Not all organizations want or need change, but the companies we seek recognize that mission evolves because our worlds do.

These companies strive to stay keenly aware of how they function in those worlds, constantly questioning status quo and reevaluating the value they provide. They also emphasize and respond to the needs of artists, audiences, and constituents. Or they want to do these things and need a little help getting there.

Clarify mission to align with organizational purpose

Nonprofits realize their purpose through their programs and the actions of their people. Missions can be difficult for organizations to write without guidance that helps them align message with action. We work with organizations to create clear, active missions that define purpose, establish direction, and motivate staff, potential collaborators, and funders.

Research

My training as a dramaturg becomes most apparent in the way we emphasize the importance of research. Understanding organizational history identifies past patterns that could affect the navigating of change. Understanding the ecosystem where the organization functions produces critical knowledge of organizations with similar missions, their budgets, and their alliances. Are there a potential collaborators? Does the need for current mission still exist? And what are potential funding sources, individual and institutional, that can be cultivated? How does everything we discover impact the story of the organization?

Create systems that allow for greater efficiency

Out of necessity, many nonprofits build the plane while they’re flying it, focusing on mission rather than systems, and producing an environment that in all but the rarest exceptions can promote burnout and chaos. We work with nonprofits to develop systems that are user friendly across the organization, streamlining administration to free capacity and building on staff strengths to achieve both efficiency and a motivating work environment.

Identify and navigate change

Change is as constant as humans are change-averse, and because nonprofit staff tend to be overtaxed, they don’t always see change coming. We identify change, internal and external, and help navigate it by incorporating planning into daily workflow that can avert crisis and even uncover possibility.