Use this agenda for an effective 2026 planning session

Hey Reader,

Planning sessions can easily become a waste of time. Either there's too much discussion and no decisions are made, or they become top-down dictation meetings of what leadership wants without actually understanding the realities of what the organization needs.

Or they just go too damn long while your inbox gets flooded with more time sensitive issues.

Here's my tried and true agenda for a 2026 planning session that actually leads to clarity and follow through. Use this with your team, your board, or even just yourself!

2026 Planning Session Agenda (60–90 minutes)

1. Establish the end objectives (10 minutes).

Before anything else, fill in this sentence together: “By the end of this meeting, we will…”

Examples:

• “…have 3–5 clear priorities for 2026.”
• “…agree on what we are not doing this year.”
• “…have a realistic fundraising plan mapped on a calendar.”
• “…be aligned on expectations across staff and board.”

Write this down and keep it visible. This is how you’ll know if the meeting was effective.

2. Review last year (15 minutes)

This will take some prep work from you - come to the meeting ready to share data from 2025 so you can ground the conversation in what actually happened. Review last year’s revenue by source, what worked well, what took more effort than it was worth, where capacity was stretched too thin.

This is not about blame - it’s about avoiding fantasy planning.

3. Set priorities for this year (20 minutes)

Now decide what matters this year. Identify:

• 3–5 top organizational priorities
• Primary fundraising drivers
• What success realistically looks like

For every priority added, ask: What are we not doing to make space for this? If you don’t name the tradeoffs, they’ll show up later as overwhelm.

4. Map priorities onto a calendar (20 minutes)

This is where plans become real. Pull up a 12-month calendar and map:

• Major fundraising activities
• Campaigns or events
• Grant cycles
• Board moments
• Key deadlines

Then assign:

• Owners
• Rough timing
• Immediate next steps

If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not a plan.

5. Set follow-through and accountability (5 minutes)

Decide now how this plan will stay alive. Agree on:

• When this plan will be revisited (I suggest in a weekly or monthly meeting)
• Who is responsible for tracking progress
• Where this document will live

6. Revisit the objectives (5 minutes)

End where you started - did you meet the objectives you set for your self? If you didn’t meet them, name what’s missing - don’t just move on.

If You’re a Solo ED / CEO

This agenda still works - just scaled down.

• Work through each section yourself
• Pressure-test it with one trusted person
• Write it down in a simple doc or notes file

If planning feels heavy, remember: A good planning session isn’t long or fancy. It’s clear, honest, and usable.

And if you're feeling overwhelmed by all that you have to do this year, don't forget to look through the Template Shop to see what templates might save you hours!

Cheers,
Kayla

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