Request for Proposal: Strategic Planning Facilitator and Consultant
Issued: June 2026
Proposal Deadline: July 31
Project Timeline: September 2026 through Early 2027
Organizational Background:
Scenic Rivers Land Trust is the leading local land trust serving Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Since 1988, Scenic Rivers has worked to permanently protect the region’s forests, farms, wetlands, waterways, and natural landscapes through conservation easements, land acquisition, stewardship, and community engagement.
Scenic Rivers has permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of land across the region and has become an increasingly visible leader in conservation, stewardship, public engagement, and collaborative partnerships. The organization is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and works closely with local governments, state and federal agencies, nonprofit partners, and private landowners.
In recent years, Scenic Rivers has experienced significant organizational growth and momentum, including:
- Initiating strategic partnerships with Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis
- Increased visibility and public leadership around conservation and forest health
- Growth of stewardship and invasive species management programs
- Expansion of workforce development and community engagement initiatives
- Increasing organizational complexity, staffing, and fundraising capacity
- Exploration of broader regional conservation opportunities
As Scenic Rivers looks toward 2030 and beyond, the organization seeks to engage a qualified facilitator/consultant to guide a strategic planning process that will help define organizational priorities, growth strategies, and long-term vision.
Project Overview
Scenic Rivers is seeking proposals from experienced strategic planning facilitators or consulting firms to design and lead a collaborative strategic planning process culminating in a final strategic framework and implementation roadmap.
The process should help the organization:
- Clarify organizational priorities and strategic direction through 2030
- Align board and staff around shared goals and vision
- Evaluate organizational capacity needs related to growth
- Identify opportunities for policy and programmatic leadership as well as partnership expansion
- Strengthen long-term financial sustainability and operational effectiveness
- Create a practical and actionable roadmap for implementation
The consultant should bring experience facilitating strategic planning for nonprofits and ideally possess familiarity with land trusts, conservation organizations, environmental nonprofits, or mission-driven organizations with complex stakeholder relationships.
Scope of Work
The selected facilitator/consultant will work collaboratively with Scenic Rivers leadership and a strategic planning committee to design and execute the planning process.
Anticipated Responsibilities
Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
Process Design
- Design a strategic planning process and stakeholder engagement framework
- Recommend stakeholder engagement strategies and planning tools
- Develop an overall project timeline and meeting schedule and cadence
Stakeholder Engagement
- Conduct interviews and/or listening sessions with:
- Board members
- Staff
- Key donors and supporters
- Public and nonprofit partners
- Community stakeholders
- Landowners
Retreat Facilitation
- Facilitate part of a board retreat currently scheduled for September 12, 2026
- Help frame strategic questions and guide discussion around organizational priorities and opportunities
Analysis and Synthesis
- Identify major themes, opportunities, risks, and strategic considerations
- Synthesize stakeholder input into clear strategic priorities and recommendations
- Assist Scenic Rivers in identifying measurable goals and implementation considerations
Final Deliverables
Develop final planning materials that include:
- Strategic framework or strategic plan document
- Implementation roadmap
- Recommended organizational priorities
- Potential metrics or dashboard concepts
- Organizational capacity and resource considerations
- Financial sustainability and growth recommendations
Scenic Rivers welcomes proposals that include additional recommended components such as:
- SWOT or landscape analysis
- Governance recommendations
- Scenario planning
- Financial modeling
- Conservation trend analysis
- Community engagement strategies
Strategic Themes Under Consideration
Potential strategic themes may include:
- Land conservation priorities
- Stewardship and Healthy Forests Program expansion
- Public access and community engagement
- City and county partnerships
- Geographic Expansion
- Financial sustainability and fundraising growth
- Organizational capacity and staffing
- Advocacy and policy leadership
- Equity, access, and workforce development
- Climate resilience and forest health
- Messaging and public positioning
- Long-term acreage and conservation goals
- Clarifying and communicating perpetual stewardship responsibilities
Timeline
The anticipated project schedule is as follows:
| Milestone | Timeline |
| RFP Released | June 2026 |
| Consultant Selected | Summer 2026 |
| Project Kickoff | August 2026 |
| Board Retreat / Strategic Planning Launch | September 12, 2026 |
| Stakeholder Engagement + Work Sessions | Fall 2026 |
| Draft Strategic Framework | Winter 2026/2027 |
| Final Strategic Plan Completion | Early 2027 |
Scenic Rivers is open to consultant recommendations regarding timeline refinement and sequencing.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should include:
- Organizational and Consultant Information
- Overview of consultant or firm
- Relevant experience and qualifications of key personnel
- Experience working with nonprofits, land trusts, conservation organizations, or mission-driven organizations
- Project Approach
- Proposed planning methodology and facilitation approach
- Recommended engagement process including recommended number of stakeholder meetings
- Proposed project timeline
- Description of anticipated deliverables
- Relevant Experience
Please include:
- Examples of similar strategic planning projects
- Relevant client references
- Sample deliverables if available
- Budget
Provide:
- Proposed fee structure
- Estimated project costs
- Description of reimbursable expenses if applicable
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
- Relevant strategic planning and facilitation experience
- Understanding of nonprofit and/or conservation organizations
- Quality and practicality of proposed approach
- Demonstrated facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills
- Ability to synthesize complex themes into actionable recommendations
- Cost and overall value
Submission Information
Please submit proposals electronically in PDF format by July 21, 2026, to:
Josh Falk
Executive Director
Scenic Rivers Land Trust
jfalk@srlt.org
Questions regarding this RFP may also be directed to the email above.
Additional Information
Scenic Rivers values collaborative leadership, thoughtful conservation strategy, community engagement, and practical implementation. We are seeking a facilitator who can help us think ambitiously while grounding the process in organizational sustainability and operational reality.
We welcome proposals from both individual consultants and consulting teams.