Case Studies
America’s Voice
Board Development and Succession Planning (2021-23), Strategic Planning (2018-19)
Background: Formed in 2008, America’s Voice began with the mission of enacting comprehensive immigration reform. Expecting this result in a matter of years, the organization operated with a short-term, campaign-style orientation.
Challenge: It had become clear that immigration reform would require a sustained commitment, so AV needed to position itself for a longer-term presence and organizational resilience.
Result: We helped America’s Voice set ambitious goals for advancing policy change and building a more sustainable organization. Then, we worked with the leadership to strengthen the board and otherwise prepare for the founder’s retirement and onboarding of a new leader.
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Strategic Planning (2021)
Background: Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) protects the rights of low-income people through the provision of free civil legal services.
Challenge: LSHV had grown significantly. It needed to strengthen its infrastructure, both for the current and expected volume of work. In addition, to have a greater impact—beyond service to individual clients—it needed to focus on systemic change.
Result: In a highly participatory process, we helped LSHV develop bold plans to proactively challenge systemic practices that harm its clients, work toward equity both within LSHV and without, and plan for thoughtful growth.
Open Society Foundations
Program Development (2018-19)
Background: OSF’s Global Drug Policy Program promotes drug policies that are rooted in human rights, sustainable development, social justice, and public health.
Challenge: As the largest funder of civil society groups advocating drug policy reform, OSF cannot do it alone. The foundation was looking to broaden support to the field from fellow foundations and new, individual donors.
Result: We identified opportunities for collaboration with a range of funders, from Silicon Valley investors to international grantmakers, and advised OSF on partnership development strategies.
Greenwich Historical Society
Strategic & Implementation Planning (2017, 2020, 2022)
Background: As a historic house museum, the Greenwich Historical Society tells the story of two periods in American history. Following reconstruction of its campus, the Historical Society has focused on drawing in new audiences.
Challenge: To maintain its relevance to the community, the Historical Society needed to do more to represent and attract a broader audience.
Result: In its most recent strategic planning process, we helped reorient the organization around the theme of telling a fuller history of the town and thereby representing, including and engaging the town’s many communities.