The Ausherman Family Foundation, a leader in fostering community growth and philanthropy in Frederick County, called upon us to help engage diverse voices and develop inclusive, people-driven solutions to complex challenges facing their community.
While downtown businesses in Frederick, MD, were thriving, owners were concerned about their safety and that of their clients after an uptick in loitering and panhandling. This led to tensions between business owners and social service providers. The Ausherman Family Foundation, a longtime champion of the Frederick community, joined forces with the City of Frederick to engage residents in a humane and equitable process to secure the safety of all Frederick residents and visitors.
TCG's first step was to understand the various concerns from different parts of the community, and then use an upcoming public meeting to establish a judgment-free space where a diversity of voices and viewpoints were welcomed, especially those who had directly experienced homelessness.
Our first public meeting anchored on what community members had in common, focusing on creating a shared vision for Frederick. Then, we then partnered with the Foundation to launch the Downtown Safety and Services Initiative (DSSI), helping to create and advise a steering committee with subcommittees focused on various City priorities.
To prepare for the public meeting and subsequent committee meetings, the TCG team analyzed research that had been conducted on emerging economic and social trends and concerns, consulted with the mayor and community organizers, and promoted the events to reach a diverse audience, specifically aiming to engage those with lived experiences of homelessness in the City.
As with all of our projects, hearing from the people closest to the work is a critical step to truly understand the strengths, pain points, and opportunities to improve systems. In doing so, we captured a range of perspectives about how work is prioritized, delegated, and completed across the organization. This helped us identify areas of greatest alignment and misalignment across AIRA and among the team. We used a congruence framework to analyze our findings through a lens of alignment (or misalignment) between strategy, structure, work and people/culture. We then held deep dive conversations with leaders across the organization, digging into challenges and co-developing ideas for solutions and next steps.
We also mapped out their key partnerships. This helped us understand their impact on different communities and what made them truly special. By the end, our team had a crystal-clear picture of what Equal Measure did, who they worked with, and what everyone had to say.
From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.
As partners helping to establish a foundation for this Initiative, we advised local leadership and offered an unbiased, outside perspective and facilitation. We also created a set of tools that the steering committee and subcommittees used to continue their work, including:
By following this roadmap, we are confident that AIRA can position themselves for success and mature into their next phase as a larger organization.
From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.
The result was a clearer mission and theory of change and a new way of leveraging their influence in the space as evaluators, conveners, and agents of social change.
From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.
The result was a clearer mission and theory of change and a new way of leveraging their influence in the space as evaluators, conveners, and agents of social change.
From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.
We worked with Equal Measure to create a plan for growing in a healthy way. By looking closely at what they did best, we found new ways to partner with others and make even more of a difference. We knew a solid foundation was crucial for sustainable impact. So, we dug deeper than just partnerships. We identified key areas where staff needed to bolster their skills and become even more effective partners, facilitators, and changemakers.
Beyond talent development, The Collective Good also streamlined Equal Measure's internal processes, optimized business development and consulted on thought leadership content, and even revamped the team structure. This efficiency boost ensured they could handle growth without losing their laser focus on racial justice. The team is forging deeper connections, reaching more partners, and growing community engagement in ways that will change systems for good.
By drawing upon AIRA’s self-knowledge and deep commitment to its health-oriented mission, The Collective Good offered an analysis and set of recommendations that were actionable, goal-oriented, and truly aligned with the vision of its most valuable asset – its people.
The result was a clearer mission and theory of change and a new way of leveraging their influence in the space as evaluators, conveners, and agents of social change.
From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.
If you are in the business of social impact, your work is urgent.
Reignite your team, clarify your strategic path, and grow your collective impact.
The Collective Good is a strategy firm that helps leaders drive social change by cultivating collective insight and turning it into aligned action.
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