OUR COLLECTIVE PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

League of Conservation Voters: Chispa Community Organizing Initiatives (National)

Project: The GCG Collective partnered with the SVP, VP, and National Program Director to deepen and scale the impact of the Chispa program, a community organizing initiative of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) that envisions an inclusive and reflective democracy where Latine community voices are shaping environmental justice policies and practices

Process: We engaged in a robust stakeholder engagement and discovery process with Chispa leaders across state-based programs in NV, MD, CO, AZ, TX, and NY, along with national LCV staff, which informed a year-long engagement focused on strategy refinement and leadership development.

Result: We delivered a comprehensive suite of supports including: an organizing Theory of Change; research and analysis of like-minded civic organizations leading advocacy and organizing initiatives; two original case studies – one highlighting LCV New York’s Electric School Bus (ESB) Campaign and state-wide ESB coalition, and the other a grassroots Chispa-led Utility Accountability Campaign in Nevada; executive coaching; public narrative development and public speaking coaching; and a Chispa cohort framework and engagement model for ongoing community learning and leadership.

Commonwealth Corporation: Youth Workforce Development (MA, State-Wide)

Project: Statewide Stakeholder Assessment + Strategic Recommendations of the YouthWorks Program to Increase Program Scale and Deepen Impact

Process: We applied feedback from more than 100 stakeholders across Massachusetts, including young people participating in the program, to recommendations aimed at deepening and scaling impact across a $24M budget line, along with the consideration of $25M+ in additional ARPA funds.

Result: We delivered a stakeholder responsive strategic roadmap to meet a historic moment of increased investment in youth workforce development. Recommendations included: 1) Increasing connectivity, collaboration, and feedback loops with existing youth-facing programs and mission-focused industry partners in high demand fields; 2) Expanding program development pathways to include young adults between 18-25; and 3) Increasing mental health and well-being curriculum components and supports.

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with The GCG Collective! Their attention to detail, professionalism, and openness to feedback while working through the project as a team was a breath of fresh air. As someone new to the organization and program that GCG helped to evaluate, I learned a lot about the history of the program and the experiences of various constituents.”
– Director, Youth Employment, Curriculum and Trainings

Idaho Immunization Coalition + Catapulting Into Adulting (ID, State-Wide)

Insight-Based Approach to Student Health and Successful Futures To Motivate High School Students to Get Vaccinated Before College.

Granada Theatre Santa Barbara: Centennial Place-Based Approach to Audience and Philanthropic Engagement (Santa Barbara, CA)

Project: Develop and Leverage a Research-driven Centennial Year Vision, Place-Based Event and Audience Engagement Strategy.

Process: The GCG Collective developed primary and secondary research to 1) discover insights from centennial and 50-year engagement and event strategies recently implemented by historic venues; 2) identify successful community engagement frameworks; and 3) learn from cultural sector leaders. We applied our research to a robust set of recommendations to open pathways for raising The Granada’s visibility, philanthropic investment, and audience participation throughout the centennial year.

Result: Our research affirmed and strengthened a year-long mission-driven vision and celebratory event strategy that was enthusiastically endorsed by the board and organized around the community focused tagline: “This is Your Granada!”

“The GCG Collective’s energized partnership provided both shape and wings for The Granada Theatre’s year-long centennial celebration and three night community-centered launch. The depth and breadth of the secondary research pursued, coupled with insights uncovered through interviews with leadership at historic theatres that had successfully mounted milestone year engagements, legitimized our concept and resulted in enthusiastic endorsement by The Granada’s Board and Committee. We knew what we wanted to do, and GCG’s research helped it take flight!” – Vice President of Advancement

Confidential Well-Known Foundation (National)

Trust-Based and Participatory Philanthropy Research and Recommendations.

Calling All Crows: Virtual Campaign Development, Organizational Restructure, and Executive Search (National)

Project: A multi-year engagement tapping into Collective expertise to support virtual campaign development and engagement for the #HereForTheMusic Campaign to end sexual violence in the music industry, an organizational restructure and theory of change refresh post-Covid, and an Executive Director search.

Process:  Our work on the #HerefortheMusic campaign included: defining the online strategy, building a philanthropic case for support, platform and technology recommendations, interactive curriculum design and layout, beta testing, and evaluation measures. Additionally, we supported the co-founders through an organizational restructure, including guiding change management practices, developing a new organizational leadership structure, revising roles and responsibilities for increased impact and collaboration, creating pathways for new FTE and PT positions, and leading a successful executive search and hiring process.

Result: The #HerefortheMusic campaign, with the virtual training components supported by The Collective, were adopted as a core program of the organization, with scale significantly boosted across the music industry, and follow-on support and recognition from Spotify. A successful executive search and transition, along with a refreshed organizational structure, theory of change, and strategic direction has positioned CAC well for long-term sustainability and leadership in feminist movement building.

“The GCG Collective joined our work at a pivotal moment for our organization. Their professionalism, candor, broad thinking, and organizational prowess were priceless as we set forth in new form as a non-profit. At times, we had to tackle sensitive moments with our team during our restructuring process. GCG was able to balance that journey with a highly detailed and well informed plan for our future. Bringing GCG on was an absolute game changer for our work and set us in a new and exciting direction fueled by intentional planning and structure. Best investment our organization made in its 16 years.”— Sybil Urmston, Co-Founder of Calling All Crows

“The Collective provided an incredibly helpful structure to adapting our #HereForTheMusic training into a virtual learning experience. From choosing and navigating the learning platform, to refining content for an online learning context, to ensuring an excellent user experience, managing the beta testing, and so much more, The Collective helped create a powerful and professional training that we hope will be a push toward making the music industry safer.” – Executive Director, Calling All Crows

Reading Partners DC: Deepening Impact and Tri-State Program Expansion Research and Recommendations for High Touch Tutoring (Washington, DC + Regional)

Project: Guided the Executive Director and Board through a program review and organizational expansion discovery phase.

Process:  We developed and led an impact and expansion evaluative framework that incorporated a robust set of primary and secondary research, including board, staff, and partner engagement, and the discovery, consolidation, and analysis of complex data sets relevant to student success outcomes and demographics that had not been consolidated at the school and district level post-Covid.

Result: The Collective delivered an actionable plan and research report across five areas: 1) Program; 2) Need; 3) Philanthropic Considerations and Streams; 4) Volunteer Engagement; and 5) Partnership Engagement.  Board consensus was achieved to continue expansion exploration and pilot planning.