Data Solutions and Alignment for a Relationship-Driven Team

The Challenge:

In 2017, Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation was running multiple state / federal level grants worth several million dollars, which provided the primary funding for their programming. While staff members were accurately doing the work required in the grants, they struggled to find time and motivation to keep up to date on data collection, entry and reporting required for this funding and were at risk of losing it. 

Organization: Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation (Nonprofit and Social Enterprise)
Duration: May 2020 – May 2022 (24 months)

The Approach:

Using people-centered, Universal Design principles and applying Change Management and Agile Business practices to respond to emergency behaviors that risked key funding sources:

• Spent time with the team and understand their key goals and motivations in their work, which included relationship-building, personal growth, and community-driven work;
• Conducted a six-month Change Management weekly engagement and training curriculum to support the required behavior changes and the feelings associated with them;
• Built internal tools and systems alongside other team members to utilize in improving data management and reporting; and
• Modified Agile business principles to create a team-driven, friendly competition in which staff members, by successfully completing data input goals, got to “build their city” in an office wide Lego model that fit within their culture and “community and play”.

The Results:

• Change Management: All staff fully integrated concepts of Change Management to support both this process and future changes needed.
• Funding stability: Funding was stabilized once data reporting goals were met, and opportunities for future funding were once again plausible.
• National recognition: The organization used the project on national platforms as an example of combining company cultures of “community and play” with data-driven results.

One size does not fit all, especially when facing challenges. Organizations only grow their resilience when they combine healthy organizational culture with data-proven practices. 

Cassandra is a big picture thinker who strives to innovate for real solutions. She is eager to address social issues at their root, and utilize metrics and evidence-based models towards transformation and high performance. She is a strong leader who is confident in her voice. She is able to lead-up and positively influence at all angles. It has been one of my greatest pleasures to work alongside her. 

Shannon Bruin