Strategic Planning for Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition
Request for Proposals

Summary of Work:
The Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition seeks an experienced strategic planning consultant to develop and facilitate a short-term (2-year) action plan and longer-term (3-5 year) strategic plan for the Coalition.

Organizational Background:
The Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition (hereinafter referred to as the Coalition or GBWC) was founded in 2015 and today represents a network of more than 50 partner organizations (federal, state, and local government, NGOs, and academia). The Coalition seeks to identify, restore, enhance, and protect an interconnected network of lands and waters to support healthy ecosystems and communities that benefit the people and wildlife of central Maryland (hereinafter referred to as the Region).
The work of the GBWC is centered on five pillars: resilience, biodiversity, equity, discovery and health. Identifying, advocating for, and facilitating a regional green infrastructure network and building nature-based solutions to address each of the pillars as interrelated dimensions provides a foundation for equitable, livable and healthy communities throughout the Region.
GBWC has two staff (a Senior Advisor who is an independent consultant and a Coordinator who is hosted at the National Aquarium) and is guided by a 15-person Steering Committee composed of representatives from Coalition member organizations. The Steering Committee is led by two Co-chairs, one representing a state/federal agency and the other representing a nonprofit organization.

For the past few years, the Coalition has focused on building its general membership, strengthening its governance structure, and securing project funding. In this next phase, we are looking to focus on Coalition sustainability, increasing regional impact and visibility, strengthening our operations, and forecasting future Coalition needs. We are looking for a consultant to develop a complete draft strategic plan and action plan that addresses these goals. The consultant will work closely with our Strategic Planning Committee, made up of members of the Steering Committee and staff, to coordinate these efforts.

Scope of Work for Consultant:

  • Design Strategic Planning Process – May 2022 – June 2022
    • Work with the Coalition Strategic Planning Committee to design a strategic planning process and formal timeline tailored to the Coalition’s needs
  • Steering Committee, Membership and Stakeholder Engagement – June 2022- July 2022
    • Integrate previous survey and membership interviews
    • Analyze the Coalition’s challenges and opportunities for growth through engagement of a diverse cross-section of audiences (surveys, listening sessions, and other feedback loops).
      • Current and future funding landscape
      • Capacity – staffing and Steering Committee
      • Partnerships
      • Communications
    • Analyze and Present Outcomes to Strategic Planning Group
  • Current Grant and Resource Analysis – July 2022
    • Funding analysis – current grants and resources
    • Partnerships
    • Capacity Analysis; define outcomes and prioritize Coalition goals
    • Integrate pillars into communication (internal and external), programming and Coalition goals
  • Develop Draft Strategic Plan – August – October 2022
    • 2 Year Action Plan
    • 3-5 Year Strategic Framework
  • Facilitate at least 2 meetings with the Coalition’s Steering Committee, Staff, and Strategic Planning Committee to advance the development of the draft plan. Present Final Draft Strategic Plan – October/November 2022
  • Provide a fully crafted draft plan for the Steering Committee and Staff to finalize
    Internally. – December 2022

Goals of Strategic Planning:

  • Set a bold, clear, and concise 5-year vision for the Coalition
  • Clarify how GBWC will fulfill its desired role as a regional restoration catalyst
  • Clarify GBWC’s intended audience/partners and set the course for how best to engage and mobilize that audience
  • Member Structure and Demographics (General members and the Steering Committee reflective of communities that we are hoping to engage)
  • Weave equity into all of the coalition goals
  • Identify top Coalition priorities and top-level outcomes are in alignment with environmental challenges of the region
  • Increase Steering Committee engagement
  • Develop a system for clearly tracking resources and products (funding, staff capacity) coming in and out of the Coalition

Proposal Process and How to Submit
If you are interested in being considered for this work, please submit a statement of your qualifications, approach to strategic planning and two references by Monday, May 2nd, 2022. Our budget for this project is between $20,000 – $25,000. When developing a budget breakdown, please itemize the Strategic Plan and the 2-Year Action Plan separately. Proposals should be submitted via email to Eliza Thomas at ethomas@aqua.org. Any questions can be directed to ethomas@aqua.org or (410) 659-9274.