With Jill Pfeiffer, Executive Director at Briarpatch. It’s been great to work with Jill and her awesome team.
Over the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to work with several nonprofits that are at pivotal moments in their growth. The common thread has been helping leaders listen carefully to their stakeholders, identify what matters most, and turn that information into practical strategies.
Here are a few highlights:
WayForward Resources
Staff at WayForward Resources shared their thoughts about the increase in need for food and housing services in the last few years.
Through guest surveys, volunteer focus groups, and staff conversations, we’re building a comprehensive picture of how the organization will need to pivot in the coming years to address the incredible demand for their food security and housing stability work. Their services have increased more than three times over the last five years! It is a great honor to work with an organization with such a strong commitment to building a culture of caring and compassion among its guests, volunteers, staff, and board.
Spotlight on Briarpatch Youth Services
Staff and board worked on revisions to the mission statement for Briarpatch Youth Services.
Our collaboration with Briarpatch Youth Services reached a significant milestone this month with our interactive staff/board retreat. This session represented months of collaborative work as our planning team designed a process that engaged youth, parents and caregivers, staff, board members, community partners, and longtime supporters. Through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and facilitated conversations, we gathered hundreds of perspectives about Briarpatch’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities.
Board and staff explored what is working well, where barriers exist, and where the organization has the greatest opportunity to grow. Now, we’ve started working on creating tangible, achievable strategic initiatives that everyone can support and move forward for stronger impact.
The result is a stronger sense of shared ownership for the plan that will guide Briarpatch over the coming years.
Board retreat for bigger engagement
With the Briarpatch team at our retreat. Thanks very much to TruStage for hosting us!
I’ve just started planning a board retreat with a great organization who is looking forward to increasing its board’s impact, moving toward becoming stronger ambassadors, advocates, and partners in organizational sustainability.
Launching a fundraising plan to address federal funding cuts
Staff and board members had great conversations about how to support youth and families at Briarpatch Youth Services.
As federal funding cuts hit home with nonprofits, I’ve helped develop donor engagement strategies to fill the gap and preserve programs and services.
The thread that ties all of these projects together is simple: active commitment and deep listening leads to greater impact.
My role is to listen to a variety of stakeholders, facilitate productive conversations, and identify clear priorities and practical next steps. For clients, the result is a roadmap leaders can use to build stronger organizations, engage stakeholders with confidence, and make decisions based on real-world feedback.
If your organization is preparing for a strategic plan, considering a capital campaign, strengthening board engagement, or simply trying to better understand what your stakeholders are telling you, I’d love to have a conversation about how we can work together.