Date: Saturday, January 30, 2027

Time: 9:30AM- 12:00PM CT

Modality: Online and In Person

Instructor: Jennifer Drake

The environments in which we do our work are shifting quickly. Organizations whose clients and missions are directly impacted by political dynamics and social change must develop a practice of planning and evaluation to ensure that their strategies remain relevant and effective.This session will provide insights that help leaders ensure that their strategic planning is grounded in responsiveness to impacted people and real-time information about the material conditions that movements are working to shift.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify specific issues and/or parameters for planning to address emergent challenges, opportunities, and changes to the landscape; and

2. Design a process for ongoing evaluation of the specific context and environment in which they will perform their work.

Jennifer Drake

Jennifer Drake is a strategist and consultant based in St. Louis, MO, whose practice focuses on organizational development, especially with nonprofits, leaders of color, and organizations and companies that are interested in serving Black communities well. Jennifer has spent the last decade consulting with movement organizations after more than a decade in the nonprofit sector. Her experience runs the gamut from program design and evaluation to leadership development and management on a range of issues and progressive causes. She is an alum of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, Power to Decide (formerly The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy), the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life, and The Rome Group where her consulting career began in 2015. Her firm has advised local and national nonprofit and philanthropic organizations on program, infrastructure, and investments to direct resources to people most impacted by disparities in health, social services, and voting rights. Her clients have included the Rockefeller Foundation, Arnold Ventures, the Missouri Wins Investment Network (MOWIN), Abortion Action Missouri, the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, the Missouri Family Health Council, the Mississippi Alliance, and a statewide reproductive freedom ballot initiative coalition. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Jennifer earned a degree in Biology from Truman State University and a Master of Social Work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Jennifer is currently a Board member of ArchCity Defenders and the Northside Movement Center.