Envisioning Success while
Building Community
The Minneapolis Jewish community had been wrestling with the need to rethink its grantmaking for over a decade. After several failed attempts that resulted in a loss of trust across 14 grantee organizations and dozens of donors, I came in to design and drive a new robust process for practical decision-making and action. ​
Due to the complex history of the challenge, I knew that a success process must be saturated with active participation and co-creation by a highly-diverse range of community members.
Variables affecting design
Designing a local process was easy. Designing a process that would garner the buy-in and commitment required for real-world success was hard. I knew I had to pay close attention to the human variables that would create success or failure:
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Key stakeholders were anxious about yet another wasted effort
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Fear of financial risk was an active barrier to progress
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Community planning is, by nature, complex, but stakeholders wanted a simple solution
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The community was accustomed to planning from a scarcity mindset; we needed to change the culture to an abundance mindset
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The numbers behind the fundraising, grants, and impact had to be believable
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There was no way to completely remove all the unknowns; but stakeholders had anxiety about uncertainty
What Participants Said
Robin was an excellent facilitator, helping frame the conversation for participants, yet allowing them to reach their own conclusions. Equally important, she created a welcoming and accepting atmosphere where participants could openly discuss challenges and search for real solutions.