Groundwork

/ˈɡroun(d)ˌwərk/ :: noun :: 1. ​preliminary or basic work.

Groundwork Social Sector Consulting is an organizational development partner to nonprofits, public agencies, collective impact initiatives/networks, philanthropy, and other social sector actors. We are a boutique shop able to quickly plug in and flexibly tackle a wide array of projects. We are particularly focused on inclusive economic mobility, including whether and how systems are structured to reliably produce equitable economic opportunities and outcomes. In our view, those closest to a problem are best positioned to find the solution, and unlocking public resources is fundamental to building 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.
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Groundwork is well positioned to work in the following areas:​

Collective impact initiatives - by providing: (a) initiative design (including governance), and (b) backbone facilitation.

Nonprofit (and non-governmental) organizations - by providing: (a) program design and development support; (b) needs assessments, formative/feasibility evaluation, field testing, and evaluability assessments; (c) support for organizational learning initiatives; (d) market research; (e) partnership development; and (f) boards of directors training and facilitation.

Philanthropy - by providing: (a) field engagement; (b) placed-based inquiry and intelligence gathering (grounded research); and (c) funder collaborative facilitation, including strategy setting.

Public Institutions - by providing: (a) program design and development for economic mobility pathways; (b) needs assessments, formative/feasibility evaluation, field testing, and evaluability assessments; and (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.