Community Futures – Strategic Planning
Client:
Community Futures BC (CFBC) & Community Futures Mt. Waddington
Sector:
Economic Development, Accessibility, Government-Funded Programs
Services Provided:
Strategic planning facilitation for both provincial and regional teams
Inclusive program advising for Accessible Entrepreneurship and EDP
Session design, delivery, and documentation
Strategic report development and storytelling
Roadmap creation to support sustainable program growth
What We Did:
Lauren worked with Community Futures BC to facilitate a strategic planning session for the Accessible Entrepreneurship offerings, through the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities team. The session helped CFBC staff reflect on their goals, team structure, and future direction, supporting long-term evolution of a program designed by and for diverse entrepreneurs.
A few months later, Lauren led a full-day strategic planning retreat with the Community Futures Mt. Waddington team, mapping out a shared vision for their internal operations and entrepreneur support program. The session focused on sustainable program delivery, team cohesion, and clear alignment with both funder and community priorities.
Why It Mattered:
Inclusive entrepreneurship is about more than who’s in the room, it’s about how programs are built, funded, and sustained over time. These sessions helped turn values into action by giving teams the space, structure, and support to plan with intention. The work also helped bridge provincial and regional efforts through shared language, aligned goals, and practical next steps.
Lauren's Role:
Lauren designed and facilitated both planning sessions, ensuring they were inclusive, engaging, and outcome-driven. They also developed tailored strategy reports for each team—translating insights from each session into clear roadmaps with actionable next steps across short-, medium-, and long-term timelines.
Impact:
Strategic growth frameworks delivered to both CFBC EDP and Mt. Waddington teams
Actionable next steps mapped out across program and operational priorities
Improved internal alignment and team cohesion
Practical tools to support long-term inclusion, resilience, and funding
Lessons & Insights:
Storytelling invites people in to listen, to share, and to understand one another. Strategy helps them move forward. By anchoring facilitation in lived experience and practical tools, teams felt seen, motivated, and ready to take clear next steps.
“I’ve participated in quite a few strategic planning sessions over the years, and Lauren’s facilitation was the best I’ve experienced. I would absolutely recommend it to others, as I’m positive that both the staff and I, as well as the board, truly appreciated the session.”
— Riley Zimmerman, Executive Director, Community Futures Mt Waddington
