Whether you’re in the initial stages of trying to solve a wicked community problem, have a mature partnership that needs a refresh, or somewhere in between,
Noble Aim can help.
Getting Started
Assessing your community’s willingness & capacity for change
Before you can leverage the collective impact of stakeholders, it’s imperative that you assess your community’s readiness, willingness, and sense of urgency to move forward. Noble Aim can help identify the key individuals and organizations that should be involved, map out a process of engagement, and facilitate the important, early conversations.
Doing the necessary legwork up front will provide your community the information it needs to determine if the timing is right to pursue the change you want.
Setting the Foundation
Laying the building blocks for success
Accomplishing goals with long-lasting, historical impact begins with a rock-solid foundation. Noble Aim helps teams build consensus on their purpose, vision, mission, goals, and values while also developing a shared culture and identity where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We’ll work with you to develop Articles of Collaboration that not only solidify the rules and operating procedures of your partnership, but also provide guidance on the mutually agreed upon soft skills and ground rules necessary to build consensus, work through conflict, and engage in practical discussion.
Planning
Developing a strategic playbook
Systems-level change requires an understanding of the root causes of a problem and incorporating thoughtful strategies to address them. Challenging this process is the reality that some problems take a long time to impact at a systems level. As a result, it is easy for partnerships to become overwhelmed by the immensity of the problem and begin to focus on “low hanging fruit” and quick wins.
While quick wins often yield beneficial programs and provide a sense of accomplishment, they are typically short-term solutions. Noble Aim can help your partnership develop a strategic playbook that identifies quick wins, but more importantly, sets the stage to leverage them into big picture, systems-level change.
Doing the Work
Building the infrastructure to get things done
With a strategic playbook in hand, it’s time to get to work. Noble Aim has the experienced guidance to develop an infrastructure for your partnership that authentically and strategically engages stakeholders at every level. This infrastructure includes establishing working groups of stakeholders focused on specific elements of your plan.
Noble Aim can help each workgroup develop specific strategies and activities, as well as develop mechanisms and metrics for cross-communication, feedback, and evaluation. We’ll also work with you to make sure your progress is recognized, best practices are shared, and lessons learned are put to use to inform future efforts.
Maturity
Reflecting, retooling, & reimagining
Partnerships that have been around for a while face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. At this point, founding members may have moved on and stakeholder engagement may have dropped off, leaving staff members doing most of the work. Some partnerships accomplish their goals and must determine whether to disband or to institutionalize their effort to ensure sustainability of long-term systems-level change.
Noble Aim consultants have experienced all of the scenarios faced by mature partnerships and have the training to coach and facilitate a process that is most advantageous for your community.
Americans with Disabilities Act 25th anniversary celebration with Greenville CAN
Additional Services
Non-Profit Organization Support
Noble Aim also assists non-profit organizations with board development, strategic planning, change management, organizational development, team building, and evaluation.
Group facilitation is as much art as it is science. An effective facilitator can help groups work through decisions more effectively and produce better outcomes. Noble Aim consultants are exceptionally skilled at the art and science of group facilitation and are frequently called upon to help organizations work through tough issues, manage conflict, and authentically engage in challenging conversations.
Just as coalitions benefit from a shared identity, culture, and agreed upon norms of how individuals work together, so do individual organizations and their internal teams. Noble Aim helps teams build a positive, collaborative culture, producing an environment where team members perform at their best individually and collectively.
If it isn’t measured, it didn’t happen. Though it’s become a cliché, it still rings true. Noble Aim can help you determine which data points to track, how to track them, and how to present your progress with data. Armed with the right data, you can set goals and objectives and evaluate your progress along the way.
Trainings & Workshops
Noble Aim’s workshops are a great way to build your coalition or organization’s capacity.
Some of our workshops:
- Anticipating and Managing Change
- Skillful Discussion
- Conflict Management
- Taking a “Yes, And” approach to Collaboration
Workshops can be tailored to suit the nuances of your organization. Call us today to discuss your needs and see if your organization might benefit from one of our custom-designed workshops.
Speaking Engagements
Do you need a speaker to motivate and inspire your conference, training, or meeting? If so, Noble Aim can help.
Some of our most requested topics:
- 5 Common Blind Spots Coalitions Face
- A Systems Approach to Community Change
- Engaging Grassroots Leadership
- Our Common Ground – Lessons Learned While Riding a Bike
- Improving Equitable Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities
Asset Mapping
We can help you identify your community’s existing strengths and resources, enabling you to build upon those assets. Asset mapping helps you “see” your strengths so that you can avoid duplication of efforts, engage critical stakeholders, and begin with a solid vantage point.
Project Management
Your project is purpose-driven and results-oriented. But to ultimately achieve the desired results, your processes must be clearly defined and managed. Noble Aim can help you develop effective processes to maximize resources and achieve the desired results.
Conflict Management
Sometimes partners working toward the same end don’t agree on the pathway and may find themselves at an impasse that can slow or even halt progress. Noble Aim works with conflicting parties to identify a path forward together. Through dialogue, we develop a common understanding of the real issues at hand so that all parties can identify solutions and chart a new way forward.
Change Management
Any project that involves people can flounder when the complexities of human behavior aren’t prioritized. Projects that leverage committed leadership and solid change management techniques will help all stakeholders see the forest through the trees, so that appropriate attitudes and actions are taken toward making change. With a clear change management plan in place, your project has its greatest chance of full implementation.
Research & Evaluation
To get to the heart of a wicked problem, a solid understanding of reliable, valid data is necessary. Noble Aim can help your group locate and sift through existing data to inform your project. We can also help build your data collection capacity by designing quantitative and qualitative methods for data capture, allowing you to measure effectiveness and tell your coalition’s story. Noble Aim has expertise in focus group and interview facilitation, case study development, survey development and evaluation, data collection and reporting, and writing for publication. By sharing lessons learned, your coalition can add to the body of knowledge and become thought leaders in your area of influence.
Community Conversations
Good conversations aren’t always easy, but they are often necessary to break down barriers and create a sense of community among diverse groups. We understand the importance of listening to understand differing viewpoints and can support your community in the process of learning to listen and respond respectfully, so that common ground can be found.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Above all, people want to be treated with fairness and respect. Through Noble Aim’s expert resources, we can work with you to teach basic and complex DEI principles and incorporate them into your organizational outcomes.
How We Work
In-person or virtually, Noble Aim has the flexibility to provide the highest quality guidance no matter what the circumstances or location. For teams that are spread across multiple locations, we have experienced IT resources capable of delivering a seamless experience to all participants. In fact, most of the work we perform is through a combination of face-to-face and virtual interactions.
Contact NAC to see how we can help your coalition produce powerful achievements for the good of the community.
Communities often face complex issues that can only be addressed when individuals and organizations work together toward a shared vision. Yet, managing the unique personalities and priorities of stakeholders can sideline your coalition’s ability to produce systemic change. Drawing on 30 years of experience, Noble Aim facilitates an engaging process that provides the clarity and confidence you need to reach unprecedented outcomes. Don’t settle for small advancements.
