ImpactLab Masterclass: Impact-led strategic planning

How can you build a strategy that starts with purpose and leads to meaningful impact?

Event details
Date: Thursday 12 November 2026
Time: 1:00pm – 4:00pm AEDT
Location: Online
Available Places: 15 people

Led by Royden Howie, Head of Impact Advisory at ImpactInstitute, this practical masterclass will help you design a strategic planning process that starts with the change your organisation exists to create, rather than simply beginning with organisational goals, activities or constraints. 

Along the way, you’ll explore how to bring stakeholder and beneficiary perspectives into the planning process, use evidence and insight to guide strategic choices, and connect purpose, impact goals, priorities and action in a clear and practical way. 

You’ll also examine practical tools and emerging approaches that can support each stage of planning, including environmental scanning, future thinking, stakeholder consultation, prioritisation and the responsible use of AI to strengthen research and decision-making.

The Masterclass will explore:

• What distinguishes impact-led strategic planning from traditional strategic planning 
• How to place purpose, intended impact and stakeholder voice at the centre of strategic decisions 
• The key stages of an impact-led strategic planning process 
• Practical approaches to stakeholder engagement, consultation and sense-making 
• How to use environmental scanning and future thinking to identify risks, opportunities and trends 
• Ways to connect impact frameworks, Theory of Change and strategic priorities 
• How to make realistic choices based on organisational capacity, resources and maturity 
• Techniques for translating strategic themes into goals, actions and shorter planning cycles 
• How emerging AI tools can support research, participation and strategic decision-making
   

Who should attend?

This masterclass is designed for leaders, managers, board members and strategy practitioners working in not-for-profits, social enterprises, foundations, government and purpose-driven organisations. 

It will be particularly useful for organisations preparing to develop, refresh or reset their strategy and wanting to ensure the process is grounded in impact, evidence and the perspectives of the people they exist to serve. 

No specialist strategy background is required. Participants will gain the most from the session if they have a clear sense of their organisation’s purpose, current priorities or intended impact.

What to expect

Throughout the masterclass, you’ll explore a structured approach to impact-led strategic planning and test selected tools that can be applied within your own organisation. You’ll consider how to gather insight, make sense of stakeholder perspectives, identify strategic choices and move from purpose to action. 

The session will draw on ImpactInstitute’s experience working with NFPs, social enterprises, education providers, community organisations and advocacy bodies to connect impact thinking with strategy, planning and communication. 

You’ll also have the opportunity to examine how emerging tools, including AI-enabled approaches, can support parts of the process while recognising where judgement, participation and ethical decision-making remain essential. 

So, whether you’re preparing for a strategic planning process, refreshing an existing strategy, or looking for a more impact-led way to make organisational decisions, this ImpactLab Masterclass will give you practical tools, clearer thinking and greater confidence to lead the work.