What If Strategic Planning Looked… Different?
At Blue Sky Partners, strategic planning is at the heart of our work. Over the past seven years, we’ve facilitated retreats, engaged stakeholders, and developed comprehensive plans to help organizations navigate challenges, adapt, and thrive. But what if strategic planning wasn’t just about growth and resilience? What if it could create the permission structure for organizations to, dare we say… disappear?
Hear us out--
Imagine this: an organization so deeply aligned with its mission, vision, and values that it achieves its purpose. Not due to a lack of funding or failure but because the mission has been fulfilled. What would it take to reach that point? What kind of planning could ensure an organization succeeds in its purpose and that the legacy of that impact continues to build systemic change? This is the thinking behind what we are calling an Extinction Plan—a different kind of strategy designed to answer not just “How do we grow?” but also, “What will we leave behind?”
What Does an Extinction Plan Look Like?
Let us start by saying— we don’t have all the answers. This is a concept we’re exploring to see if we can create something truly different, something that aligns strategy, operations, and systems change in a meaningful way. So, what’s essential?
The Extinction Plan challenges organizations to think beyond the usual three-to-five-year horizon. Instead, it asks:
How will you secure your impact for the next 100 years and know when your work is truly done?
Who will carry your mission forward?
What legacy can you build not to lay a foundation for future generations?
Here’s how we imagine an Extinction Plan--
1. Real Impact Review:
To begin, take an honest look at where you are now. What strengths define your organization? By identifying core strengths, irreplaceable resources, and areas for improvement, the Real Impact Review pinpoints what must be preserved and what needs adjustment to ensure the vision is achieved and sustained. It’s about understanding what it takes to confidently say, “Mission accomplished,” and knowing how to close with intention and impact.
2. Mapping Your Network:
An organization’s impact rarely stands alone; it’s part of a broader ecosystem of partners, allies, and community members. Mapping this network ensures your mission and values can outlive your organization and be carried forward by others.
3. Community Connections:
Your legacy lives in how your organization is viewed by the people you serve. Building trust and goodwill with your community ensures your contributions are remembered with gratitude and respect.
4. Legacy & Resource Transfer:
A carefully considered legacy transfer ensures that assets, whether physical, intellectual, or relational, are passed on in ways that support future change-makers. This includes knowledge, systems, and yes, even funding, being shared in ways that redistribute power and sustain impact
Why This Matters
In a world constantly in motion, planning for closure can be one of the most forward-thinking steps we take. Of course, to do this, an organization would still need to get all the typical deliverables. You would need an Insights Report, to have a human-centered design approach, a gap analysis, and a 3, 5, or 7-year strategic plan. This is about ensuring your mission outlives you and your organization, leaving behind a legacy that serves future generations.
Let’s Co-Create the Future
This idea is still in its early days, but I’m looking for organizations brave enough to pilot this with us. If you’re intrigued—or just want to give some feedback—we’d love to hear from you. The only way we create meaningful, systemic change is by thinking beyond ourselves.
Let’s build something that outlasts us all.
