Due East services.

The world is complex. Organizations need a clear path forward to achieve sustainable growth.

Headquartered in Annapolis, MD, we partner with clients and communities across the U.S. and globe.

We blend three decades of experience in strategic planning, organizational development, movement-building, and collective impact to creatively solve even the most complex social and environmental challenges

What we do.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Steady, sustainable growth requires sound strategy, especially in challenging times.

We co-create plans with clear and broadly-owned priorities, strategies, and results to guide your organization’s growth and sustainability.

If you want a better result, you need to start with a better process.

Too many strategic planning processes happen behind closed doors. Due East’s processes are transparent, open, and “forward-leaning.” We help our clients create meaningful engagement and build consensus from visioning through plan development and implementation.

Give us a shout to learn how we can support your planning and plan implementation efforts.

CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION

Social sector organizations are increasingly relied upon to address society’s biggest challenges. Due East brings proven tooLs and techniques to help leaders build effective and inclusive cross-sector collaborations that achieve measurable, sustainable results in their communities and across the country.

We bring practical tools, models, and experience forging cross-sector collaborations to tackle systemic issues such as literacy, relational violence, homelessness, clean water, and climate change.

We enable leaders to collaborate with a diversity of partners – government, nonprofit, business, philanthropy, faith, civic – united by a common agenda, coordinated strategies, and shared accountability.

Ready to take your collaborations to the next level? Contact us today.

CORPORATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Today’s customers, employees and investors expect companies to do more than create economic value. Due East can help your company develop and implement a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. We make sure to align your CRS closely with your brand, strategies, and goals to create financial, social, and environmental value.

Turning your CSR policy into true Community Engagement (CE) keeps your business relevant in today’s global economy.

Due East will work with your team to develop a CE program that enhances your brand, supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, builds stronger community partnerships, and boosts employee engagement.

Reach out to explore with us how we can launch or advance your CSR and CE.

Our approach to planning.

We lead clients & partners through processes that:

  • Are co-creative and iterative, allowing time to listen to diverse perspectives, build trust and understanding, question assumptions, and test strategies. Seek to understand who benefits and who doesn’t when your organization is successful.

  • Delves deep to identify root causes and makes sure the hard questions get asked respectfully.

  • Determine who and how to authentically engage all key constituents.

  • Changes your process if necessary to make it welcoming and accessible, like avoiding technical jargon and keeping language simple and inclusive.

  • Has participants set the ground rules and creates safe space for tough conversations.

The result is a planning process that:

  • Centers equity and effectively engages a diversity of constituents.

  • Inspires “possibility-thinking,” promotes organizational learning and improvement, and seeks to move from ideas to action.

  • Plots early wins and proof points to demonstrate where strategies are working and provide the data and tools to correct course if they are not.

  • Develops the organizational direction, capacity, and infrastructure to support growth, and expand sustainability and impact.

  • Sparks momentum for new plan priorities and an opportunity to amplify and extend the reach of the plan through your constituents and their networks.

There’s a whole lot more to the Due East approach to planning. Touch base with us to learn more.

The impacts of our services.

  • "I am so grateful that we completed our new Strategic Framework with guidance from Due East Partners. It gives us the guidance and focus to make critical decisions and how to focus our bandwidth and energy for greatest impact."

    Melyssa Watson, Executive Director, The Wilderness Society

  • "When it was time to implement the plan, so many of our constituents raised their hands to get involved. Having our constituents engaged already has shown them that we are serious about change and ready for our DEIJ work.”

    Suzanne Etgen Executive Director, Watershed Stewards Academy