Scenario Planning

Strategic plans and organizational budgets are living documents. While nonprofits cannot predict the future, they can begin to anticipate how they would adjust to a variety of major and minor shifts in their original plans and budgets so that they are equipped to make difficult, complex decisions as crises or opportunities arise. Are we in a healthy place to increase our staff or expand our programming? Are we prepared and resourced enough to navigate a severe weather event? How can we minimize risk if we lose revenue or a major grant or donation? Can we afford to offer more benefits to staff? Building potential scenarios and back up plans can give leaders, their staff, boards, and funders the confidence they need to answer these kinds of questions as they maintain operations and continue to deliver on programs.  

 The workshop will specifically address the following topics: 

• principles to guide successful scenario planning processes; 

• identifying critical questions and decision points for your nonprofit; and 

• how to use available tools to undertake scenario planning. 

 The workshop will be in person on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy (919 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130). It is free, but registration is required. Click here to register. Seating is limited. 

Facilitators: 

Hilda Polanco, CPA  

Market Managing Partner, BDO USA LLP  

Hilda Polanco leads accounting and professional services firm, BDO’s Nonprofit & Grantmaker Advisory specialty services group, which exclusively serves nonprofit organizations and their funders, and is the new home of FMA, the specialty practice she founded in 1999 as Fiscal Management Associates. Passionate about helping nonprofits develop a resilient long-term financial strategy, Hilda has also worked closely with some of the nation’s largest foundations to illuminate the full cost of delivering nonprofit programs and has joined them in calling others in the philanthropic sector to better understand nonprofit revenue models and ultimately, to work toward more knowledgeable financing of those business models. Hilda is widely known for providing nonprofit leaders with the skills and confidence they need to tell their organization’s financial story, as well as working with boards to strengthen their capacity to execute their fiduciary responsibility. Currently on the faculty of Columbia Business School’s Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, she is also a frequent speaker with the AICPA and philanthropy-serving organizations such as GEO, PEAK Philanthropy, and Philanthropy NY.