CASE STUDY
Strategic Planning at Way Finders
Building a Lasting Partnership for Transformative Change
Way Finders

Way Finders of Springfield, MA is a housing and community development nonprofit serving communities across the Western half of Massachusetts since 1972. Its work spans the full housing continuum—from homelessness prevention and shelter to affordable housing, wealth building, and homeownership—with the goal of creating long-term stability and opportunity for individuals and families.

As the organization’s work expanded and became increasingly integrated across programs, Way Finders sought to strengthen alignment, clarify strategic priorities, and ensure that its internal systems and culture supported its mission and outcomes

PROJECT OUTLINE

Way Finders engaged Fio Partners in 2021 and 2024 to guide two consecutive strategic planning cycles, with the first plan focused on building alignment and the second on deepening and sustaining progress. In both planning processes, Way Finders shared how it values Fio’s philosophy, which emphasizes information gathering, stakeholder participation, and collaborative choice-making.

The 2022–2024 plan introduced a new identity (mission, vision, and values), established key organizational metrics, and advanced major community priorities, including ending family homelessness, building wealth and mobility, transforming neighborhoods, and strengthening community engagement. The successful partnership brought Way Finders back to Fio in 2024 to develop its next strategic plan.

“Returning to Fio made sense. They invested a lot of time learning about us and how we function, playing a critical role not only as our facilitator, but also as our thought partner. We wanted Fio to continue to be a part of our conversation about evolution.”
— ANNI ZHU, Way Finders Chief of Staff
SOLUTION DETAILS

For the 2025–2028 planning cycle, Way Finders sought to further streamline operations and deepen each team member’s connection to the mission. They wanted a more focused planning process that still engaged stakeholders across and beyond the organization.

Fio partnered with the CEO and Chief of Staff to shape a project plan aligned with organizational goals and inclusive of key voices. Over ten months in 2024, we gathered insights from staff, board members, clients, landlords, partners, and regional representatives. Findings were shared with the Executive Leadership Team and discussed in All Staff Town Halls to ensure transparency and inclusion. A significant achievement was the expansion of client participation: the survey, which was translated into ten languages, had nearly 1,000 clients respond—up from 200 in 2021.

The information-gathering phase led to a strategic planning retreat with the Board of Directors and leadership focused on identifying the organization’s future direction and priorities, building on the prior plan. Leaders then gathered to map implementation across departments. The 2025–2028 plan followed a “Complete, Continue, Consider” model—recognizing accomplishments from 2022–2024 and identifying strategies to advance or begin in the next cycle.

RESULTS & IMPACT
The new strategic plan, published on Way Finders’ website, centers on five key pillars: advancinghousing stability and mobility, expanding housing options, advocating for investment and policy change, and strengthening the internal organization to ensure long‑term success. Beyond outlining mission‑driven priorities, the plan established goals to strengthen internal alignment that connect directly to Way Finders’ business planning, budgeting, and performance evaluation processes. As Chief of Staff, Anni Zhu shared:
“At the individual level [staff] understand how they are relating to the department’s work, and then the department’s work is directly linked to the strategic plan. So now we are meant to be aligned at every level, and everyone should be clear on what we are doing and why we are doing it,”
Over the past six years, Fio and Way Finders have developed a deep, ongoing partnership. In addition to leading two strategic planning cycles, Fio created the strategic plan for Common Capital—a Way Finders’ subsidiary—and more recently supported an executive management search. Way Finders says it values this continuity, noting that our support is both tailored to their organization and informed by our experience working with more than 500 nonprofits—bringing proven approaches to shared challenges.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Strategic planning creates the greatest value when treated as an ongoing organizational practice rather than a one-time exercise. Through inclusive facilitation, clear implementation pathways, and long-term partnerships, Fio Partners helped Way Finders translate strategy into day‑to‑day decisions—strengthening alignment, collaboration, and impact across the housing continuum.
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