Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq Strategic Plan

ATN Strategies was engaged by the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) at a pivotal moment of rapid growth, expanding mandates, and increasing expectations from member communities and external partners. CMM needed a five-year strategic plan that could guide this evolution without losing sight of Mi’kmaw values, community-driven priorities, and the need for organizational resilience in a changing policy and funding environment.

We designed a strategic planning process that was deeply participatory and culturally grounded. Working closely with CMM leadership, we engaged Board members, Elders, staff, and external stakeholders through key informant interviews, focus groups, online surveys, and collaborative workshops. These conversations explored community needs, organizational strengths and gaps, and emerging opportunities across CMM’s programs and services. We paid particular attention to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, demographic shifts in Mi’kmaw communities, and the evolving landscape of reconciliation, rights recognition, and Indigenous self-determination.

Alongside engagement, we carried out an organizational and strategic context assessment, reviewing existing plans, governance structures, partnerships, and risk factors. We incorporated scenario planning, strategic foresight, and best-practice case studies from other Indigenous organizations to test how CMM could remain effective and resilient under different future conditions.

The final deliverables included a clear, streamlined five-year strategic plan, a pocket summary for easy sharing, a customizable presentation for leadership, and a framework for annual monitoring, evaluation, and risk management. The plan is intentionally flexible, with built-in mechanisms for yearly review and adjustment.

Through this work, CMM now has an actionable, community-informed roadmap that aligns its growth with Mi’kmaw values, strengthens organizational capacity, and positions the organization to deepen its impact across its eight Mainland Mi’kmaw member communities over the next five years.