08:00 AM Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time
07:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time
Registration
Contact Details
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