Groundwork
/ˈɡroun(d)ˌwərk/ :: noun :: 1. preliminary or basic work.
We believe in people with wild ideas and fire in the belly. We want to know what you're dreaming of and trying to accomplish, and help you get there. We think the groundwork for big ideas begins with three simple questions:
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Do you have the relationships you need?
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Do you have the data you need?
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Do you have the capacity you need?
Groundwork Social Sector Consulting is a design & development partner to leaders, organizations, and initiatives seeking to move beyond well understood or status quo efforts. We are a boutique shop able to quickly plug in and flexibly tackle a wide array of projects for nonprofits, public agencies, collective impact initiatives, and philanthropy. While we are particularly focused on inclusive economic mobility, including whether and how systems are structured to reliably produce equitable economic opportunities and outcomes, we are excited by many types of projects. Let us tackle your market research, your partnership cultivation, your community needs assessment, your feasibility testing, your pilot design and development, and more. We have 35 years on-the-ground in Silicon Valley's social sector pushing at the cutting edge of what works for multiply-marginalized youth and young adults ready to deploy in service of your wild ideas.
Lastly, as a statement of values, we believe those closest to a problem are essential partners in crafting durable solutions. To this end, community inquiry and community design are essential approaches in many of our projects. We recognize that wisdom is equally distributed but not equally valued or explored. We know how to activate community wisdom through thoughtful techniques and careful attention.
Groundwork is well positioned to work in the following areas:
Collective impact initiatives - by providing:
(a) initiative design (including governance), and (b) backbone facilitation.
Nonprofits - by providing:
(a) program design and development support; (b) needs assessments, formative/feasibility evaluation, field testing, and evaluability assessments; (c) organizational culture development; (d) support for organizational learning initiatives; (e) market research; (f) partnership development; and (g) boards of directors training and facilitation.
Philanthropy - by providing:
(a) field engagement; (b) placed-based inquiry and intelligence gathering; and (c) funder collaborative facilitation.
Public Institutions - by providing:
(a) program design and development for economic mobility pathways; (b) needs assessments, formative/feasibility evaluation, field testing, and evaluability assessments; (c) support for organizational learning initiatives; (d) partnerships development, and (e) strategy and practice for authentic youth involvement/governance.
We aim to have fun doing important work with kind people. Curious? Let's talk. Click the button below to schedule an introductory conversation, or just email us directly.