Open Table: A Recipe for Purpose-Led Strategy
Open Table is a Melbourne not-for-profit working to improve food access, food literacy and community connection. With strong programs and a growing reputation in the food equity space, the organisation was ready to take stock and map out the next three years. The CEO wanted a process that genuinely brought the board and team into the conversation.
Open Table achieves a remarkable amount with a lean, committed team, led by a CEO who is both deeply capable and already stretched across everything the organisation needs. A lengthy, expensive consulting engagement was not the right fit. What was needed was a targeted, well-designed process that brought the team into genuine shared thinking.
The CEO was looking for someone who understood the sector and could bring both rigour and creativity to the process. I designed and facilitated an interactive strategy workshop with the board and team, combining structured frameworks with participatory exercises that drew on the experience of everyone in the room. We worked through Open Table's vision, mission and values, explored current strengths and development areas, clarified value propositions across key programs and identified strategic priorities for the years ahead. Following the workshop, I provided detailed written feedback on the CEO's draft strategic plan.
Open Table now has a three-year strategic plan built through genuine shared process, one the board and staff can point to as their own. When the final plan was done, the CEO wrote to say she was looking forward to sharing it with the world and using it to keep the organisation on track through the next couple of years. That's the outcome that matters: not a document delivered, but a direction the organisation is actively living by.
“Olivia was recommended to us as someone who understands small not-for-profits and social enterprises, which is exactly what we were looking for when we began our strategic planning work.
She worked closely with us to create an engaging, thought-provoking process that brought our board and staff together to really reflect on our organisation, what's working, and where we want to head next. Olivia brings a great mix of sector experience, insight and practical judgement, and she was clear and well organised throughout – the process felt well structured, and things happened when she said they would.
Olivia was also just lovely to work with – warm, a great listener, and easy to collaborate with. I'd happily recommend her to other purpose-led organisations looking for practical, values-aligned strategic support.”
– Peta Christensen, CEO, Open Table
If you're leading a small for-purpose organisation and want a strategic planning process that brings your whole team into genuine conversation, I'd be glad to talk through what might work for you.