Guiding a community dance nonprofit toward its future

Explore how service design helped the Cohesion Dance Project (CDP) redefine its mission and values, ensuring a vibrant and inclusive path forward.


Client: Cohesion Dance Project
A dance education and performance center, with community outreach for persons of all ages, abilities and incomes.

Sector: Nonprofit

Project Type: Consulting

Collaborators: Jane Smilie, Tanya Call, Brooks Robertson, Cohesion Board of Directors

Duration: 3 weeks planning, one-day retreat

Services:

  • Qualitative research

  • Workshop facilitation

  • Strategic planning

Overview

In the aftermath of the pandemic's challenges, The Cohesion Dance Project (CDP) faced an urgent need to realign its mission and goals to rekindle its vibrant community spirit.

The Cohesion Dance Project (CDP) held a retreat to establish a strategic framework for the next three years. As a researcher, facilitator, and designer, I guided the board through a series of creative activities aimed at revisiting CDP's mission, vision, and values. The retreat focused on addressing business concerns, ensuring inclusivity, and restoring joy post-pandemic, with the aim of revitalizing the organization's core principles and strategies.

Outcome

The retreat successfully refined CDP’s mission, vision, and values, developed a clear branding strategy, and outlined a strategic framework for the next three years. This framework emphasizes inclusivity, community connection, and organizational resilience, ensuring that CDP can continue to thrive and foster a sense of belonging and joy among its members and the broader community.

My service design approach provided a unique experience, guiding the CDP board through creative envisioning and practical planning. We developed a strategic framework that tackled key challenges, incorporated stakeholder insights, and set clear goals for growth and inclusivity, ensuring a strong foundation for CDP's future.

Process

During the retreat, we embarked on a transformative journey that reshaped the strategic framework for CDP. 

  • Led the "Radical Future Vision" activity, inviting participants to dream big and envision CDP in 2035 with limitless possibilities. Through creative sketching and lively discussions, we explored exciting growth and impact potentials.

  • Conducted the "Digging Deeper/Beyond the Buzz" activity, delving into the true meaning of "belonging" within CDP. We used rich insights from stakeholder surveys and focus groups to embed these values into our strategic plan.

  • Facilitated the "Pandemic Clarity" activity, providing a reflective space for recognizing personal and professional growth during the pandemic. Participants shared valuable insights and wisdom gained from navigating these challenging times.

This comprehensive process not only helped articulate a bold vision for CDP's future but also grounded the strategic framework in a deep understanding of inclusivity, community, and the lessons learned during challenging times.

Key Findings

  • Mission Clarity: Simplifying the mission aids in clear communication and broader community engagement.

  • Branding Focus: Emphasizing "Cohesion" strengthens the organization’s identity.

  • Inclusivity and Community: Ensuring everyone feels invited, involved, and has the opportunity to grow is crucial for CDP's success.

  • Resilience: Insights from the pandemic have reinforced the need for adaptability and resilience in strategic planning.

  • Partnerships: Maintaining openness to other organizations while fostering individual identities can enhance community cohesion and collaboration.

Participants engage in a reflective exercise during the Cohesion Dance Project retreat, exploring future visions and core values to guide the organization's next steps.

Key Outcomes

Through my role as a researcher, facilitator, and designer, the retreat positioned CDP for future growth and impact by encouraging creative thinking, deeper reflection, and a stronger sense of community and inclusivity.

  • Simplified Mission: Guided the board in refining the mission to emphasize uniting and enriching the community through dance.

  • Strengthened Branding: Suggested focusing on "Cohesion" over "CDP" to simplify and strengthen the brand.

  • Community Focus: Highlighted the importance of CDP’s role in fostering community connections beyond dance.

  • Inclusive Messaging: Assisted in developing taglines and messaging that reflect inclusivity and community growth.

  • Clarified Identity: Helped differentiate between Cohesion Dance Project and the physical center to avoid confusion.

  • Enhanced Partnerships: Encouraged fostering partnerships while allowing individual identities to thrive within the Cohesion framework.

  • Updated Values: Supported updating values to better resonate with the community, replacing growth with diversity and respect.

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