Strategic Plan Consultant

About the role

The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is entering a growth phase and seeks a consultant or firm to lead the development of a Long‑Term Strategic Plan (LTSP) covering 4 to 5 years. The plan will guide PMC’s programmatic, organizational, and financial growth and sustainability, including a planned Visitors Center capital campaign and the establishment of an endowment, while ensuring that growth remains grounded in Pauli Murray’s values and legacy.

Responsibilities

• Answer the core questions for the LTSP:
  • What is the work of the PMC? – a clear articulation of the mission, program areas, and impact (including mission and vision statements).
  • How is the work grounded in and guided by Pauli Murray’s values? What is required of a center for history and social justice in Durham/The Triangle, North Carolina, the American South, and the United States?
  • What is the implementation strategy for the LTSP? – a concrete roadmap, phasing, and accountability structure.
  • What is the revenue strategy over the course of the LTSP and beyond?, including:
    • A multi‑million‑dollar capital campaign for the Visitors Center.
    • Establishment of an endowment and operating reserves.
    • Consideration of the current political climate and future climates that are hostile to organizations like ours.
• Conduct stakeholder engagement (board, staff, community members, Murray family/descendants, funders, regional partners).
• Perform an environmental scan/landscape analysis of peer historic sites and social justice organizations in the South.
• Assess current programs, capacity, and infrastructure.
• Facilitate planning sessions with board and staff.
• Develop endowment/reserves policy recommendations.
• Produce a final written plan and presentation to the board.
• Remain open to creative forms for the LTSP, ensuring the plan can be implemented.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience facilitating strategic plans for nonprofits of similar size/budget (approx. $1 million).
• Experience with historic sites, museums, cultural institutions, and/or civil rights/social justice organizations.
• Familiarity with a local/regional (Southern U.S.) context.
• Demonstrated familiarity with or experience in the American South.
• Experience advising on endowment and reserve fund phasing and calendaring.
• Experience guiding organizations through growth‑phase planning (expansion, capital, financial sustainability, staffing scale‑up).
• Familiarity with or demonstrated commitment to learning Pauli Murray's legacy and values, and PMC's community context.
• Experience with capital campaign phasing and calendaring.
• Strong team composition; proposed personnel must have a track record of working well together.
• Provide references from 2–3 comparable past clients.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and a community‑centered process.

Pay

Compensation in the amount of $50,000 has been allocated for the completion of this work.

Schedule

• RFQ Questions Due: Friday, September 25, 2026, 5:00 p.m. EST
• RFQ Submissions Due: Friday, October 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. EST
• Shortlist Notified: Friday, October 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. EST
• RFP Proposals Due: Monday, November 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. EST
• Review and Interview Period: November 10 to November 20, 2026
• Contractor notified: Friday, December 4, 2026
• Period of Work: January–September, 2027
• Project must be completed by Fall 2027.