Our Work
Here are some common areas of work we have supported
Organizations Focused on Training and Educational Efforts
We have supported many organizations that offer adult education and training services, as well as organizations that focus on early education support services. We bring a nuanced understanding of the complexities of running an organization that offers training services, from the need to build out apprentice trainer programming to the continuing education that may be required for course grads. We have supported these organizations by facilitating organizational planning and infrastructure buildout for training programs, and we have also offered facilitation training to help these organizations design more participatory training environments.
Example partners:
Organizations Focused on Racial Equity/ AntiRacism Efforts
We have worked with many organizations who are working through very specific Anti-Racism and Equity Frameworks. We bring a strong racial equity lens to all the work we do and want to support and partner with others who do the same. Our facilitation methods are based on decentralized decision-making and inclusive participation, which are often required values to partner with folks doing the work to dismantle white supremacy culture. We have supported these organizations through strategic planning and organizational operations improvement.
Example partners:
Environmental or Sustainability-Focused Organizations
Our team has years of experience in environmental organizing work and brings an intersectional perspective to those working on community sustainability efforts. We share deep values around stewardship and supporting local efforts with these groups. We have supported organizations in this sector through participatory planning, board development, program creation, and implementation support.
Example partners:
Arts Organizations
We love the arts, and we love to support others who do, too! Arts-facing organizations require group spaces that allow for creativity and imagination and incorporate different learning styles and modalities. We have supported these organizations on community engagement and participatory design.
Example partners:
Coalition and Network Building + Collaborative Efforts
We have years of experience in supporting mission, value, or geographically aligned networks in collectively planning, building out their infrastructure, and jump starting collaborative efforts.
We have studied and researched the functions and life cycle of networks and are able to help our partners design and build out their network or coalition infrastructure to support generative and effective outcomes. We have supported organizations throughout various stages of a network: as a concept, ad-hoc networks, semi-formalized stages with working groups, deep and active working groups or communities of practice, and networks in transition or re-maneuvering their scope.
Example partners:
Trust-Based Philanthropic Organizations
As more and more philanthropic organizations are moving towards trust-based philanthropy and collaborative grantmaking, we are able to support their efforts. We have helped philanthropic organizations co-create grantmaking guidelines and applications with those who would likely be applying and work collectively with other philanthropic organizations to determine best ways to offer collective sectoral support.
Example partners:
Participatory Community Planning
We have supported many different communities in comprehensive community planning efforts. We have facilitated community planning in each phase of the planning process: education, scanning, planning (visioning, blocks, strategies), implementation, and evaluation. We have also supported community planning efforts by training community partners in participatory facilitation, by supporting the formation of steering committees composed of diverse stakeholders that shepard the planning forward, and by facilitating community engagement meetings.
Example partners:
Community Engagement
We have supported engaging communities high touch (e.g., totally co-designing and creating parameters around developments, projects or programs) to low touch (e.g., input and feedback to developments projects and programs already underway.) Every community is different, and each has its own unique histories and cultures that must be honored and respected in the engagement process. We work with our organizational and community partners to help create transparent and inclusive engagement processes that are accountable to community residents and stakeholders.
Example partners:
Government Entities
We are familiar with the challenges local government agencies often face, such as challenges of limited budgets, large scopes of work, and siloed work environments. We have worked with local government organizations both internally within their departments and externally with communities and organizations. We have supported departmental culture change efforts, community roll-out efforts, staff development days, and more.
Example partners:
Policymaking and Collaborative Governance Organizations
We have worked with organizations that aim to create more inclusive and just local, state, and federal policies as they worked towards creating alignment on policy or issue area prioritization and on key elements and features they aimed to collectively change. These groups often require consensus building with key stakeholders and alignment around strategy moving forward.
Example partners:
Supporting Learning Communities
With years of experience as members and as network backbone support, we understand what is necessary to launch and sustain learning communities. We support our partners in cultivating an environment that is co-designed and guided by members and where members lead and learn from each other. Learning communities can take whatever form best serves a group, including short-term intensives and long-term communities of practice.
Example partners:
Connect with us
Contact us to learn how we can help your community, organization, or project achieve success through participatory engagement and collective decision-making.
