The Quilt is the national association of regional IT collaboratives, including our clients OSHEAN, MAGPI and MCNC. 

The Quilt seeks to be a dynamic forum where leaders from throughout the advanced research and education network community build on the intellectual capital and best practices of network service providers worldwide.

In this project, The Quilt, wanted to move forward on several strategic and organizational fronts. The primary focus of this effort was to implement a strategic action plan to transition to organization from an interim executive director to a permanent hire. Our role was to facilitate, coach and help manage the process.

HELIN, a regional higher education library network, wanted to redesign its governance model and align its committees to the go-forward strategic priorities as outlined in its strategic plan. The project built a hybrid governance model drawn, in part, from these sources:
1. High Performing Governance by New Commons 
2. Board Policy Manual by Michigan Library Consortium
3. HELIN Strategic Plan Framework
4. Crafting a Charter to Help People Work in Groups by New Commons

New Commons was honored to have been selected to facilitate this crucially important project. The project included two initial phases with the third still under consideration.

Phase One involved a comprehensive process of multiple stakeholder meetings to develop core input. Foundational work completed at an earlier roundtable event identified four "acceleration initiatives" and New Commons organized and facilitated workshops for each. We also facilitated follow-up sessions that dug deep into areas of overlap, producing a set of "meta-projects" that are currently under way (comprehensive energy strategy, access to capital for green companies, workforce development).

Phase Two involved an extensive drafting and editing process to create the actual roadmap, both the summary version and the full, 20-page verion. This included a graphical layout with the addition of some images. 

Phase Three is currently evolving a network of partners to develop capabilities and take 'ownership' of specific projects.

In 1992, New Commons helped the Providence Foundation convene a series of workshops to create a vision of Providence in the year 2010. In 2009, Providence Foundation again convened a series of workshops to envision a future Providence. This time, the foundation invited young and emerging leaders to share their thoughts on what Providence could be in 2030.

Participants came from large and small businesses, non-profit and advocacy organizations, and from within city government. In late July, the emerging leaders presented their vision document to the Providence Foundation's Board of Directors. The vision was subsequently presented at Pecha Kucha Night: Providence. At present, the visioning process is in transition to become a network that can begin to implement some aspects of the vision. 

This is RI's largest and fastest growing comprehensive human service organization that responds creatively to the unmet needs of individuals, families, and the community by building partnerships that help people help themselves: Projects included strategic planning, coaching, team building, and organizational structure to the states.