A Facilitator's True Value: 6 Reasons to Hire a Process Expert for Strategic Planning

Your organization is ready to begin working on its next strategic plan. The board agrees it’s time to get focused, but the budget feels tight. To manage the money, the board makes what feels like a savvy decision: instead of hiring an expert, you'll handle facilitation internally.

The choice seems obvious. You either turn to a respected board member who has facilitation experience from their corporate day job, or you call in a favour from a trusted friend who knows your sport inside and out. It’s a classic win-win: you save money while leveraging the skills of someone you already know and trust. But this common cost-saving measure often comes with a hidden, and much higher, price.

When an insider leads the process, they are trapped by pre-existing relationship dynamics, unconscious biases, and the impossible task of being both a neutral guide and an engaged participant. The board member can't challenge their peers without risking political capital, and the sport-specific friend struggles with withholding their opinion on what should be done.

The result is a session that feels like a regular meeting—you end up with a plan that lacks fresh perspective and consensus, wasting your most valuable asset: the time and energy of your passionate leaders.

True progress requires a neutral, external guide. Here are six reasons why hiring an expert facilitator—a master of process, not content—is one of the smartest investments your organization can make.

1. They Build the Process, So You Can Be Present

When a board member or the Executive Director tries to both facilitate and participate, they end up doing neither well. It’s nearly impossible to share your own valuable insights while also managing the clock, navigating tough conversations, and making sure everyone stays on track.

An external facilitator’s primary job is to design and manage the entire process. They handle the logistics, ask the tough questions, and steer the conversation back when it goes off-course. This simple act is transformative. By taking on the burden of the how, they free up every single person in the room—including you—to remain fully focused on the visionary work of developing the plan. 

2. They Offer a "Cross-Sport" Advantage

Top athletes use cross-training to build resilience and gain a competitive edge. The same principle applies to strategy. A facilitator who works across many different sports brings a wealth of diverse perspectives that your organization desperately needs. 

They can introduce fresh solutions to stubborn problems, like volunteer burnout or membership engagement, by sharing what they’ve heard in entirely different sports. This cross-pollination of ideas is where true innovation comes from. It helps your organization break free from the echo chamber of "how we’ve always done it." 

3. They Create a Safe and Equitable Space

In any group, there are power dynamics at play. The loudest voices, the most senior members, or the "original founders" can consciously or unconsciously dominate the conversation. This is often the single biggest barrier to a truly representative strategic plan.

An independent facilitator's sole allegiance is to the fairness of the process. They are skilled at mitigating these power dynamics. They can challenge negative group behaviour without fear of political reprisal and, most importantly, ensure that the quieter, newer, and more diverse voices in the room are given equal weight. This is equity in action, and it’s how you build a plan that reflects your entire community, not just its most powerful members. 

4. They Skillfully Navigate Conflict

Disagreement isn't a bad thing; it’s often the birthplace of the best ideas. But unresolved or personal conflict can derail a planning session completely. A skilled facilitator is an expert at managing group dynamics and directing conflict constructively.

They can depersonalize disagreements by focusing the group on the issues, not the personalities. They know how to table conversations that are not essential to the process and create a plan to revisit them later. By acting as a neutral guide, a facilitator ensures that challenging conversations become productive, not destructive.

5. They Champion Clarity and Challenge Assumptions

Because a facilitator isn’t an expert in your specific sport, they have a powerful advantage: they don't share your assumptions. They aren't afraid to ask the "dumb" questions that can lead to profound insights.

They can point to technical language or jargon that is likely unclear to your potential members, too. They see the entire landscape from a 30,000-foot view, allowing them to spot gaps in your logic and push you to ensure your plan is clear, coherent, and compelling to everyone, not just the insiders.

6. They Make the Process Energizing and Engaging

Let's be honest: a full day of strategic planning can be a draining experience, especially when it's poorly managed. A great facilitator is a master of making the process not just productive, but genuinely fun and engaging. 

They have a toolbox of creative exercises and techniques designed to foster collaboration, spark new ideas, and maintain momentum. They understand that the how is just as important as the what. You’ll leave the session not feeling exhausted, but feeling re-energized, aligned, and inspired by the future you’ve collectively built.

From an Expert to an Empowering Partner

Choosing a facilitator is an act of trust; you are looking for a partner who will empower your team to build its own future. The success of your plan depends on finding someone who will honour your expertise, challenge your thinking, and guide you through a process that is both rigorous and human-centred. 

If you're ready to develop a strategic plan you'll actually use, let's chat. Spark Solutions will guide your group through an engaging and enjoyable process to develop your next strategic plan. Or, if you’re just starting to think about your organization’s future, try asking your board these Four Questions to Pull Your Board Out of the Weeds and Into the Future.