Strengthening Collaboration and Leadership for PATCH’s Multi-Organizational Arts District
Client:
Paradise Arts, Theatre & Culture Hub (PATCH)
Challenge:
Aligning a Diverse 60-Member Board Across Multiple Organizations and Governments
Background:
Paradise Arts, Theatre & Culture Hub (PATCH) is an ambitious collaboration of four distinct arts-and-culture nonprofits and two special governments, working together to create an arts district in a community recovering from a major disaster. This multi-level project involves a six-member core board, each representing one of the participating entities, and an extended network of 60 board members across all organizations. The project launched mid-pandemic, a time of significant uncertainty, and initially, progress was steady due to strong cooperation and due diligence.
As the pandemic subsided, one of the organizations began showing signs of impatience, threatening the project's traction. This shift highlighted the need to realign expectations among all 60 board members and to establish clear, consistent communication and engagement strategies across the diverse organizations involved.
The Challenge:
Aligning 60 board members from six distinct organizations, each with its own culture and rate of turnover.
Navigating municipal budget uncertainties that affected the community’s stake in the project.
Maintaining momentum in a post-pandemic environment where one organization’s impatience threatened to derail progress.
Given the intricacy of the collaboration and the scale of the project, PATCH sought the expertise of Laura Cootsona, whose three decades of experience as a nonprofit consultant and her reputation as a compassionate galvanizer made her the ideal partner for this task.
The Solution:
To address these challenges, Laura designed an all-board summit, designed to reset expectations, enhance communication, and reinforce collaboration among the diverse board members. The six-hour workshop, led by Laura, focused on interactive, collaborative exercises that allowed the participants to do their own problem-solving while Laura expertly guided the process.
Key elements of the summit included:
Identifying Pressure Points: Laura quickly recognized the areas of tension and potential conflict within the group, addressing them head-on in a constructive manner.
Fostering a Safe Space: Laura created an environment where all voiced needs were recognized, all ideas respected, and challenges clearly identified.
Encouraging Open Dialogue: The workshop allowed for the exposure of group-think tendencies, gave space for contrarian views, and encouraged the emergence of a cross-organizational culture.
Building Trust and Mutual Ownership: Through the exercises, board members developed a stronger sense of trust in one another and a deeper commitment to the shared vision and values of the project.
The success of this initial summit led PATCH to engage Laura for additional workshops, including a second summit focused on surfacing shared values and applying them to every aspect of the project, from facility design to daily operations. Once again, Laura’s facilitation skills and deep experience shone through, leaving the board members with clearer expectations and renewed confidence in their progress.
Results:
Enhanced Board Alignment: The summits led to a stronger alignment among the 60 board members, despite the diverse cultures and varying levels of experience within the group.
Increased Trust and Collaboration: The workshops fostered a sense of mutual ownership of the project’s vision and values, leading to more effective collaboration.
Sustained Momentum: With Laura’s guidance, PATCH was able to regain and maintain momentum in their project, ensuring that all organizations remained engaged and committed to the shared goals.
David Leon Zink, Executive Director and Chair of PATCH, praised Laura’s impact:
