Collaboratory for Community Support

Current Projects

The Collaboratory is available to support communities, associations, government entities and foundations with a wide range of services:
from overview presentations to dynamic, solutions-focused consulting projects.

Recent Speaking Engagements on a diverse set of topics:

National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), Washington, DC. Closing remarks for the first national summit on Community Literacy: Why Community Literacy? Because that's where the solutions are!
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United Way of Canada - Centraide Canada National Conference, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Keynote speech and workshop on research and environment scan of best practices across North America focusing on how nonprofit organizations and communities are achieving lasting solutions through working differently.
Decatur Education Enterprise, Decatur, IL. Keynote address focusing on dramatically improving educational outcomes (K-12 and beyond) by connecting and aligning community resources and expectations across sectors.
Ontario Ministry of Health, Provincial Conference on Local Health Integration, Toronto, Canada. Keynote: Working Differently - The four key determinants to achieving lasting solutions at the community level.
Children's Treatment Network Symposium, York, Ontario, Canada and Southeast Region Ontario Collaborating Communities Conference, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Keynote and workshops focusing on how disparate community organizations, sectors and resources can coalesce around a shared aspiration and thereby align to achieve significant outcomes for their clients.
Squamscott Community Commons, Exeter, NH. Keynote and facilitation of a broad-based community dialogue (250 participants) focusing on the intentional use of shared-space to achieve community outcomes.
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Strengthening Volunteerism in Ontario, Toronto, Canada and the Nonprofit Center of New Hampshire, Dover, NH and the Halton Regional Government Nonprofit/Community Impact Conference, Halton, Ontario, Canada and the Comprehensive Community Initiatives Conference, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Keynote on the unique value-added contributions of the nonprofit/volunteer sector and how the sector can become more central to community change ranging from poverty reduction to educational attainment to economic development and from health outcomes to environmental sustainability.
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City of Ottawa and the United Way of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Keynote: Government and Philanthropy aligning efforts to achieve community solutions.
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OMMSA, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, Ontario, Canada. Keynote and workshop focusing on how provincial and municipal government leaders can better partner with nonprofits to better achieve comprehensive solutions.
Grand Victoria Foundation, Chicago, IL. Keynote at their conference for 18 emerging Illinois Community Foundations under their "Communityworks" initiative.
Nonprofit Centers Network Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Ministry of Children and Families, Provincial Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Success by Six, Regional Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Initiated as a joint effort of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the City of Hamilton. Keynote incorporated lessons learned on how communities can "work differently" to achieve meaningful change through broad based cross-sectoral collaboration.
Independent Sector Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
ARNOVA Annual Conference, Arlington, VA and Seattle, WA.
Nonprofit Leadership Institute: Building on Community Assessments, Ft. Worth, TX.
Net Impact "Leadership in Action" Conference, San Francisco, CA.
The Alliance Annual Executive Development Forum, Boston, MA and national conference in Washington, DC.
Indiana Governor's Conference on Volunteerism, Indianapolis, IN.
Affordable Housing Conference, East Lansing, MI.
City of Edmonton Community Services Department, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Hancock County Community Impact, Findlay, OH.
Collaborating for Success, San Francisco, CA.
Alliance for Nonprofit Capacity Builders, Washington, DC.
Council of Foundations, Miami, FL.
Houston Children and Family System, Houston, TX.
NorthWay Poverty Reduction Summit, Minneapolis, MN.
Indiana Association of Community Action Agencies, Indianapolis, IN.
Indiana Association of United Ways, Indianapolis, IN.
United Way of America Crossroads Conference, Columbus, OH.
Henry County Community Impact, New Castle, IN.
Elkhart County Community Impact, Elkhart, IN.
Southwest Indiana Community Impact, Evansville, IN.
Cambridge Community Impact, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
Wells County Community Impact, Bluffton, IN.
Community Literacy, Battle Creek, MI.
Canadian Grantmaker Tele-Conferences (Tamarack Foundation), Ontario, Canada.
Seacoast Chamber of Commerce, Portsmouth, NH.
CDC Delta Project workshop on Sexual and Domestic Violence, Okemos, MI.
Hunger Action Coalition, Detroit, MI.
Good Samaritan Ministries, Holland, MI.
Scott County Partnership, Scottsburg, IN.
LISC and Community Development, Detroit, MI.
Tarrant County Mental Health Council, Fort Worth, TX.
Community Museum ProSem, Ann Arbor, MI.

Board Development and Retreats:

Local Integrated Health Network, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada.
Decatur Education Enterprise, Decatur, IL.
Champlain LHIN, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Decatur Community Foundation, Decatur, IL.
Edmonton Community Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Hancock County United Way, Findlay, OH.
Ottawa United Way, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Windsor United Way, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Cambridge and North Dumfries United Way, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
Region of Peel United Way, Peel, Ontario, Canada.
South East Indiana United Way, Evansville, IN.
Seacoast United Way, Portsmouth, NH.
Capital Region United Way, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
York County United Way, Kennebunkport, ME.
Elkhart County United Way, Elkhart, IN.
NorthWay Community Board, Minneapolis, MN.
Washtenaw County Historic Commission, Ann Arbor, MI.
Washtenaw County Commissioners, Ann Arbor, MI.
Washtenaw County Communities of Interest, Ann Arbor, MI.
Scotts County Partnership, Scottsburg, IN.
Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts, Ann Arbor, MI.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force, Battle Creek, MI.

Comprehensive Projects:

Decatur Education Enterprise, Decatur, IL. With the Decatur Area Community Foundation and a Million Dollar Leaders Challenge Fundraising Campaign acting as catalyst, a cross-sector project was initiated to dramatically and concretely improve student outcomes (K-12 and beyond). Achieving this outcome is a core element for community and economic development. This 2006-2008 project included facilitating strategic review/revision and community engagement, as well as, drafting the Decatur Education Enterprise Project (DEEP) implementation plan. A key element of this plan was the means to attract "new" sustaining resources to this community aspiration. Over the first three years, the Leaders Challenge will be leveraged by bringing three new dollars for every original dollar invested.
Ontario Ministry of Health, Local Health Integration Networks, Ontario, Canada. The range of facilitation, training and writing for this on-going project initiated in 2006, spans the entire range of community change: aspiration-building; cross-stakeholder role-clarity; community engagement; governance design; Board retreats; research best practice; redesign data and accountability mechanisms; introduce formative and flexible evaluation techniques; conceptualize and design new methods of work for pre-existing collaborations and networks. All with the goal of transferring "ownership" for health to the community and not simply the service providers.
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United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries, together with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Cambridge Social Planning Council and Cambridge Volunteer Bureau, Ontario, Canada. This 2005-2006 project included facilitating strategic review/revision and community engagement utilizing the "Moving Forward Together" report. Made several community presentations to cross-sector participants regarding research and environment scan of best practices. Designed and facilitated cross-sector dialogue to achieve shared outcomes. Outlined and coached preparation of the Community Business Plan which brought sustainable funding to the effort.
Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction, Ontario, Canada. This project begun in 2005 was initiated as a joint effort of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the City of Hamilton. The project is incorporating lessons learned on how communities can "work differently" to achieve meaningful change through broad based cross-sectional collaboration.
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Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) of Detroit, Detroit, MI. Three year, $40 million, Strategic Investment Initiative. Prepared SIA Guidebook which is used to frame the initiative for prospective partners by means of a review/environmental scan of best practices, coached staff; presented to Detroit Community Development Corporations.
WK Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Battle Creek and Community Committee on Teenage Pregnancy, as well as, the Partnership for Community Literacy, Battle Creek, MI. This 2004 project included a research and environmental scan/analysis on best practices in community literacy (see the "Publications" section of this website) as well as community engagement and implementation facilitation.
City of Edmonton, Edmonton Community Foundation and the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, Alberta, Canada. Project develops consensus on how the sectors in Edmonton can "work differently" in order to achieve sustainable comprehensive solutions to a range of complex issues.
United Way of the Lower Mainland - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Assess/analyze strategic approach to community impact. Facililtate community presentations to introduce "working differently."
Southwestern Indiana Community Impact Partnership, Evansville, IN. Facilitated cross-sector design and ownership of comprehensive community impact infrastructure. Supported successful planning and implementation grant applications.
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National Institute for Literacy, Washington, DC. Charter member of the Steering Committee for Community Literacy.
NorthWay Community Trust, Minneapolis, MN. Facilitated a community process to design and own a community outcome infrastructure. Supported and drafted successful $10 million grant application.
Wells County Diversity Initiative, Bluffton, IN. Facilitated cross-sector design and ownership of comprehensive community diversity initiative. Supported successful planning and implementation grant applications.
The Collaboratory is partnering with Kellogg Foundation and the University of Michigan School of Social Work in the Global Program on Youth (GPY) initiative. GPY is establishing broad-based groups of scholars, policy makers, and service providers who are working together to address critical and timely issues related to children and youth.

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