Establishing Open Conversation
The nonprofit Dakota West Arts Council wanted to bring Bismarck-area artists and art organizations together to identify shared needs and issues.
The nonprofit also wanted to pinpoint ways these stakeholders could collaborate.
To achieve its goals, DWAC received a grant from the Consensus Council to host focus groups with artists and organizations. The funds stipulated an outside facilitator to oversee the discussions so stakeholders could speak freely.
Reach Partners was invited to step into that role.
“A DWAC staff member had participated in focus group work we did with another client, and she thought we would be a great fit,” Rachel said.
To begin, Reach Partners helped DWAC identify an approach to the project. It built a plan that documented the purpose of the focus groups, the organization’s values, a timeline, and details on how it would identify and communicate with stakeholders.
Reach Partners developed the facilitator guide and a plan for synthesizing the information gathered from the focus groups.
As the plan was formalized, it became apparent that DWAC’s budget wouldn’t accommodate Reach Partners to facilitate the focus groups.
But that didn’t mean Reach Partner’s role was done.
“We moved into a consultation role instead of an execution role,” Anita said.
Volunteers from DWAAC’s advisory team used the facilitator guide developed by Reach Partners to guide the conversations with artists and organizations. Notes were gathered and given to Reach Partners for synthesis and a final report.
Overall, DWAC held six focus groups – two online and four in person.
“They wanted to keep the conversations as neutral and open as possible, and we accomplished that in a way that worked for everyone,” Rachel said.
What we delivered:
The nonprofit also wanted to pinpoint ways these stakeholders could collaborate.
To achieve its goals, DWAC received a grant from the Consensus Council to host focus groups with artists and organizations. The funds stipulated an outside facilitator to oversee the discussions so stakeholders could speak freely.
Reach Partners was invited to step into that role.
“A DWAC staff member had participated in focus group work we did with another client, and she thought we would be a great fit,” Rachel said.
To begin, Reach Partners helped DWAC identify an approach to the project. It built a plan that documented the purpose of the focus groups, the organization’s values, a timeline, and details on how it would identify and communicate with stakeholders.
Reach Partners developed the facilitator guide and a plan for synthesizing the information gathered from the focus groups.
As the plan was formalized, it became apparent that DWAC’s budget wouldn’t accommodate Reach Partners to facilitate the focus groups.
But that didn’t mean Reach Partner’s role was done.
“We moved into a consultation role instead of an execution role,” Anita said.
Volunteers from DWAAC’s advisory team used the facilitator guide developed by Reach Partners to guide the conversations with artists and organizations. Notes were gathered and given to Reach Partners for synthesis and a final report.
Overall, DWAC held six focus groups – two online and four in person.
“They wanted to keep the conversations as neutral and open as possible, and we accomplished that in a way that worked for everyone,” Rachel said.
What we delivered:
- Project plan for establishing focus groups and timeline
- Facilitator guide
- Communication plan
- Final report with outcomes from focus groups