Organizational Background

Established in 2016, redefinED atlanta’s vision is to transform Atlanta into a place where every student in every community has access to a great K-12 public school. As we prepare to celebrate our 10th anniversary under a new executive director, with a solid foundation of philanthropic and civic support, a diverse and engaged board, and a growing, entrepreneurial team, redefinED is ready to chart the course for the years ahead with a new, three-year strategic plan.

Our mission is to engage communities, advocate for equity, and fund critical work. We drive that change through three portfolios of work: growing great schools, strong school-level talent, and policy and advocacy to drive systemic change in K-12 public education for metro Atlanta students and families. In just under a decade, we have grown from a founding leader and $600k in seed funding to a team of 15 and an annual budget of over $10M. We have expanded outside of our original footprint of Atlanta Public Schools to serve a wider metro Atlanta community, supported the launch of over 20 new schools serving more than 10,000 public school students, brought a new best-in-class graduate school of education to Atlanta, and fueled the growth of education-focused grassroots mobilization through parent-led organizations and our own in-house programming.

Project Description

redefinED atlanta seeks a consultant who will, over the next six months, guide us in the creation of a formal, three-year strategic plan. This represents a critical juncture for redefinED atlanta. The organization, under the leadership of our new executive director, has clear, established goals for 2025 that indicate direction and priorities to help guide the 2026-28 planning process. We seek a strategic plan that serves as our compass, as opposed to turn-by-turn directions. The plan must be flexible enough to help redefinED atlanta navigate any significant political/ecosystem changes while still providing an inspiring and strategic throughline that will be true regardless of external conditions. 

Required Plan Components:

Approach:

Successful responses may approach the planning process in myriad ways. All methodologies will be considered as long as they address the following: 

• Significant time spent with leadership staff and board members, understanding their views and vision, historical impact, and current priorities
• A process to gather information and ideas from a defined list of key constituents in the Atlanta community that may include local funders, grant recipients and programmatic partners, leading advocacy organizations, and school and district leaders
• Facilitation of strategy sessions with the senior leadership team, strategic plan oversight committee, and board of directors
• Collaboration with our leadership team to create a communications plan outlining key tactics to socialize this new 2026-28 strategic plan

Fit:

Qualified consultants will be those who have driven significant strategic planning and change management processes for clients and/or mid-size organizations. Experience in K-12 public schools, funding intermediaries, and city “quarterback” organizations is beneficial. Consultants should be strong in analysis, synthesis, and strategy frameworks and able to build aligned logic models. They must also have the capacity to create external-facing materials.

Anticipated Timeline and Deliverables:

Submission Process

Submit your proposals by email to [email protected] no later than 12:00 PM EST on Friday, February 21, 2025, with the subject line “STRAT PLAN PROPOSAL”. Questions regarding this RFP may also be directed to this email address. You can expect a reply within two business days.

Please submit the following items:

1. An outline or description of the strategies to be used in the planning process.
2. The name, contact information, and resume of the person(s) who will facilitate the work, including any key subcontractors. Resumes or bios should include a list and brief description of aligned exemplar projects and/or outcomes.
3. Samples of past strategic plans, meeting agendas, and materials created for other nonprofit clients that demonstrate fit for this project.
4. Three (3) references, including contact information and a description of the connection and project they can provide insight into.
5. Detailed budget. Quotes should include all costs associated with planning, researching, conducting, and writing related to the process, and should include staff time, travel, design/printing, and any other fees anticipated. redefinED atlanta is seeking proposals not to exceed $150,000.

Evaluation Criteria

redefinED is seeking a diverse pool of consultant candidates. Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led and women-owned companies are encouraged to apply. All proposals will be evaluated based upon:

• Experience/Qualifications
• Proposed Approach
• References & Sample Work Products