"Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them. (William Arthur Ward)" The purpose of this article is to facilitate comprehension of key conceptual framework components of serendipitous educational planning using a practical example that was successfully implemented in 2015, replicated in 2016, and scheduled for 2017 at Niagara University in Western New York, USA. Serendipitous educational planning is based on the premise that individuals engaged in developing and implementing curriculum, programs, courses, and related educational activities need to have a "default planning paradigm" that they can readily apply if unexpected opportunities present themselves that are beneficial to the administration, faculty, and students of their respective organizations. The "default planning paradigm" henceforth known in this article as "serendipitous educational planning" implies a conceptual mindset that is always ready to efficiently and effectively incorporate new ideas from the ever-changing context into educational opportunities for faculty and students. This mindset is predicated on the Effective Change Zone (ECZ) conceptual framework that focuses on the human side of change and includes the following three key dimensions: organizational needs, social-professional needs, and personal needs.