Strategic planning answers the question where do we want to go and how do we want to get there for your organization. Note I emphasized the “we” because this is a decision-making process that the entire leadership of an organization needs to make together. This process can vary in length and intensity. As a consultant and facilitator, I really enjoy working with the leadership of organizations to make these key decisions to chart an organization’s future. These decisions often include:

Mission: Describes what the organization will do, who it will do it for and how it will achieve the vision. Your mission guides your work. Usually a mission is one to three sentences. (click "read more" below to read rest of post)

Guest Blog Post from Aurisha Smolarski, Ron Milam Consulting’s newest Associate specializing in Mediation

Are you tired of those same tensions playing out at every meeting? Is your organization or board loosing momentum? Unresolved tension between co-workers, board members or board and staff gets in the way of productive meetings, wastes valuable time and energy and creates unpleasant office environments. These tensions often come from stress, misunderstanding, lack of communication or follow up, differences of perspectives, changes in leadership, and/or interpersonal resentments. Oftentimes when Ron facilitates retreats, some tension arises between participants. In his role as a facilitator, Ron can manage any conflict that arises within a group but in order to truly transform the conflict, Ron recommends the parties in conflict work to resolve their differences outside of a retreat during a mediation session. Click the "Read more" link below to view the rest of this post...

(I'm having some fun with Kevin from the LA Poverty Dept. during a strategic planning retreat I facilitated with their leadership)

Since launching my own consulting practice in 2005, I have served 70 organizations. Through my work I interact with passionate leaders working on a variety of issues throughout Southern California. Here's a list of all of the great organizations I have worked with (and here's a link to another blog post I wrote mapping my clients in Southern California). Click the "Read more" link below to see Ron's list of clients.

Way back in 1997, before I launched the LA County Bicycle Coalition, I helped create another social change initiative. It had a manifesto. It had a global network of supporters. It had t-shirts. And now, it has a webpage! With a goal of restoring our oceans and usining some humor along the way, we named this organization People Opposed to Offshore Pollution, otherwise known as POOP. I invite you to check out the website. If you like what you see, I encourage you to support the cause by wearing a POOP t-shirt. Enjoy!

I recently created a facebook page for my consulting practice and invite you to check it out. I uploaded a bunch of photos from various rereats I facilitated and like how they are all in one place. In the future, I will share best practices I learn of, reflect on my own practice, ask questions and celebrate the work of the fantastic organizations I get to work with. I like the ease of which information and conversation can be shared on the site (much better than this website!). If you like what you see, I encourage you to press the "like" button. Feel free to also post questions on my wall or share your work with me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Earlier this year, I blogged about the potential benefits of cars that drive themeselves. I just expanded upon that idea with my submission to the LA/2B engagement project that the City of Los Angeles just launched. I encourage you learn more about this concept and if you like the idea, "second it". I also encourage you to submit you own ideas. This whole process looks like a good example of how social media can support a public engagement process. 

 

I'm facilitating the third public workshop for the Park to Playa Trail Feasibility Study on November 2nd and I invite you to join us. I'm thrilled to be a part of this project that has explored the possibility of creating one trail with so many fantastic scenic vistas connecting the various parks in Baldwin Hills and eventually out to the sea via Ballona Creek. Here's the link to the full meeting flyer. Thanks to Alta Planning and Design who brought me on to facilitate these meetings along with the MRCA and Baldwin Hills Conservancy who are both key partners in this process. 

 

This Saturday, Public Matters will host a Market Makeovers Grand Reopening at the YASH La Casa Market at 3968 Hammel St. in East Los Angeles. I invite you to attend. I'm part of the Public Matters team and am excited about the approach Market Makeovers take to reimagine corner stores into selling healthy food instead of junk fook. For more info on the program, check out the Market Makeovers website. 

I recently facilitated my 14^th Winning Campaigns training for the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking in my hometown of Los Angeles. This fast-paced, interactive training focused on developing a strategy to win a local campaign. I’m thrilled with how the movement for livable streets has grown in Southern California and that so many dynamic leaders have emerged to work on these issues. I’m especially excited that the LA County Bicycle Coalition has taken a leadership role in supporting local affiliates. Check out this great blog post the LACBC wrote on the training. If you’re interested in attending a future Winning Campaigns training, meet me in South Carolina for the next one coming up soon (November 4-6). If you can’t make that one, the Alliance recently released the training dates and locations for 2012.

I recently co-facilitated a retreat for THE Impact Project with Michele Prichard of the Liberty Hill Foundation. “The Trade, Health & Environment Impact Project is a community-academic partnership focused on reducing the impacts of international trade on health and community life.” Over the course of a day, we prioritized the core areas for this innovative partnership to focus on as it moves forward. We succeeded in part because of our co-facilitation. Prior to the retreat, we worked collaboratively to develop an agenda that would help the group reach its goals. During the retreat, we led different portions that helped break up the day. When one of us led, the other took notes. We also split the group up and facilitated simultaneously, allowing the group to accomplish more in less time. For me, I really enjoyed working with Michele and look forward to future co-facilitation opportunities. 

 

I recently led a 1 1/2 hour training on teamwork for staff from Boys and Girls Clubs throughout Southern California. After facilitating a dialog about best practices, challenges and potential solutions for building strong teams, we practiced some team building of our own (with balloons!). We had a lot of fun with the "Boys and Girls Club Soul Train" (pictured above) where the 20+ participants had to work as team to stay together and keep the balloons from dropping to the ground. Afterwards, we had a great discussion about team building and how to take best practices back to their own work environments. Thanks to the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership for asking me to lead this workshop. If there any organizations out there that would like their own customized team work trainings (with or without balloons), please contact me. Thanks. 

I submitted an Entry for KCET's Power of Place Map Your LA Contest. "This contest, like the original, developed into a visual conversation about Los Angeles County as a home and addressed social issues important to the participating cartographer." I really like all of the maps they selected as finalists and encourage you to vote for your favorite by October 25th. While my map didn't make the finals, here's a link to the full map. I mapped out some of my favorite places to enjoy a scenic vista in Los Angeles. In addition to varous mountains, there's some great viewing opportunities from various parking lots and freeway interchanges. Enjoy the view!

At the last CicLAvia, I ran into my friends Will Wright and Sara Daleidan on Spring St., between 4th and 5th St. (pictured above). For five minutes we got off our bikes and all marveled how much we enjoyed CicLAvia. As we chatted, I realized how wonderful it felt to chat with friends in the middle of the street as people whizzed by us on bicycle. We noticed the beautiful architecture, commented on all the smiles we saw and appreciated the peaceful yet highly energizing atmosphere on the streets of Los Angeles. 

When my friend Sara (who I have had the joy of participating with as part of the LA Urban Rangers) asked me if I wanted to collaborate with her to lead some walking tours at the upcoming CicLAvia on October 9^th, I said absolutely!

After brainstorming with Sara, I’m going to lead walking tours on the very same section of Spring Street, between 1^st and 7^th Street. Look for a group people on a temporarily expanded "sidewalk" in the street on this section of CicLAvia exploring the urban landscape. At each block, we’ll focus on a different aspect of what makes a street livable, experience the environment using our different senses and engage in some fun activities. If you’re riding by and see us, I encourage you to take a break from cycling and join us for a block or so to experience CicLAvia on two feet. In addition to me, there will be many other awesome walks like this at the upcoming CicLAvia. Enjoy!

 

A few years back, I learned about an urban planning student that asked the following question on a map I picked up: 

“Please use this map as a way share your thoughts about the future of the Los Angeles River’s Eastside. You may draw pictures, write words, or use any combination of these to show your personal and cultural vision for the River.”

I happily filled out a map and mailed it in to him. Here's a link to the full map I submitted along with more information about this project. This turned out to be one piece of John Arroyo's thesis project for his graduate degree in planning: CULTURE IN CONCRETE: Art and the Re-imagination of the Los Angeles River as Civic Space. I'm very impressed with John's thesis and greatly appreciate its scope and content.

A few months back, when I helped create a series of events in Downtown Los Angeles with the LA Urban Rangers, I met John Arroyo for the first time. He actively participated in each of the three events the Rangers hosted. Through the process, I got to know John. John is passionate about LA, extremely knowledgable about its history and engaged with so many leaders & institutions working to transform Los Angeles into a more sustainable city. I always appreciate it when smart, talented and passionate people return to Los Angeles, and am especially thrilled that John returned to LA.

I recently facilitated a dialog between public health officials, city planners and public works engineers about the soon to be released Model Design Manual for Living Streets. After a short overview by Ryan Snyder, who coordinated the whole project of creating the manual, I led a conversation that gaged from participants what parts of the manual they found most useful and how they might implement portions of it. It led to interesting conversations about how to change the culture of public agencies to transition from designing streets primarily for the car to roads that accomidate all users including people on bike, walking, transit, etc. The beautiful thing about this manual is that cities can cut and paste portions from this manual and incorporate it to help shape streets in their own cities. I’m optimistic that this manual will be a great resource to cities around the country and help them make the transition to livable streets. To learn more, check out the Living Streets Manual website, a LAStreetsblog article and/or attend the public launch for the manual at the MTA Board Room on October 6^th at 6:30pm.

The East LA Netsquared Group invited me to present at their Sept. 27th meeting and I invite you to attend. Below is the talk description and more info on the Netsquared Community.
 
How to Facilitate Nonprofit Boards to Engage with Innovative Social Technologies
Learn about various decisions a board makes such as undertaking a strategic planning process and discuss ways in which to insert technology into the discussion. You’ll also explore various low-tech methods to engage Boards of Directors such as putting an issue on the board agenda, allowing for time for discussion during a board meeting, working to build consensus and ultimately making a decision. Practice what you learn during a mock meeting that Ron Milam will facilitate followed by a group discussion.

Every month, the NetSquared community comes together offline at events to mix, swap stories and ideas, build new relationships, and collaborate. These gatherings provide a chance for all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change, whether you're part of a nonprofit organization or a for-profit organization, a funder or a consultant, a developer or an entrepreneur. Subscribe to our email newsletter here: http://bit.ly/N2LAemail

To RSVP, check out the Facebook page for this event. 

 
I recently had the privilege to facilitate and participate in Liberty Hill's Wally Marks Leadership Institute for Change's Convening. The photo above is my view surrounded by inspiring, grassroots leaders working on social change throughout Los Angeles. A leader from each organization shared the story of how they became an organizer. They also shared how their organiation grew over the last seven months as a result of the three-day training they attended, coaching they received throughout the process and peer convenings. Pictured giving his presentation is Zach Hoover, Executive Director of LA Voice, the organization I coached for the last seven months. Zach celebrated the organization's first ever house party hosted by a board member that brought in 15 new donors to the organization and raised nearly $5,000. I'm thrilled to have played a role in making this year's Leadership Institute a success. I appreciate Liberty Hill's investment in its own grantees by developing a dyanmic learning environment that also builds a stronger movement for social change here in Los Angeles.  

What could you imagine along the LA River? This is the question I asked at least 50 people at the recent "Let's Talk River" fundraiser for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, a fantastic new organization charged with promoting responsible development, redevelopment, and revitalization of properties along the LA River corridor in accordance with the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan. Some shared their responses with me and I drew them while others happily took a marker and began drawing their own ideas. After an hour, we collected an inspiring set of ideas on a 25 foot long piece of paper, including a campsite, concert bowl, river rapids, farmers market, volunteer clean-ups, public access, bike sharing, a vertical farm on the old city jail, boat house, wine bar and so much more! This poster generated lots of conversation, ideas and networking. It also served as a great space to listen to people's good ideas. I really enjoyed this opportunity to serve as a visual facilitator and would encourage organizations to use this method to engage their constituencies in their work. To learn more about the LA River Revitalization Coporation, share your ideas for the River and/or volunteer, check out LARRC's website.

Here's a detail from the drawing (stitching together three different photos):

 

As a facilitator, I think about how I present information that groups generate when I work with them. More and more, I'm working to use alternatives to simple brainstorm lists. While using a list is a good way to generate ideas, 10 pages of lists posted to the walls can feel overwhelming. In the photo above, I use a simple grid on the left hand side illustrating different opportunities for a start-up organization I'm consulting for. The middle two pages use a mandala model, which illutstrate more complex ideas and their relationships to another. On the far right side, I created a more complex decision-making grid for the group to evaluate and rank various projects based on critieria they established. Above the decision-making matrix, I generated the categories based on a brainstorm group members wrote on post-it notes. On all of these pages, I'm also scribing various shapes and colors that convey/highlight various ideas generated. Using these various visual tools, the organization's leadership made a big decision related to its priorities in a very short amount of time. 

Earlier this year, when Glen Dake of GDML, a landscape architecture firm, asked me if I wanted to research community gardens in LA County, I said “definitely!” I first met Glen nearly a decade ago when he worked for Councilmember Garcetti. Since then, I worked more closely with Glen because he served on the LA Neighborhood Land Trust Board along with the Steering Committee of the Green LA Coalition, two consulting clients of mine.

The goal of this report is to present detailed information about community gardens in Los Angeles County and their provisions for 0 to 5 year-old children. In addition, this report aims to understand challenges community gardens face and explore opportunities to make community gardens more accessible for children ages 0 to 5.

For this project, we developed a phone survey and I called 80 community gardens. I reached 38 gardens and their responses form the core of the report’s findings. In addition to gathering facts for this report, I also heard numerous stories about children ages 0 to 5 in community gardens. This process gave me an even greater appreciation for the value community gardens bring to communities.

For anyone interested in community gardens, here is a link to the Los Angeles Community Garden Council, an organization working to connect people with community gardens in their community. 

I remember first hearing the term sustainability while a student at the University of Oregon in 1994. I directed my urban planning studies towards the implementation of sustainable practices and have actively worked to make the vision of a sustainable Los Angeles reality every since I returned here in 1997.

Over the last 16 years, I have watched the term sustainability migrate from the margins into the mainstream of society. I have also witnessed numerous organizations emerge to work on this issue. Over the last six years, I’m proud to have consulted for a wide variety of these organizations that play a key role in transforming LA into a sustainable city with alternative transportation, parks, community gardens, affordable housing, revitalized rivers and so much more. 

Here is what I have learned: meaningful change transitioning LA towards sustainability is made by effective organizations. Effective organizations start with strong leadership. The leadership needs to achieve consensus on where they will collectively focus the organization’s energy. They need to use their time wisely in meetings and make decisions. They need to follow through on their commitments.

Successful organizations are intentional about building their own capacity. They recognize the value of having an outside facilitator work with their leadership to develop a retreat agenda and then facilitate the meeting. They support their leaders with training and coaching. They invest in building their own organization in the areas of fundraising, board development and strategic planning.

While there seems to be general agreement that this type of capacity building work should occur, too often organizations fail to prioritize this work or lack the resources to implement it. Yet, when organizations to invest in this work in my experience, it leads to improved results. The good news is that it doesn’t cost that much to invest in this sort of work (most of my facilitation, training and coaching projects with clients designed to enhance their organization’s effectiveness fall between $1,000 and $10,000).

If you’re affiliated with an organization working on sustainability (whether as staff, a board member, volunteer or donor), I encourage you to assess your organization. Is it as effective as it can be? Are there any issues or challenges holding it back? Are you achieving the results you want at the pace you need them to occur? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then I encourage you to contact me so we can discuss ways in which I might be able to support your work. 

Last month, I co-wrote an article on the subject of planning successful retreats. Over the course of the next couple of months, I want to write a follow up article that focusses on the retreat itself and ways in which to make it memorable, transformative and valuable. 

I'm guessing many of you have spent time participating in a retreat. I would love to hear elements of retreats you attended that made a positive impact for you and/or your group? Was it informal time around a campfire? An innovative problem-solving technique? A fun ice-breaker? A beautiful setting? Delicious food? An afternoon break? Play? Singing? Story-telling? Visualizing information? Post-it notes?

Whatever it was, I would love to hear from you in the comments section below (which I know is a little clunky so I appreciate you bearing with me). Thanks!

With summer in full swing, it’s time for me to host another happy hour and reconnect with many of you in person. Have you all been to the new Angel City Brewery in the Arts District in Downtown? It’s a great place to grab a pint of locally brewed ale, some sausage from the grill and discuss how to transform Los Angeles into a more livable city. Because the Angel City space is big, I really encourage you to invite your friends.  Here's the details and a link to the facebook page:

Where: Angel City Brewing, Downtown Arts District - 216 S. Alameda (near 2nd St.) 
When: August 12th, starting at 5:30 and likely going until at least 8:30
Why: Reconnect with old friends and meet new people
Who: Creative, passionate and interesting people that care about transforming LA into a more sustainable city

A week before my happy hour on August 4^th, I also invite you to join me and theLA Urban Rangers for our LA River Ramble (part two of a three part series with MOCA). We’ll be leaving from the Geffen Contemporary Trailhead at MOCA so if you drop by you can also check out the amazing Art in the Streets Exhibit. I will be stationed under the 6th St. Bridge. 

Having served as the Executive Director for the LA County Bicycle Coalition, I learned a great deal about what it takes to lead an organization. For the last eight years since I left the Bike Coalition, I have further developed my own skills in fundraising, board development, strategic planning, facilitation and leadership development. One area of my consulting practice that gives me great fulfillment is serving as a coach for Executive Directors.

I work to provide my coaching clients a safe space for them to reflect on the challenges they face, set goals and support them as they work to implement solutions. The results of coaching for my clients include greater confidence, increased effectiveness, better understanding and renewed passion.

Because Executive Directors spend so much time in the office and in front of their computer, I encourage my coaching clients to spend their coaching time with me outside, especially since the weather in LA is great year-round. I also find that people are more mentally alert when they engage in some sort of physical activity while meeting with their coach, instead of just sitting down.

So if you’re interested building your capacity as a leader and want a coach, here is where I propose we go:

-Surfing: Whether you’re a pro or a novice, spending time in the Pacific refreshes your spirit and helps clear your head. You’ll learn about patience and the art of being present in addition to chatting about whatever challenges you face as a leader.

-Biking: One of my favorite places to ride with clients is Griffith Park. There’s a lovely car-free loop with spectacular views of the city below. You get a great workout while also discussing whatever challenges you face. You also get a great perspective on putting your challenges in a larger context when you’re looking down at the city below.

-Hiking/Walking: Griffith Park also has an extensive network of dirt fire-roads that wind through the beautiful terrain while also giving two people the space to walk side by side and enjoy a conversation with each other. 

Just the simple act of leaving your office and getting away from all of the distractions makes a big difference. Combine that with some physical activity and a coach who has experienced the challenges your facing first hand will help you take your leadership to the next level. 

If you’re interested in discussing this further, please contact me at (323) 793-0591. Thanks.

Outside of Consulting, I have served as an LA Urban Ranger for the last four years. Mostly, I led Public Beach Safaris in Malibu. Now, as part of MOCA’s Engagement series, the LA Urban Rangers will explore Downtown Los Angeles on July 7^th, August 4th and September 1st (each night from 7pm to 10pm). On August 4th, I will be stationed under the 6th St. Bridge at the LA River, a truly sublime spot in Los Angeles. I invite you to attend. 

(Bike Kitchen 2008 Retreat at Farmlab...breaking out into small groups under the Spring. St. Bridge)

Over the years, I have facilitated numerous retreats and meetings at locations around Los Angeles. Ideally, you want to “get away” for a retreat.  But sometimes, given time and travel restraints, groups need to meet within the city. I have facilitated retreats at the following locations in LA and would recommend them all. I would love to hear any additional suggestions you have for good retreat locations, either within Los Angeles or the nearby vicinity.

Angels Gate Cultural Center: This beautiful site overlooks the Pacific Ocean in San Pedro. They have 4 different rooms available for nonprofits ranging in price from $18-$35/hour. 

Audubon Center at Debs Park:  There’s two meeting rooms that can fit 10-20 people. Located in Debs Park, there’s a trail that starts just feet from the meeting room.

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook:  There’s an room inside as well as an indoor/outdoor room. Right outside the window are stunning views of Los Angeles.

California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities:  There’s multiple meeting rooms available to health-oriented organizations.  There’s also a great plaza and a delicious cafeteria with affordable, healthy food. In order to use the space (for free), you need to be a health-oriented organization.
  
Farmlab:  There’s an indoor and outdoor space in this industrial landscape bordering the LA river and just a couple hundred feed from the LA State Historical Park. The group I facilitated knew someone who worked at here so I’m not sure if it’s open for general retreats.

LA Eco-Village: There’s a spacious courtyard garden and an upstairs room to use in this transit-accessible Koreatown neighborhood.  The community reviews requests to use the space at their weekly meetings, and usually need to be sponsored by a community member.  

Mercado la Paloma: Just east of USC is Mercado Paloma which has a nice sized meeting form for rent that can comfortably hold 15 people. The best thing is right outside of your door is a thriving marketplace with delicious lunch options for your group to enjoy.

Outpost for Contemporary Art:  This is a small storefront space that can hold up to around 10 people for a meeting.  The group I facilitated knew someone who worked at here so I’m not sure if it’s open for general retreats.

In addition to these, I received several suggestions from friends that include: 

Atwater Crossing: This innovative space brings together a wide spectrum of people, institutions and organizations. It also has a conference room, tasty restaurant, shaded outdoor spaces and a bar.  

Doheny Ranch in Franklin Canyon Park: (suggested by @neighbor2neighbor on Twitter) "The middle of the city, yet tranquil”.

Kings Road Park in West Hollywood: (suggested by Ramon Mendez) “in the city, but miles away in a park setting".

La Casita Del Arroyo in Pasadena: (suggested by Kathy Perez) “Nice, good space with a kitchen.  Great views of the Arroyo.”

LA River Center and Gardens:  (suggested by Chris Tucker) This beautiful site adjacent to downtown LA and close the LA River provides an oasis of gardens and fountains.  Apparently, rooms are free for nonprofits

reDiscover Center: This creative space in Culver City has a good meeting room along with a giant back section filled with ingredients to help any group add some creativity to their discussions. 

Sierra Club Lodges:  (suggested by Matt Cooper) I walked by one of their Ski Hut Lodge during a recent hike up to Mt. Baldy.  This rustic lodge requires a hike of a few miles, but you’re rewarded with stunning views and a remote location.

The Factory in the Arts District: (suggested by Ryan Lehman) “cool potential spot in the Arts District...not sure how the space is set-up, but perhaps you could collaborate with them.”

Miguel Luna and David Pulsipher also suggested Audubon at Debs Park. 

I encourage you to always check with your own organization's leadership - someone might have a nice space they may want to host a retreat in or they may someone who might also have a great space to use. Tap into your networks. 

Over the last six years, I have planned and facilitated numerous retreats for a multitude of organizations. Through this work, I have learned some best practices that I’m pleased to share with you.  With my Associate Meg Wade, we put together this 13-page “How-to” guide for planning a retreat. For any of you planning a retreat, we hope this will give you some helpful tips to make your retreat a success. If you need any assistance at all with planning or facilitating an upcoming retreat for your organization, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I recently spent 10 days in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories with my girlfriend Jennie.  Together, we sampled the local food, visited modern and historical sites, engaged in conversation with the locals, appreciated the history of the region, experienced some of the tension and finally found inspiration from several people and organizations working for change.

In Amman, Jordan, we experienced a city that has exploded in population over the last 50 years (many refugees from the nearby Palestinian territories). I enjoyed hearing the prayers played on the sound system of the mosques. While some women walked fully covered with only their eyes visible, many others walked the same street in western clothing. It seemed to be a tolerant culture in transition. One local organization we visited was called Wild Jordan, which sponsored a lively street fair full of locally produced crafts. The organization also worked on multiple projects to support environmental sustainability. We also enjoyed the hospitality of a family we knew there that treated us to delicious kebab BBQ, hummus and other tasty treats. 

In Israel, we walked the old City and marveled at the close geographic proximity between some of the most holy sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I appreciated the layers of history and also enjoyed walking around the New City with its vibrant public markets and pedestrianized streets. I learned about an initiative called Shatil, which sponsors a wide variety of capacity building work for social-change oriented nonprofit organizations.

We then spent two days in the West Bank, spending one night at a refugee camp in Bethlehem and other night with a family in a nearby village. I was saddened by the nine-meter tall wall that locked down the Palestinian Community, but found some hope in the graffiti on it, including an inspiring piece by Banksy (see above). We toured the town of Hebron, which has had extreme amounts of tension between local Palestinians and Jewish settlers. We walked through multiple checkpoints, including one where I had to walk past a soldier with a gun pointed in my direction. The tension, hostility and physical separation of communities saddened me. But later that night, I found inspiration as we joined the AFL Peaceteam for dinner, a rugby team made up of both Israelis and Palestinians, sponsored by several peace related organizations.

One thing that stuck with me was the how close everything was to each other. The distance from Jerusalem to Amman is less than from Santa Monica to Riverside (yet they are separated by a boarder that takes hours to get through). The distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is less than from Hollywood to Downtown LA (yet, most Palestinian residents of Bethlehem are not allowed in Jerusalem without going through a lengthy permitting process). 

Altogether, the trip left me with more questions than answers. Even though so many barriers and scars exist, I’m optimistic that innovative solutions exist to nurture and sustain peace. From here on out, I look forward to following this region of the world even more closely and hope to have opportunities to contribute to building those bridges towards peace. 

I recently facilitated a very productive retreat with the Hollywood Community Studio, a fantastic organization working to engage communities in issues related to urban planning. One question that came up for the group, which comes up for many organizations, is what should the geographic scope of the organization be? Just Hollywood? North East LA where they recently secured a grant? Other communities?

Rather than talk about where they focus their work in the abstract, I drew a map of Los Angeles County on a large piece of brown paper.  I oriented the group to the map (with its mountains, waves and buildings for various communities).  I then gave each participant in the group a different colored marker and asked them to circle on the map where they thought the organization should work. For five minutes, they circled places on the map and when they finished, we reviewed the results together.

Based on the visuals we saw on the map, I could tell the group already reached consensus. Within five minutes of discussion, the group prioritized its geographic focus and we moved on to the next topic. Without the map, I’m guessing this conversation would have taken at least an hour if we just talked about it. But with the visuals of the map, we could quickly see the areas that multiple people shaded.

After the retreat, they asked if they could keep the map and post it in their office. I said absolutely! So if you want to see this map in person, check out the Hollywood Community Studio. Enjoy!

I’m happy to celebrate my sixth year as a Consultant. The milestone for me with six years is that it is the longest job I have ever had, longer than the five years I served as Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition from 1998 to 2003. One common theme emerges for me during my tenure both at the LA County Bicycle Coalition and with my consulting practice: leadership development.  

While at the LA County Bicycle Coalition, I prioritized leadership development with my staff, board and volunteers. I recruited volunteers, trained them, gave them the space to lead, supported them and thanked them for their work. Eight years after I left the organization, I’m thrilled that the LACBC has grown with a dedicated staff, board and volunteer base (check out their new website to learn more and consider becoming a member and/or donor like me).

Since I launched my consulting practice in 2005, I’m proud to report I have served 52 organizations like the LACBC. I have facilitated their retreats, led trainings on a variety of topics and coached numerous leaders. I help groups and leaders figure out where they want to go and how they want to get there. I support them to develop plans to make their dreams reality. I love it working with a diversity of leaders working on a variety of related issues.

Organizations I have consulted for have created parks, community gardens, bicycle lanes, community film centers, restored watersheds, community bike repair spaces, clean ports, leadership development programs, protections for birds, sustainable communities, community on Skid Row, museum education programs, alternative transit, civic engagement, cooperative economies, land trusts, Bikestations, affordable housing, social movements, progressive schools, social services and more! All of this collectively has helped build a more livable, sustainable Los Angeles and Southern California.

To all of my existing clients, thank you for bringing me on and for all of your work. To all of my associates, friends and family, thanks for all of your support. To celebrate my sixth year of consulting, please join me at my next happy hour on June 14th. 

I have raised over $3.5 million working for numerous organizations through major donor visits, grant writing, appeal letters, events and contracts.  As a consultant, I provide the following services related to fundraising:

• Assessment: Analyze client’s fundraising strengths and areas of possible improvement
• Research: Develop a list of appropriate funders for a client to solicit
• Fund Development Plan: Work with client’s leadership to develop a strategy to raise funds
• Coaching:  Build the fundraising capacity of the client’s leadership
• Board Engagement: Enhance the board’s engagement with fundraising
• Training: Lead a customized fundraising training tailored to the client’s needs
• Grant Writing: Review and/or develop new grant proposals

I'm hosting another happy hour on June 14th and I invite you to attend. As usual, I expect a good mix of folks to attend. My friend Maureen who works for ALOUD suggested I pair my happy hour up with one of their Central Library events. After looking at their schedule full of great speakers, the panel they're hosting on media, arts and activism in LA looked the most interesting to me. 

We'll first meet for a Happy Hour at Public School 612 in Downtown LA from 5pm to 7pm and then we'll break for the panel just before 7pm. Here's the link for more info on the panel (make sure your rsvp beforehand to ensure you have a space). After the panel around 8:15pm, we'll head back over to Public School 612 and debrief over some quality California ales. Here's a link to the facebook invite I created for the event if you want to rsvp.  

 
I recently facilitated a one-day planning retreat with the leadership of Clifford Beers Housing, a group working to develop supportive housing in Southern California. One of the outcomes of the retreat was reaching consensus on the organization’s long-term goals. We accomplished this goal by using gallery walks, one of the suggestions from my 10 Alternatives to Large Group Discussion blog post.

Gallery Walks help a group work on developing specific language on several different topics simultaneously. It's a great method to use when you need a group to decide multiple goals simultaneously. It engages more people in refining goals than a larger group conversation would and it also gives more introverted participants in a meeting the opportunity to shape a group decisions. 

Here’s how we did it.

After prioritizing a list of four general goal areas, I asked participants to pick one of the four goal areas to develop further. Based on people’s preferences, I split the large group into smaller groups of two to three. I asked each group to further discuss and refine each of the goals so that they were clear, measurable and specific. I gave each of the groups 15 minutes to develop a draft goals statement. Each group had a sheet of poster paper taped to a wall that they could write their notes on using markers I gave them.

After 15 minutes, I asked each of the groups to walk clockwise and review the draft goal developed by the group to their right. For five minutes, folks for Group A reviewed the draft goals of Group B and wrote suggestions up on the poster paper for members of group B to later review (Group B reviewed Group C, Group C reviewed Group D). After five minutes, I asked groups to move clockwise again and take another five minutes to review the next group. So this time, members from group A reviewed comments from Group C. Five minutes later, we did one more rotation allowing members of Group A to review the draft goals developed by Group D.

After 15 minutes of these gallery walks, each of the groups returned to their own draft goals and reviewed the comments from all of the other members of the group. I gave the small groups another 15 minutes to further refine their goals.

After this, we came back together as a large group and because of the gallery walks, the detailed goals were 90% complete.  As a large group, we made some minor variations and achieved consensus on the specific language for each of the goals! 

I recently blogged about the 50+ clients I have served since I launched my consulting practice in 2005. In that post, I listed all of these organizations.

A list is one way to show information; a map is another. 

Since I’m a big fan of maps and was curious to visualize the geographic impact of my consulting work and network of relationships I have cultivated, I created the map above showing the clients I have served in Southern California. Note that most are a short bike ride away from where I live in Echo Park, clustered around Downtown Los Angeles (see detailed section of map below).  The other two clusters are in Long Beach and the Westside. 

I’m pleased to serve so many organizations and with each project, I gain a new perspective of the region I work in, live in and love: Southern California.  

One reason why people don’t like meetings is because they usually take only one form – large group discussion – that can have several regular drawbacks. Often it can allow one person to dominate the entire meeting space, or it can just lead to physical and mental restlessness with all participants sitting and not able to participate at their fullest capacity. Yet there are lots of easy, fun alternatives to large group discussion that we don't think to use. Effective meetings often have a combination of group work/discussion along with some combination of some of the following group discussion alternatives, all of which can facilitate higher levels of participation, deeper levels of engagement and greater clarity:

1. Small Group Work: Splitting a large group into smaller groups allows the group to work on several tasks at once.  For example, if the large group prioritized three goals to work on, you could split the large group into three small groups and ask each to develop objectives to achieve the goal.

2. One-on-One Conversations:  Sometimes an issue is so heated that everyone has something to say something about it. Asking a large group to pair off gives all participants an ample amount of time to share their views and listen to the views from someone else.

3. Gallery Walks: A large group can split up into smaller groups and rotate to different parts of the room to review information put up on a poster paper.  At each site, the small group reads what is on the paper and adds its own comments to it.

4. Individual Reflection: A portion of a meeting can be used to ask participants to take a few minutes to write down their own views on a piece of paper. This is often a good strategy to use  as part of a brainstorming session, with people writing their ideas down on post-it notes that then get reviewed by the whole group.

5. Role-Plays: To gain a deeper understanding of the issues a group is discussing, participants can participate in a role-play to personally experience two different sides of an issue.

6. Go-Round:  Another strategy during discussion of a hot-topic is to give everyone an opportunity to comment on the issue being discussed.  Depending on the size of the group, you may want to set a time limit for each person’s contribution to the go round.

7. World Café:  Small groups form around tables where people have the opportunity to discuss an issue and write down their thoughts for others to later review. After discussing for a set period (20-30 minutes), the groups split up and move to new tables, allowing for quick cross-pollination of ideas.

8. Fishbowl: This method has two to six meeting participants dialog with each other to discuss/debate an issue in greater detail while the rest of the participants view it from the outside. This can help give participants a new perspective on the topic.

9. Walking meetings: This is a variation of the small group work method, in which groups both walk and discuss at the same time.  This activity is good for items needing further discussion as opposed to decisions that need to get made.

10. Draw Pictures: Giving participants the opportunity to draw images related to the discussion topic, whether it's done individually on a piece of paper or together on a giant piece of poster paper hung on the wall gives participants the opportunity to visualize the issues under discussion. Having people draw their vision of what the future looks like is usually a fun activity, and aids participants in thinking differently about issues in order to come up with creative solutions.

Special Note: If you decide to introduce any of the above suggestions, taking the time after the activity occurs to debrief is a good idea because these various small group activities usually generate a lot of ideas, thoughts and feelings. Bring the group back together and ask questions like, what did you learn? Or, you could have groups briefly report back on the work they generated in small groups and solicit feedback from the larger group. Make sure, as you carry out these variations on your typical large-group discussion, to tie the content and ideas that come up back into your decision-making process.

I’m pleased to report I’m now a “Certified Professional Facilitator” by the International Association of Facilitators.  Here’s more information about the program:

“The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) has met the need for standards in facilitator certification. In 1990, an international team of IAF members identified the core competencies required to facilitate group interaction. This team's efforts resulted in the IAF competency model and assessment process.

The assessment process is based on rigorous peer review of knowledge, experience and demonstration of skills. The IAF Certified™ Professional Facilitator designation indicates attainment of these core competencies. The professional facilitator designation offers clients an assurance that those who are certified are qualified to design and provide basic group facilitation services.”

Here’s a section from the application I submitted to become a CPF which shares how I demonstrated the core competencies for facilitation with a client:

“From the start, I worked to create a collaborative client relationship. We reached agreement on our respective roles and responsibilities, along with my rate. We designed a retreat that would meet the organization’s goals based on their needs. I developed a detailed agenda, facilitated the entire day in a way that led towards effective group decision-making and allocated time at the end of the day for participant evaluation.

I worked hard from beginning to end to create and sustain a participatory environment. I affirmed the diversity of their group throughout the process and welcomed all of their ideas. I planned a group process designed to foster open participation from the diverse set of personalities that made up the organization’s board. I was already aware of the organization’s culture and could relate to it because I share many of the same values and had facilitated numerous similar organizations.

I dedicated myself to guiding the group in the direction of useful outcomes. I worked hard to guide the process so they reached useful outcomes. I laid out the process at the start and stayed with it throughout the retreat, ultimately reaching consensus on their vision, strategies and goals.

Reflecting in greater detail about this retreat and connecting it to IAF’s Core Facilitator Competencies has enhanced my potential for building professional knowledge and a wider range of skills. Over the last year, I have dedicated myself to building my own knowledge and experience by reading even more books and constantly reflecting on my practice. Attending the IAF Conference in Denver and applying to become a professionally certified facilitator is a natural follow up to this dedication. I will continue to model a positive professional attitude. I appreciate the role that this application is playing in building my own capacity as a professional facilitator. Thanks.”

I’m excited to earn the designation of a “Certified Professional Facilitato’r and look forward to serving many more groups as a facilitator. 

In an ongoing effort to work on my own professional development, I recently attended the International Association of Facilitator’s North American Conference in Denver Colorado.  Over the course of three days, I met facilitators from around the world and also learned numerous best practices at a variety of workshops. 

I met folks who had facilitated for the United Nations, for nonprofits and for various companies.  I had long conversations with folks about building consensus, listening, facilitating internationally, diversity awareness and growing a consulting practice. I also ran into my colleague Beatrice Briggs who I met several years ago when she facilitated a meeting for the Global Eco-Village Network in LA.  Last year, I sat in on her “Leading Meetings” training and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about facilitation.  Her company, the International Institute for Facilitation and Change, also has a great resources page on facilitation. 

I sat in on several sessions in the “Visual Meetings” track and learned a number of methods to introduce visuals into meetings.  I attended a Strategic Planning session to learn some more best practices that I could apply with the various clients I’m currently facilitating a strategic planning process for (LA Poverty Dept., Clifford Beers Housing and Museum Educators of Southern California).  I also attended a workshop that gave me lots of tips to protect my own voice, something I need to be mindful of as I facilitate more trainings and meetings. 

I also participated in a day-long session to become a Professionally Certified Facilitator, where not only was I tested for my own understanding of core competencies required for facilitation, but I also participated in sessions facilitated by other experienced facilitators and I learned from them.

Altogether, I learned a lot and look forward to bring many of the best practices I learned back to the various clients I serve here in Southern California. 

I recently facilitated a planning meeting with the Museum Educators of Southern California (MESC) Board of Directors. Over the course of 2 ½ hours, we prioritized three primary goals and objectives for the organization to focus on over the next two to five years that will strengthen the organization. The photo above is the group using post-it notes to generate and categorize possible ideas for goals to focus on. 

Since we had a large meeting room space, I did something I have never done before. Rather than have each person go around the table to introduce themselves and the museum they’re affiliated with, I asked them all to stand up and move to the center of the room. We figured out which way north was and I asked them to create a map of the region representing where they came from. Folks talked with each other and quickly figured out where they worked in relationship to each other. I can still visualize where folks where stood – from east to west it was Coachella Valley, City of Industry, Pasadena, LA and Santa Monica.  To the north we had Santa Barbara and to the south Orange County.  It immediately gave me a sense for who was in the room and it also served as a fun introduction activity.  It also gave us a sense for how folks came to get to the Skirball Cultural Center where we met. Finally, it helped me understand the geographical diversity of this organization. I would recommend this activity which could be modified to also show where people live, where people were born, etc.

Two other notes related to this meeting.  First, I biked to the meeting with my easel, poster paper and markers all the way from Echo Park along Mulholland Highway, the longest I think I have ever ridden to facilitate a meeting. Second, I want to thank Steven Bowers, one of my Associates, for joining me at the meeting and typing up the notes during the meeting and for snapping some photos, including the one above. 

I recently presented a three-hour “Fundraising Fundamentals” and a 1 1/2 Board Development training at the new Flintridge Center location in Pasadena. The training took place inside of their main library which includes numerous books on building stronger nonprofit organizations and computer terminals to access several funder databases.

During the training, I pointed out the section in the library that pertained to fundraising and participants checked it out during one of the breaks. One book in particular that I noticed and liked was called “Friendraising” by Hildy Gottlieb, which contains very practical strategies for Board members to share their passion for their organizations with people.  For any board member wanting to learn more about fundraising, I recommend they read this book. It book lists a variety of practical and easy ways to make friends for your organization, ranging from having a meal with a friend to hosting a house-party to simple networking at events.  I like the premise of the book that that more friends an organization can have, the better.  Ideally, friends become donors to your organization but even if they stay as non-donors, they are still of value to your organization. The more people that know and appreciate your organization’s work, the better. This book helps reframe “fundraising” to “friendraising”.  So often board members avoid “fundraising” because they equate it to the potentially uncomfortable task of asking for money.  “Friendraising” is more about sharing your passion for your organization, and being thoughtful about how you do it.  When a board member finds out how easy and fun it is to engage “friendraising”, I’m guessing they won’t want to stop.

I also asked Victor from the Library to summarize the various databases they have on their computer terminals, which included the FC search (that contains info on foundations) to Wealth Engine, which gives more info on individual donors. After the training, two participants wound up spending at least a half-hour going through these resources. 

This is all to say that presenting in a library setting enhanced the learning experience.  I look forward to leading two more trainings at Flintridge later this Year (Fundraising Fundamentals 9/14, Board Fundraising 10/13).

 
I'm excited to facilitate the upcoming second workshop for the Park to Playa Trail Feasibility Study on May 3rd.  For anyone interested in helping shape an urban trail in the Baldwin Hills area, I invite you to attend this meeting. For more info, check out the Baldwin Hills Conservancy website. I'm working with Alta Planning and Design on this project and impressed with all of their work putting together this study. Here's a link to a blog post I wrote on the first public workshop I facilitated.

(The following post appears on the Southern California Leadership Network's newly launched Issues forum)
This Sunday April 10^th, the City of Los Angeles will host its second CicLAvia. Last October, 100,000 people participated the first CicLAvia, giving all of them an experience that just may inspire a more sustainable approach to land use, transportation and housing in Southern California.

CicLAvia transforms our streets usually full of traffic into thriving, public places where people participate in active, healthy physical and social activities. It creatively uses resources we already have (streets) and gives a whole new meaning to how we use them. It also presents a vision of what a more bicycle-friendly Los Angeles could look like.

When we think of land use, transportation and housing, it’s important to recognize the role that bicycling can play in helping Southern California transition into a more sustainable, multi-modal transportation systems. The environmental, social, economic and health benefits of bicycling are numerous. The challenge is incorporating bicycling into Southern California’s larger transportation system.

In 1998, a small group of us launched the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Since then, the movement to create a more bicycle-friendly county has grown tremendously. Here’s a sampling of some of the leadership that’s developed over the last 13 years:

--Advocacy organizations such as the LA County Bicycle Coalition have campaigned for Sharrows, Bike Boulevards, worked to implement a new Bike Plan and ensure the broader 30/10 plan allocates Measure R funds funding for bicycling projects. 

--Community bike repair spaces such as Bike Kitchen, Bike Oven, Bicrowave have provided a space for people to repair their own bikes and build community. 

--An explosion of social rides with five to ten to choose from daily listed on the Midnight Ridazz site have given people the opportunity to experience the city in a dramatically different way.

--Educational organizations such as CICLE have supported rides designed to build people’s confidence to bike on city streets.

--Events like the LA Street Summit, Art Cycle, the Bike Film Festival and CicLAvia have helped build a broader movement for bicycling  

--Blogs like LA Streetsblog have served as a resource for people to stay connected to bicycling related issues.

--There are plenty of other people and organizations also working for a more bike friendly LA and I'm grateful for their efforts.

Together, this movement has dramatically increased the number of people bicycling in Los Angeles. That said, the majority of trips in Los Angeles continue to be made by car. I’m hopeful that people connected to the Southern California Leadership Network consider how they might be able to support this growing movement towards a more bicycle-friendly Los Angeles. That could start by participating in one of the upcoming CicLAvia on April 10^th, July 10th or October 9^th. Thanks and enjoy your ride. 

 
Sara Daleiden and Jamie Crooke practice Being Pedestrian in South Park

I invite you to join me and some very special guests at my next Happy Hour on April 6th, from 5:30pm to at least 9pm.  My friends Sara Deleidan and Sara Wookey created a thought-provoking and body-moving art project called Being Pedestrian. Click the flyer below for more details. Here's a link to the facebook invite I sent out.  

Here's some blog posts sharing stories from some of the retreats I facilitated: 
LA Poverty Department
Echo Park Time Bank
Beverly Vermont Community Land Trust
Green LA Coalition
Public Matters
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
Alliance for Biking and Walking
LA Urban Rangers (pictured above)

This year, I'm pleased to serve as the lead trainer and coach for the Liberty Hill Foundation's Wally Marks Leadership Institute Board Development Track. From March 24th to 26th, I led a three day Board Development training focusing on how to engage a Board of Directors in the fundraising process. 

Staff and Board from four organizations attended this training, along with three other coaches in addition to me. We covered six important steps to move a board towards fundraising and also reviewed five fundraising policies in detail. What made the training truly engaging besides the multiple exercises and role-playing I led, was the amount of time each group spent with their coaches to take the best practices they learned and apply them to their own organization.

Through this process, each organization developed three to five specific goals they want to work on that will lead to processes that ultimately strengthen their Boards and organization. Each coach will meet regularly over the next six months to support these organizations as they move forward. 

One reason why I loved leading this training so much is because it combined the three things I love doing for nonprofits into one event: training, facilitation and coaching.  As a trainer, I presented on best practices.  As a facilitator, I led several different discussions where mutual learning took place. As a coach, I listened closely to the leadership of one of the organizations and supported them as they developed a strategy for moving forward.

I’m most impressed with Liberty Hill’s Commitment to its grantees through this comprehensive leadership development program and encourage any social-change oriented organization in Los Angeles to check them out. 

More and more, I’m leading customized trainings for the leadership of nonprofit organizations. Recently, I led an interactive training for an innovative transnational human rights organization – Centro Derechos de los Migrante as part of a board retreat they hosted in Los Angeles.

Having quickly grown from an idea with seed funding from the Echoing Green Foundation into a thriving organization with offices both in the United States and Mexico, they’re dedicated to improving the working conditions of migrant workers in the United States. 

Yet given the scope of the issues they work on, this organization could quadruple in size and still have plenty of work to do which is why they brought me in to lead this three hour training designed to help them and their board develop the skills and tools needed to ensure organizational sustainability.

As always, my trainings give participants the opportunity to practice and then space to reflect together as a group (pictured above). Board members and staff had the opportunity put theory into action, then learn from each other and learn some best practices. This group had one of the key ingredients for leadership – passion for their organization and its mission. By sharing their passion, they will continue to build a base of supporters – an essential ingredient for continued growth. 

I recently started facilitating a planning process for a new client, Clifford Beers Housing, a developer of affordable, supportive housing in Los Angeles. When I recently attended their board meeting to review the planning process, I drafted up a simplified version of it on a piece of poster paper. Board members asked questions and four of them eventually volunteered to serve on the planning committee. 

Working closely with this planning committee, I will first conduct an organizational assessment, share findings with the group, facilitate a board retreat and then develop a draft and eventually a final plan for board approval. It's a relatively simple process that will lead to consensus on a set of new five-year goals for the organization. I highly recommend any organization go through a process like this. When everyone in an organization's leadership agrees what the primary goals are, there's a much higher chance of them actually coming to fruition.  

Here's a link to the full image above

I spend a lot of time facilitating groups that spend time envisioning the future. Every time I do this, I’m inspired about the infinite amount of possibilities that await us in the future.

I also spend a lot of time bicycling around town to meetings with clients. During my rides, I often envision what a more sustainable Los Angeles would look like. One thing I’ve given some thought to lately is the future of cars.  Specifically, I’m really excited about the numerous ways in which the nature of cars would change if they just drove themselves (which is something Google is working on that could be combined with the smart phone carpooling app that Avego is working on). Our streets would be safe and inviting for bicycling, walking and public life. Instead of driving, people could spend their time doing what I see drivers doing all the time: texting! Most exciting, we could have a 21’st century public-private transportation system that would be flexible, fast and convenient.

Using the concept of Mind mapping, I started to put some thoughts down on to reimagine how we collectively use cars (using a free program I downloaded called Freemind). I welcome any comments you have on this concept. Here's a link to the full image above that brainstorms various benefits of this potential future.  

What I like about the Mindmapping concept is that it’s a more visual way to link ideas together rather than the traditional listing format that brainstorms take. I encourage groups to try this out at future meetings to imagine the future, among other things. 

I’m leading another Fundraising Fundamentals workshop this Friday, March 17^th at the Flintridge Center in Pasadena (236 W. Mountain Street Suite 118) and invite you to attend. From 9am to noon, this fast-paced, interactive and fun workshop is best for folks new to the world of fundraising for nonprofit organizations. 

Here’s the course description: Need to raise funds for your non-profit organization? Where do you begin? This workshop will explore the key concepts that underlie the fundraising process, including developing your case, prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. You'll have the opportunity to apply what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking for a major gift.

Working together with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (a leading environmental justice organization in Southern California), I’m thrilled to take my trainings to a new level, directly to the leadership of their organization during their actual meetings. 

It’s an exciting new format for me where at the start of four Steering Committee meetings over the next several months, I will present a 15-minute training that reviews best practices in facilitation. In each presentation, I go over specific tools a facilitator brings to help support productive meetings, such as facilitating a brainstorm or evaluating a meeting. I then ask for some folks to volunteer to practice what they learned during the meeting. 

I attended my first Steering Committee last week and gave my 15 minute presentation. After that, I observed their meeting and took notes. One member of the group facilitated a brainstorming process that yielded a bunch of great ideas. Two other members facilitated a process at the end of the meeting to evaluate what went well during the meeting and what could be improved (pictured above).  I asked each of the folks who facilitated to share how it went for them and also asked the group to give feedback. I then gave some feedback. Altogether, we all experienced a dynamic, hands-on learning experience where participants immediately put theory into action.  

Thanks to the many of you that responded to my earlier “What Frustrates You About Meetings” blog post. Based on you feedback, here are ten suggestions based on your feedback that will hopefully reduce the amount of frustration you feel at your meetings:

“When meetings last too long with no direction/or too many agenda items When side conversations occur during a meeting When everyone's full attention is not on the speaker (e.g., one person listening but in background prepping for lunch/next agenda item - trying to be quiet but being noisy instead)” (Submitted by Dawn)

1. Prior to the meeting, develop a clear agenda and stick to it during the meetings. Here’s a link to my top 10 tips for putting together a good agenda. 

2. Establish ground rules prior to the meeting and have one of them be “No side conversations during group discussion”. 

“Personality conflicts!” (Submitted by Chris)

3. A first step would be acknowledging the personality conflicts openly in the group. If there is a conflict, try to understand the source of it.

“When it is obvious that no one wants to be meeting in the first place, first and foremost the person convening it. As in " we have to meet to please John, Paul and Ringo at the next hierarchical level, but none of what we say will actually matter a whole lot". Then proceed to waste everybody's time instead of using the circumstance to make the best use of it.” (Submitted by Julien)

4. Before you meet, ask the question “Is this meeting necessary?”. Maybe a case could be made for not meeting at all, or making the meetings shorter and more effective.

When robert's rules are not followed (submitted by Marisol):

5. Thankfully, there’s alternatives to the very formal Robert’s Rules of order.  The majority of groups I facilitate decide to operate by consensus.  Here’s a link I found giving more background on consensus decision making vs. Robert’s Rules.

Meaningless fuzzy wuzzy teambuilding activities. If I go to one more inservice where they ask me to go to my "power corner", or build something out of tinkertoys with people I will never see again, I'll toss my cookies. (Submitted by Eleganza)

6. First, ask yourself if this is a group where introducing activities to build a stronger team would be valuable. If so, choose a team building strategy that fits into the culture of the organization (there’s a wide variety of team building activities to choose from). If you find team building activities frustrating, then maybe that’s an indicator that you’re frustrated with the team itself.  If so, figure out what’s frustrating you and work with the team’s leadership to see if you can resolve it. 

“Lack of Beer” (submitted by Geoff): 

7. Plan for an optional drinks after the meeting so you have something to look forward to.

8. Here’s a link to my 10 tips for saving time at meetings.

9. Here’s a link to my three tips for encouraging active listening. 

10. Here’s a link to my 10 general tips for facilitation.

I welcome any suggestions you have.  Thanks.

I recently led a customized training for the Board of Directors of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation California Chapter. I covered issues related to fundraising along with general Board member responsibilities. 

After the training, I received the following feedback from one of the participants in the meeting:

“We just wanted to again thank you for such a wonderful, informative and inspiring presentation last night.  You did such an amazing job and reached all of our expectations.”

I really enjoy presenting trainings like this directly for Board of Directors. If your Board needs a training, check out the list of trainings I provide and please contact me if I can be of service to you. 

I recently facilitated a strategic planning retreat for LAPD (that’s the L.A. Poverty Department in case you were wondering). For the last 25 years, LAPD has engaged community members in Skid Row to create performances that address issues within the community.

Since I started this project late last year, I facilitated a board meeting to begin the planning and interviewed 10 external stakeholders from the community, arts leaders and supporting foundations. Most recently, I planned and facilitated a day-long retreat with the organization’s leadership in Yucca Valley, near Joshua Tree. 

With an inspiring landscape all around us, the organization’s leadership made progress developing its vision, values, five-year core strategies and goals. We spent some of the time discussing items as a group such as prioritizing core strategies and other times in smaller groups to draft out initial goals (pictured above). We had some lively discussions and used a variety of methods to prioritize and make important decisions. I look forward to working with LAPD’s leadership to finalize and ultimately approve a new plan for moving forward.

Throughout the process, I have enjoyed learning more about the issues surrounding the community and how the creation of art plays a critical role in building community and raising awareness. I attended LAPD’s recent State of Incarceration performance and would highly recommend you check out their work.

I recently facilitated a successful Board retreat for the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition.  In just five short hours, the group clarified its vision, strategies and goals. 

As a facilitator, I designed a fun, fast paced, engaging process for the group to develop its vision statement from scratch.  The exercise took two hours and resulted in group consensus around the key elements of a vision along with near-final language.  Here’s how I facilitated the process:

After quickly defining a vision for the group and giving some examples, I asked all of them to write down a few sentences that captured each of their own visions for the organization for five minutes. Based on this, I asked them to write five key words or phrases that captured each of their main points.  To continue the brainstorm, I asked for three volunteers to give a one-minute presentation (as a news reporter reporting on the community 25 years from now).  After each short presentation (which generated a lot of good laughter), I encouraged the other participants to write a word or phrase that came to them.

Next, I asked them all to stand up and post their eight post-it notes on the wall and for five minutes, connect post-its that related to each other in silence. I enjoyed watching them connect their ideas together. For the next five minutes, I encouraged them to continue connecting post-its while also talking with someone next to them.  I then asked the group if any categories emerged and seven key areas arose that the group agreed on (which took about another five minutes).

Based on the categories they develeped, I asked for two volunteers for each group and split the group into seven small groups. Each group’s task was to further digest the information from the category they volunteered for and write one vision-like sentence describing that category. I suggested the one extra person not in a group (the Executive Director) move between groups during this time. The groups met for about 15 minutes.  I ask one-member to write the sentence on the board and the other member to read it for the rest of the group.

We then reflected and commented on these sentences as a group.  Knowing that having a group of 15 to refine the language of a vision statement could take forever and also be a frustrating process to go through, I asked if anyone would be interested in refining the language further and propose some specific language and options at the next board meeting. Four people volunteered. I then asked the group if anyone had any major concerns with the concepts and language developed so far -   none were raised. I read through the draft vision statement and asked people to raise their hand if they supported the general concept and language so far, with the understanding that the group of four volunteers will refine the language by the next board meeting for a final vote.  We reached full consensus!

Having just returned from facilitating a Board retreat, I can tell you first hand there’s something very powerful about assembling your organization’s leadership to make important decisions.  Here are ten tips to make your retreats in 2011 a success:

1. Designate a Planning Lead or Committee:  The Executive Director, Board President and ideally another Board member should meet a couple of times before the retreat to plan a successful gathering. If you bring in an outside facilitator, they should also be involved in this planning process.  

2. Decide a Location:  Ideally, you want to choose a location that feels “far away”. Of course, you have to balance far away with what all of your leadership has the capacity to make it to. Here’s a link to 12 sites in Los Angeles.

3. Decide Who to Invite:  Will it just bet your Board of Directors or will you invite staff, volunteers and/or other community stakeholders? If you bring in non-Board members, be clear up front their role in the decision making process will be.

4. Engage Participants Before the Retreat:  Ask for their input in developing the agenda.  Run the draft agenda by them before the retreat and make modifications based on their input.

5. Develop an Agenda:  While there’s a time and place for informal chatting during a retreat, it’s best to develop a clear agenda with goals and outcomes.  Prioritize the three or four biggest decisions you need to make and give time for them in the agenda.  Here’s a link with more info on planning a successful agenda. 

6. Use Retreats to Make Big, Long-Term Decisions:  Retreats are great for strategic planning – developing your mission, vision, values, strategies, goals and objectives.  They are also good opportunities to discuss/resolve big issues your organization faces.  Avoid routine business at retreats.

7. Plan for Engaging Activities:  Don’t just plan one long group discussion – mix it up with small group work, one-on-one work, various team building activities, games and fun.  Tailor these activities to the folks that will attend.  I’m a big fan of two-day retreats that include an overnight, giving more time for folks to deepen their relationships with one another.

8. Plan for Meals and Movement:  Some of the most valuable time at retreats occurs during informal discussion during meals or physical activities like walks, bike rides or games.  Avoid “working lunches” and instead give folks the opportunity to chat.  Remember to take a 10 or 15-minute break after working for 90 minutes.

9. Allow for Flexibility:  Inevitably, some agenda items take longer and others take less time.  If you’re making good progress on something valuable to your organization but haven’t finished it yet, give yourself the option to work more on it.

10. Designate a Facilitator:  Either designate one or multiple people within your own organization to facilitate the actual retreat. Or, if you have the capacity to hire an outside facilitator, that would give everyone in the organization's leadership the opportunity to fully participate in the decision-making process. Professional facilitators bring a variety of tools and methods designed to provide a space for everyone to participate in the decision-making process. Even more valuable, a facilitator can help your group navigate through the sometimes-challenging territory of making tough decisions. Here’s a link to seven reasons why a facilitator can be of value to your organization. Please contact me if you’re interested in having me facilitate your upcoming retreat.  Thanks and happy retreating!   

I’m pleased to share some of the positive feedback I received from the evaluations of 60 participants that attended my Engaging Boards in Fundraising Training I led at the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership.

Here’s how folks ranked me as a trainer (on a scale of one to five with five meaning “most successful”).

Knowledgeable about the topic: 4.94
Effective presentation style: 4.89
Encouraged me to participate: 4.77
Responsive to questions: 4.87
Provided clear direction: 4.85

Here’s some of the comments participants included in their evaluations:

“I love Ron's casual, warm style of presenting.  He balanced the presenting with interactions and exercises - Ample time for networking, very relevant to my work.  Will help me be a better leader-so glad my board president was here today!  Thank you”

“The presenter was fantastic and really moved us well through the material in such a clear and engaging way.  The exercises were terrific and concise and the instructions were clear.”

“The interactive components and role playing was really effective.”

“Thanks for this most informative and useful workshop.”

“Having us interact with each other is one of the best learning tools.”

“Fantastic-loved process and opportunity to connect and loved role play.”

“Excellent, short, good training!”

“The presenter was excellent- very clear and focused.  The topic was much needed and I found the information to be extremely helpful.”

“Facilitator was excellent!!

“I appreciate that the presenter was energetic and kept it moving at a brisk pace.  I especially valued the ideas for cultivating donors and really enjoyed the skits.   There were many good ideas that were shared that we will take back and hopefully implement.”

“Well Organized.  Varied groupings for brainstorming and sharing out.  Ron was a good listener.”

“This workshop was exactly what I needed.  It inspired me and gave me concrete information I can use to activate my board.”

“I really liked the pace of the session.”

“This was wonderful, thank you.”

(Erika Lindemann, Board President of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, facilitates a discussion during their retreat)

I value ongoing professional development and am usually reading some book to sharpen my facilitation skills. Below are quotes describing the role of the Facilitator from several books I recommend.

“A facilitator is the custodian of the consensus process, a servant-leader whose purpose is to help the group make the best decisions possible.” - Briggs

"The facilitator's job is to support everyone to do their best thinking and practice. To do this, the facilitator encourages full participation, promotes mutual understanding and cultivates shared responsibility. By supporting everyone to do their best thinking, a facilitator enables group members to search for inclusive solutions and build sustainable agreements" - Kaner

“Group facilitation is a process in which a person whose selection is acceptable to all the members of the group, who is substantively neutral, and who has no substantive decision-making authority diagnoses and intervenes to help a group improve how it identifies and solves problems and makes decisions, to increase the group’s effectiveness.” –Schwarz

"One who contributes structure and process to interactions so groups are able to function effectively and make high-quality decisions. A helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as they achieve exceptional performance" – Bens

“The facilitator impacts and guides the process but does not give input on the content of a meeting – that comes from the participants.  The facilitator’s job is to serve the group, not dominate it.” –Kelsey and Plumb

"Effective group facilitation is an artful dance requiring rigorous discipline.  The role of the facilitator offers an opportunity to dance with life on the edge of the sword, to be present and aware, to be with and for people in a way that cuts through to what enhances and facilitates life.  A facilitator is a peaceful warrior." -Hunter, Bailey & Tailor

“The Master doesn’t talk, he acts. 
When his work is done,
the people say, “Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!”
-Tao Te Ching

Ingrid Bens; Facilitating With Ease! (2000)

Beatrice Briggs; Introduction to Consensus (2000)

Hunter, Bailey & Tailor; The Art of Facilitation: How to Create Group Synergy (1995)

Sam Kaner with Lenny Lind, Catherine Toldi, Sarah Fisk and Duane Berger; Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (2007)

Dee Kelsey and Pam Plumb; Great Meetings! How to Facilitate Like a Pro; (1999)

Roger Schwarz; The Skilled Facilitator (New & Revised July 2002)

Stephen Mitchell (Translator); Tao Te Ching (1998)

For even more books on facilitation, check out the International Association of Facilitators online library.  I'm a member of this organization and look forward to attending their conference this April in Denver. 

While the majority of my work keeps me bicycling around the City of Los Angeles, I spent a considerable amount of time last year in Long Beach working on four different projects (still biking in Long Beach with the assistance of the Blue line). 

Working with the City of Long Beach and Alta Planning and Design, I facilitated six focus groups last year as part of their PLACE grant (an innovative program launched by the LA County Department of Health).  I’m pleased to report the City of Long Beach continues to make inspiring strides towards reaching its goal of becoming the “most bicycle friendly city in America”.  I recently received a summary of Long Beach’s progress to date from Charlie Gandy, the City’s Bicycle Coordinator, and encourage you to check it out (here's the link).

In addition, I facilitated planning processes for two Long Beach groups. The first, City Fabrick, works to transform Long Beach into a sustainable city. The second was a group of local leaders working to bring a TED conference to Long Beach and really showcase all of the innovative work going on down there.  Finally, I recently led another training at the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership, a fantastic local resource for nonprofit organizations.  

All in all, I kept very busy in Long Beach facilitating more than 15 meetings and two trainings! I’m impressed with the local leadership down there and wish them the best as they move forward. I hope to deepen my own understanding of Southern California by working with local leaders from other cities in the region (especially ones that have a light rail or Metrolink connection). 

(Photo Yvonne Bambrick snapped of me leading a fundraising training at the Alliance for Biking and Walking retreat)

Does your organization's staff and/or board need to enhance its capacity to run more effective meetings and/or successfully raise needed funding? There are numerous nonprofit management centers here in Southern California that offer a variety of courses on a regular basis. I have led trainings at many of these, including the Center for Nonprofit Management, Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership, the Flintridge Foundation and L.A. Eco-Village.  I have also led trainings for the Liberty Hill Foundation, Alliance for Biking and Walking, Enterprise Community Partners and directly for numerous nonprofit organizations. My workshops are fun, fast-paced and very interactive. They usually range in length from one to four hours. Below is a list of 10 courses I provide (which I would be happy to customize for your organization). Please contact me if you would like to discuss further. 

FACILITATION 

I invite you to the next happy hour I’m hosting on February 3rd to celebrate the new year. As usual, expect 15-30 smart, civic-minded folks from the nonprofit, public and private sectors to gather for good conversation and a drink during the happy hour. 

Date/Time: Thursday, February 3 · 5:30pm - 10:00pm

Location: Weiland Brewery, 400 E 1st Street Los Angeles 90012

I’m choosing this location because it is across the street from MOCA and starting at 7pm that night, they will host an Engagement Party led by the League of Imaginary Scientists (I’m interested in checking this out because later in the year I’ll be participating in three Engagement parties with the LA Urban Rangers).

For those that can make it, I look forward to seeing you and introducing you to other folks I know. For those that can’t attend, no worries – another time.

Board members play a critical role in fundraising for the nonprofit organizations they govern.  Yet, more often than not, nonprofits struggle to meaningfully and effectively engage Board of Directors in the fundraising process.

On January 26^th I led a 3 ½ hour training focusing on Building Fundraising Boards.  Hosted by the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership for staff and board members of organizations supported by the John Gogian Foundation, this highly interactive workshop gave participants the opportunity to discuss, role play, observe and reflect on issues surrounding Board fundraising. 

We covered topics such as inspiring a Board member’s passion, reframing what fundraising means, what tools and skills are needed, ways in which to engage members and the leadership/support needed to ensure long term success.  We also talked about steps to enlist new board members over time. For more tips, check out an old blog post of mine that shares 10 quick tips for engaging your Board in fundraising. 

After the training, I received very positive feedback from a number of attendees who both enjoyed the  and learned a lot.  One asked if I lead customized trainings directly for Board of Directors.  I have led customized trainings for Boards and/or staff members of organizations.  Here’s a link to the trainings I provide, which I’m happy to customize for any organization.  Please contact me if you would like to discuss further.

I’m conducting an informal poll asking for you to share anything that frustrates you about the meetings you attend (whether they are meetings for work or organizations you volunteer for). These meetings could be regular, ongoing meetings you have or the occasional retreat. 

It’s perfectly normal to occasionally feel frustrated during meetings you attend.  Some things that have frustrated me in the past are meetings failing to start on time, one person dominating the discussion and meetings that meander because they lack a clear agenda.

I’m constantly thinking about how to improve the effectiveness of groups during their meetings and would love to hear from you. For each comment I receive, I will provide a quick response in the comments section to make your meetings more productive and will later write a full blog post with some more detailed suggestions to address the issues you raise. 

Thanks for sharing. I’m confident that most of the frustrations you experience in your meetings can be improved, either by planning ahead and/or effective facilitation.

In 2010, I served as a coach to six grantees of the Liberty Hill Foundation as part of their Wally Marks Leadership Institute.  On January 26, 2011, Liberty Hill hosted an event to celebrate the first year of this successful program.  When they asked me before the event if I wanted to introduce one of the leaders I worked with, I responded with an emphatic “absolutely”. 

I introduced Dawn Sanders, President of Black Women for Wellness, one of the organizations I coached for the Board Development track.  I briefly shared how I was impressed with her passion, commitment and leadership.  Dawn then shared how the coaching helped their organization take some important next steps in enlisting new board members. 

I found so many people in the room inspiring and enjoyed connecting with leaders from other organizations I coached as well.  I’m thrilled that Liberty Hill actively supports the leadership development of the organizations it funds.  I’m also excited to continue serving Liberty Hill grantees this year not only as a coach, but as the lead trainer for an intensive, three-day Board Development training.  

On Tuesday, January 25^th, I facilitated a public workshop for the Park to Playa Trail Feasibility Study. Over 50 people from the community came and spent the majority of the meeting in one of four similar break out sessions providing numerous suggestions and input on maps of the project area.

After introducing the various project partners from a variety of public agencies and the planning team from Alta Planning and Design, I led the introductions in a participatory way that set the tone for the rest of the meeting.

Rather than go around the room and have people say their name and where they lived sitting down, which I knew would take awhile given such a large group, I instead asked folks to stand up if the answer was yes to a series of questions I then asked the group: Who here loves the parks within Baldwin Hills (everyone stood up!). Who here enjoys the Park at least once a year (still everyone stood up). Once a Quarter (some people stared sitting down). Once a month? Once a week? We all watched with curiosity and excitement to see who would be standing the longest and everyone clapped when only a handful of folks were still standing after we asked who used the parks on a daily basis. Lots of smiles.

I then asked who lived within a mile of the park and who lived more than a mile away (nearly an even split, which was helpful to know). We then asked some questions to get a sense of how people liked to spend time at the park (running, walking, bicycling, etc.). As we finished the exercise, I let participants know there would be plenty of small time in small groups for them to introduce themselves to each other during the break out sessions.

In less than five minutes, we learned a great deal about who was in attendance and as one participant joked, we gave everyone a work out as well! I would recommend this process to anyone needing to introduce a large number of people to each other in a short amount of time.

We wound up having a tremendously engaging meeting that generating site-specific suggestions for Alta Planning and Design to now synthesize into the Trail Feasibility Planning Process. We’ll have two more public workshops over the next several months and if you’re interested in this project, I encourage you to attend (you might wind up standing up several times as we introduce everyone to each other). More info on the project can be found on the Baldwin Hills Conservancy webpage.

I’m pleased to partner again with Alta Planning and Design to facilitate several upcoming meetings as part of their Park to Playa Planning Process with the MRCA and County of Los Angeles.  Above is the flyer for the first public workshop I’m facilitating.  I invite you to attend this meeting and/or fill out the online survey.  More info about Baldwin Hills and the various parks/trails within it can be found at the Baldwin Hills State Conservancy homepage.  
 

Last week, I facilitated another board retreat for the Beverly Vermont Community Land Trust that led to them deciding specific goals for their exciting work over the next year. 

The photo above is from a portion of the retreat we had where after breaking up into three smaller groups to brainstorm answers to three different questions, each group reported back to the larger group.  Since retreats can involve a lot of sitting, I suggested we move to a different part of the room and hear the reports standing up. 

This gave everyone a chance to stretch a little and see things from a different perspective. I would recommend an activity like this at least once during a day long retreat. 

In 2010, I celebrated my fifth year of consulting and kept very busy throughout the year. I’m pleased to report I consulted for 20 organizations, facilitated 35 meetings and led 26 trainings attended by 400 people. My role as a consultant helped strengthen the following organizations, which in turn all played a key role towards transforming Los Angeles into a sustainable city (links to these organizations can be found on my facilitation and fundraising pages):

FACILITATION
Alliance for Biking and Walking:  Facilitated a group dialog with over 100 participants at the Alliance’s retreat for this national alliance of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations.

Alta Planning and Design:  Facilitated six focus groups related to bicycling for the City of Long Beach, one public meeting for the Culver City Bicycle Master Plan and another meeting for the Park to Playa Trail Feasibility Study in Baldwin Hills (if you're interested in connecting the trails within Baldwin Hills, click here to fill out a short survey).

Bikeable Communities:  Facilitated six planning meetings to launch a new sustainable city initiative in Long Beach.

City of Seal Beach:  Facilitated eight, three-hour long community meetings to resolve the issue of a polluting gas station.

Echo Park Time Bank:  Facilitated a one-day board retreat to develop annual goals for this local organization promoting an alternative economy.

LA Poverty Department (LAPD):  Began facilitating a strategic planning process for this 25-year old arts organization working to build community in Skid Row.

Liberty Hill Foundation:  Provided coaching on board development to six social change organizations supported by Liberty Hill and also facilitated a meeting with all of the coaches (organizations included:  CLUE LA, LA Voice, Black Women for Wellness, CHIRLA, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and the Jordan/Rustin Coalition)

Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing Developers (SCANPH):  Facilitated a board meeting and process to enhance fundraising for this association of affordable housing developers in LA.

Southern California Leadership Network:  Planned and facilitated three one-day seminars for a leadership development program I would highly recommend.

TEDxSoCal:  Facilitated five planning meetings to host a local TED conference in Long Beach.

FUNDRAISING
Housing LA:  I reviewed past grant proposals for this coalition advocating for progressive housing policies in LA.

John Burton Foundation:  I served as a reviewer for a round of grants they funded.

LA Voice:  I worked with their staff and board to create and implement a fund development plan for this congregation-based social change organization.

SOAR Charter School:  I worked to implement the fund development plan I wrote with them and successfully secured two state grants for over $450,000.

THAIS, INC:  I reviewed past grant proposals and worked with staff to develop new proposals for this organization providing needed health services to the Thai community in LA.

TRAININGS
Led trainings on facilitation, fundraising and/or board development for the Alliance for Biking and Walking (4 trainings), Flintridge Center (3), LA Eco-Village (4), Center for Nonprofit Management (8), Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership (2).  Also led trainings/discussions at the LA Streets Summit, Rail LA Pecha Kucha, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, THAIS., Inc and for the Venice Community Housing Corporation.

TRAVEL
For either work or play (I often get the two mixed up), I had the opportunity to travel to the following places in 2010:  Mexico City, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tijuana, Catalina, Denver/Rockies, Burlington, VT, New York City, Columbus, OH, Asheville, NC, Big Sur, Ojai, San Francisco, Chattanooga, TN, the following UC Natural Reserve Sites: Kenneth Norris UNRS in Cambria, CA, Dawson north of San Diego and Oil Point north of Santa Barbara

HAPPY HOURS
Six times over the course of the year I hosted happy hours that brought together a fantastic group of people.  Expect more in 2011!

GROWING MY PRACTICE
Early in 2010, I brought on Bob McKechnie on as an intern.  He quickly proved himself capable of assisting me with fundraising and I promoted him to my Associate.  I continue to value his work.

GIVING BACK
I gave over $1,000 to various organizations and also provided pro-bono support to three organizations.  I also continued my service with the LA Urban Rangers.

For all of the incredible leaders I got to work with this year, I want to thank you for all of your hard work to transform Los Angeles into a sustainable city. I look forward to growing my consulting practice in 2011 and serving even more organizations. If you would like to discuss how I might be of service to your organization, whether it be as a facilitator, coach or trainer, please give me a call at (323) 793-0591 or email me.

I invite you to join me for a happy holidays happy hour celebration on Wednesday, December 1st at the Spring St. Bar in Downtown Los Angeles (626 S. Spring St.). Since I don’t work for a large organization that has its own holiday party, this is my attempt to bring some of the many people I get to interact during the year here in SoCal together to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. As usual, I’m guessing there will be a good crowd of 20 to 40 smart and passionate people who in some way work to make Los Angeles a more livable city (here's a link to the Facebook invite I sent out). The only agenda is to enjoy good conversation while sampling good ales (or wine if that’s your fancy). I always try to connect folks that don’t know each other so even if you come by yourself, it won’t be long before you’re engaging in some interesting conversation. If you plan on dropping by, I look forward to seeing you. If you are unable, no worries, there will be more gatherings in 2011. Feel free to invite a friend. Happy holidays!

I recently facilitated a planning retreat for Public Matters, a group I’m a part of. Public Matters works to engage communities around pressing issues using media technologies, often combining videos, mobile phones and the Internet. After launching several projects including Market Makeovers and PDUB Tours, we spent two days brainstorming potential areas in which to deepen the organization’s impact in collaboration with some other organizations.

As a facilitator, I enjoyed using post-it notes to brainstorm potential areas to focus on. The picture above shows retreat participants playing with different word combinations they generated.  I took the photo from the street looking into the Outpost for Contemporary Art in Highland Park, where we held the retreat. Throwing word ideas up on post-it notes gave the group to evaluate a number of ideas simultaneously and refine them in real time. It also provided everyone an opportunity to stand up and move around a bit. 

First, I encouraged everyone to write down key words they could think of on their own.  Then, we put all of the words up on the glass. I then encouraged folks to play around with the words, putting words together that spoke to them. As we did this, if folks thought of new words, I encouraged them to write them down and put them up. We narrowed it down to some options that spoke to us and wound up generating a name for this new venture along with a set of core values to guide our work. I would recommend this activity to any organization thinking of developing mission or vision statements.  Enjoy!

Earlier in the year, I blogged about my role as a coach for the Wally Marks Leadership Institute at the Liberty Hill Foundation. As a coach, I'm providing support for their Board Development Track. In addition to the three Liberty Hill grantees I've coached for the last several months (CHIRLA, CLUE and LA Voice), I'm now enjoying working with three more organizations:  Black Women for Wellness, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and the Jordan/Rustin Coalition. I have really enjoyed working with so many leaders committed to social justice here in Los Angeles. Working one-on-one or in groups of two or three, all of the groups I'm working with have made real strides towards reaching the goals they developed.  For anyone interested in learning more about this Leadership Institute, check out the Liberty Hill website. 

With Thanksgiving coming up, this is a time of year to reflect on what we have to be thankful for.  When it comes to nonprofit fundraising, it’s important to thank your donors more than once a year.  In fact, saying “thank you” just might be the two most important words you can say in fundraising.  Here’s 10 quick ways to add some variety to the way you thank your donors.

1. Write a personalized thank you note after each gift.

2. When a positive story comes out in the media, forward it to you top donors and include a personalized thank you note saying they helped make it possible.

3. Schedule a face-to-face meeting with your top donors at least once a year and be sure to thank them at some point during the conversation.

4. Set up an automatic thank you message after anyone donates online.

5. Acknowledge your donors in your annual appeal (and when you mail it to your supporters, personalize that donor thank you page with a personal note).

6. Say thank you in person whenever you come across one of your donors in person.

7. Listen to your donors and find out what they are interested in.  Thank them for sharing with you.

8. Thank a donor in front of other folks if that donor hosts a house-party or some other fundraising event.

9. Mail the donor a holiday card and/or a birthday card.

10. Ask the donor how they would like to publicly be acknowledged for their gift and do what they say.

I welcome any other suggestions you have. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

(view from the top of the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook)

I’m thrilled to currently work on the development of two trail systems, one in Baldwin Hills and another in Downtown Los Angeles.

In Baldwin Hills, I’m facilitating agency stakeholder meetings along with the general public outreach meetings for the development of a Park to Playa Trail.  There will be a first public meeting soliciting feedback earlier next year.  I’m working with Alta Planning and Design on this and together we are working closely with the MRCA, Baldwin Hills Conservancy and several other stakeholders.  If anyone hasn’t been to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, I highly recommend this short trail with a spectacular view, especially at Sunset.

On a more creative note, outside of consulting, I continue to be an active part of the Los Angeles Urban Rangers.  With the support from the Orange County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles,  we’re developing a trail system in Downtown Los Angeles (yes, Downtown LA!).  These trails will explore different themes and hopefully deepen people’s understanding and appreciation of the downtown ecosystem. 

Developing trails are more complicated than you think.  Questions like who will use this trail, how will they access it and what will its route be all involve plenty of thought and planning.  I’m learning a lot through this process, which has given me a greater appreciation for all of the other trails I enjoy hiking in Griffith Park, Elysian Park, the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. 

If you have any suggestions for how to develop these trails, please leave a comment or contact me directly. Thanks!

It’s that time of year again where nonprofits send out fundraising appeal letters.  Consider these quick tips to make your letter stand out.

1. Personalize with a handwritten note: If a staff person, board member or volunteer can personalize the letter with a handwritten note, especially with someone they know, that increases the likelihood someone will give.

2. Personalize the salutation: Instead of “Dear Member” or “Friend”, personalize it with the name of the person you are sending it to.

3. Tailor the letter to your audience:  Is it a new donor, lapsed donor or existing donor?

4. Focus on the first paragraph and p.s.: These are the sections that most people read so make sure they are compelling.

5. Keep it positive:  Folks want to give to organizations that do good work.  Share your successes and what you plan next.

6. Thank them for their support: Somewhere in the letter express your appreciation for their past support.

7. Use words like “you” and “your”:  These words help personalize your letter and establish a connection between you and your reader.

8. Make sure to ask for money:  Even better, ask the reader to give a specific amount based on what you think would be a good amount for them.  The last paragraph is a good place to do this.

9. Proofread: Have someone proofread your letters before you send them out.

10. Immediately thank every gift that comes in:  If you can do this with a handwritten note, even better!

Bonus tip from @robynmcintyre - “Don't forget to tell a story!”

These are just 10 quick ideas – there are many more and I welcome your feedback.   I wish you the best as you move forward. 

(Representatives from the MRCA share their work to green the Pacoima Wash with Leadership LA Fellows)

Over the last year, I planned and facilitated three issue days for the Southern California Leadership Network.  For the Leadership Southern California program, this included a day exploring Land Use, Transportation and Housing along the Eastside Gold Line Extension.  For the Leadership Los Angeles Program, this included a day focusing on health care and most recently, last month we spent and entire day exploring one neighborhood in Los Angeles: Pacoima. Here’s a link to some photos from our day in Pacoima from the SCLN newsletter. 

I really enjoy working with SCLN and would highly recommend the program to anyone considering building their understanding of regional and local issues, enhance their leadership skills and strengthen their network with other civic-minded individuals. 

In the process of working with SCLN, I deepened my own understanding of the complexities and beauties of Los Angeles.  I also met an impressive group of SCLN fellows and community leaders.  This Wednesday, I look forward to attending SCLN’s annual Visionaries luncheon and invite you to attend if you’re interested. 

(A small group meets during the Alliance Bicycling and Walking's "Winning Campaigns" Training)

Ever been at a meeting that just dragged on? If the answer is yes and you’re looking for ways to save time at future meetings, consider these 10 quick tips.

1. Ask if the meeting is necessary:  Make sure the meeting has clear goals, outcomes and an agenda so its worth your time and energy.

2. Estimate the amount of time for each agenda item: Estimate how long each agenda item will take and do you best to stay on track during the meetings.

3. Use your limited time wisely:  Limit the amount of time for updates and announcements which can go on and on and instead use the majority of your meeting to discuss and decide important items.

4. Use a “Parking Lot” or “Bike Rack”:  If someone comes up with a great idea to discuss but it’s not on the current agenda, add it to a sheet of paper titled “Bike Rack”, which contains items to discuss at future meetings.

5. Start and end on time:  Starting late wastes much of meeting time – so does dragging on after the meeting should finish.

6. Designate a timekeeper:  Have a meeting participant watch the time and occasionally remind people how much time is left for each agenda item.

7. Gently interrupt the “talkers”: If your group has one member that talks for long periods of time, find a time while they are speaking to summarize what they said and ask if others have something to add.

8. Capture people’s thoughts on poster paper:  If an idea gets recorded on a large sheet of paper in front of everyone, it’s less likely to be repeated by another meeting participant.

9. Evaluate: At the end of the meeting, take a few minutes for everyone to go around and reflect on what went well and what could be improved and you’ll get some more ideas for how to save time at future meetings.

10. Hire an outside facilitator: A facilitator will work with your leadership to develop a good agenda and help your group stay on time during the meeting, often enabling your group to accomplish more in less time.

These are just 10 quick ideas – there are many more and I welcome your suggestions. I wish you the best as you work to make your meetings more effective and efficient.     

I'm leading a Fund Development Planning Seminar at the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership this Thursday and I invite you to attend!

I experienced five hours of pure joy last Sunday on the streets of Los Angeles along with 100,000+ other people enjoying our first ever CicLAvia. By simply closing seven and a half miles of streets to automobile traffic, we created vibrant public places where Angelenos came together to experience the city and each other in a completely new way.  I ran into so many old friends that are in some way working to make Los Angeles a more livable city and rode by so many more people  - all of us out there together enjoying our city.

Thanks to all of the organizers that worked so hard to bring us all together.  I look forward to the day when CicLAvia’s happen on a weekly basis in Los Angeles.

For more info, check out the CicLAvia and LAStreetsblog websites for great coverage and links to lots of other reflections on the event.  Streetfilms also created an inspiring video. 

For more of my thoughts on CicLAvia, check out this short video that Aaron Kuehn put together (we randomly ran into each other and he asked if he could film me as I rode using his very cool head cameras).  Enjoy!

See you at the next CicLAvia!

(Some recent facilitation I did at the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking Retreat...thanks Yvonne Bambrick for taking the photo)

I understand that nonprofits have limited budgets and are usually much more willing to hire a consultant to help with fundraising than facilitation in this shaky economy.  Let me attempt to make a case for why a facilitator can be a valuable investment for the leadership of your organization to make.  

The job of a facilitator is to increase the overall effectiveness of a group.  Specifically, a facilitator can help your group with the following:

1.  Improve the overall effectiveness of your meetings:  A facilitator works with your organization’s leadership to develop an effective meeting agenda beforehand and then works hard during your meeting to ensure the group achieves the goals and outcomes it set in its agenda.

2.  Help you make important decisions:  A facilitator understands the process of decision-making and can help move your group through that process in a structured way that engages everyone within your group.  

3.  Make your meetings more efficient:  Ever been in a meeting that goes off track?  A facilitator helps keep a group focused and intervenes when a group veers off track.

4.  Help you manage conflict:  Conflict can derail a group or be harnessed to help creatively solve a group’s problems.  A facilitator knows how to deal with conflict.

5.  Allow everyone to participate in the decision making process:  Facilitating a meeting is a lot of work and if a member of your group is in charge of doing it, it makes it harder for them to participate in the meeting.  A facilitator serves the whole group by allowing everyone to participate.

6.  Helps everyone be heard:  A facilitator listens to every word that is said and reflects much of it back to the group so the person saying it feels like they have been heard, and the group hears it again so there’s a better chance they actually hear it.

7.  Helps you solve problems:  Facilitators have a variety of tools to help a group creatively understand and solve problems that involve group activities and discussions.

While you probably don’t need an outside facilitator for all of your organization’s meetings, there are usually a few very important times where an organization could use an outside facilitator such as during a strategic planning process, board development process, annual workplan session or any other time where your organization needs to make a big decision, have a needed discussion or build a stronger team.

For more information about my work as a facilitator and tips on facilitation, check out my facilitation flyer.  If you would like to discuss further, please comment or contact me.  Thanks. 

This Thursday, I'm leading another one of my Fundraising 101 Seminars at the Center for Nonprofit Management.  Here's the info: 

Join thousands of other people as we transform our streets in Los Angeles into vibrant public places. The more people that come out and enjoy this event increases the likelihood that an event like this happens on a more regular basis in LA (in Mexico City, this happens every week!).

Please invite your friends. Here’s more info about the event.

I’ll be joining my friend Jimmy who’s leading a “Mid Day Ridazz ride” family ride, meeting at 10am, departing at 10:30am from the Bicycle Kitchen at 706 N. Heliotrope Dr., 90029.  From there, I’ll likely be downtown around 11, Boyle Heights around 12, lunch somewhere along the route at 1pm, etc. 

I'm really excited about this event and hope to see many of you along the route!

 
Here's a link to my past email newsletters that I sent out: September + August.  If you would like for me to add you to my mailing list, please contact me.  

Fundraising Events play a key role in developing a nonprofit organization's relationship with its donors and the broader community.  Over the years, I have attended some really inspirational events and real disasters.  If your organization is planning an event, I encourage you to follow my Top 10 Tips for Fundraising Events.  Good luck with your event!

(Planting a the "Susie Forest" at the Alliance Retreat)

I recently spent four days in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking Leadership Retreat, attended by over 100 leaders from state and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations. 

Having attended this retreat annually from 1998 to 2003 as Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, I really enjoyed reconnecting with some old friends and meeting a whole new generation of dynamic leaders from both the United States and Canada. 

During the retreat, I led an Advanced Fundraising session, facilitated a 1 ½ hour conversation with the entire group discussing engaging communities of color and provided one-on-one coaching to 15 leaders to discuss issues within their organizations in more detail.

I’m so impressed with how the bicycle and pedestrian movement continues to expand and am thrilled I could contribute to this through my work as a consultant. 

To close the retreat, we planted a tree in honor of Susie Stephens.  Susie helped launch the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking as its first Director.  She also played an enormous role in my life as a mentor and friend during my time at the LACBC. I still think of Susie all the time and this tree planting memorial meant a great deal to me.  I’m happy her spirit lives on!

(Photo of multiple small groups meeting from a large group session I facilitated at the Alliance for Biking and Walking Retreat)

I’m leading another Advanced Facilitation Workshop on Wednesday, September 15^th at the LA Eco-Village (117 Bimini Pl), from 7 to 9pm and invite you to attend. This workshop explores more sophisticated tools and strategies that facilitators use to ensure groups 
effectively reach decisions.  Participants will have the opportunity to practice facilitating challenging 
situations and receive feedback from the instructor and training participants.

Recommended pre-requisite:  Intro to Facilitation or some facilitation experience.

Fee:  $35 (sliding scale available)
Reservations required:  crsp@igc.org or 213/738-1254

(I'm checking out my grandparents photo album of their trip to Thailand with Danny of THAIS, Inc. at their monthly Senior Luncheon)

Earlier this year I started consulting for THAIS, Inc., an organization connecting the Thai community in Los Angeles to needed health and social services.  Soon after starting work with them, I visited Thailand and when I returned, the folks at THAIS, Inc. asked if I would make a presentation to their monthly senior luncheon.  I said absolutely and also invited my own grandparents and my Associate Bob to join the presentation (all of whom had also traveled to Thailand).

I showed about 40 photos I took in Thailand and shared with them aspects of Thailand I would love to see more in Los Angeles (street food and street closures among other things).  I also reflected on how I felt like I now better understand my own city of Los Angeles and its sizable Thai community. 

I’m very grateful that through my own work, I have the opportunity to interact with different leaders and a wide variety of communities.  

I’m in San Francisco for the weekend and as always, curious to learn about what other cities are doing to promote urban sustainability.  I just finished breakfast at an outdoor café at the intersection of Duboce and Sanchez and jotted down 10 things I really liked about what I saw:

1. On the “wiggle” bike route and in the course of an hour, 100+ urban cyclists rode by
2. Lots of shade from street trees
3. MUNI light rail passed by at regular 5 minute intervals
4. Wide sidewalks with lots of people walking
5. A small urban park across the street with lots of people and kids
6. Quiet streets with cars driving slow
7. Outdoor dining with lots of good people watching
8. A clear, blue sky with sun (I hear this isn’t always the case)
9. Sharing a healthy meal with friends
10. The opportunity to learn from another place (I'd like to see more examples of intersections like this back in LA)

I’m planning another Leadership Los Angeles Seminar for the Southern California Leadership Network.  The theme of this upcoming seminar is “Neighborhood Development” and we’ll spend the entire day in Pacoima. 

I recently met with Nury Martinez from Pacoima Beautiful and was impressed with all of their environmental justice work in the  community. 

If you have any suggestions for speakers, please let me know.  We’re looking for local leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to share more about their work in the community.  If you have any suggestions for places to visit in Pacoima, please email me your thoughts as well. Thanks.

I’m excited to invite you to a very special summer happy hour on this Friday, August 27^th from 5:30pm to around 9pm. What makes this happy hour extra special is that we’ll have a tasting from LA’s most up and coming brewers: the Eastside Brewers.  They brew their fantastic ales right here in Los Angeles and I’m hoping someday we’ll be able to sample their ales in quality bars across LA.  In support of their efforts, I’m looking forward to introducing their ales to you.

We’ll host the event just outside of Downtown LA near Historic Filipinotown at one of the homes of these fine brewers.  For $10, you’ll get to sample three different pints of ale.  There will also be food as well. 

8/25 Update: I just talked to Ben Guzman (one of the brewers) and learned we'll be sampling the following ales:  Black IPA, Old Ale, Camomile Agave Kolsch, Imperial Red, Black Mild and a Petit Saison (I wouldn't necessarily recommend them in that order). Here's the facebook link so you can see all of the good folks planning to attend. 

8/26 Update: My friend James Rojas will join us at tomorrow's happy hour and will bring his building blocks so we can build a model for a sustainable Los Angeles while we appreciate locally brewed ales!  

Here's more info about Eastside Brewers:  
Eastside Independent is a collaborative effort based in the traditions of homebrewing. Eastside believes in experimentation and variety of flavor while at the same time producing a drinkable, crowd pleasing product. Eastside seeks to expand the publics awareness of quality locally produced craft beer while  at the same never forgetting their roots in the community.

Here’s some more info that I wrote awhile back about why I host these happy hours:
"In the spirit of building community in Los Angeles, I’ve hosted/facilitated a monthly happy hour for the last two years.  As a Consultant, I interact with phenomenal leaders working on a variety of issues all throughout LA.  This is one way in which I bring everyone together and I welcome you to attend. For every one of these I've hosted, a fantastic group of thoughtful, engaged and interesting people have attended, always having a variety of engaging discussions." 

Agendas help structure your time at meetings and play a key role in making your meeting effective.   Below are ten quick tips to help you develop agendas for your own meetings:

1. Plan ahead: Develop your agenda before your actual meeting.

2. Involve your leadership:  Have the organization’s leadership (often the Executive Director and President) plan the agenda together and forward it to other Board members before their meeting for their input.

3. Set time limits:  Estimate the amount of time for each agenda item to help keep the group on track towards making decisions. 

4. Have meeting participants lead different items: Make sure each agenda item has someone leading it and that they are prepared to present it.

5. Use your time wisely: Use your time together to make important group decisions. Minimize updates and reports.

6. Don’t pack in too much:  Prioritize the most important decisions you need to make.

7. Review:  Review the agenda before you start the meeting and make sure all are in agreement.

8. Stick to the agenda:  Many temptations exist to go off-topic.  If a good idea comes up, but is outside of the agenda, add it to a list of future agenda topics.

9. Plan for breaks: Give yourself some time to stretch, socialize and rest during meetings. 

10. Brainstorm future agenda items at the end of your meeting:  Use the end of the meeting to start listing potential agenda topics for your next meeting.

I hope these tips help and wish you the best as you move forward meeting in whatever group you are a part of.   If you need assistance putting together an agenda, please contact me.  

Today I joined approximately 300 people who packed the Metro Board Room for the Mayor Villaraigosa’s Bike Summit. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that so many people came out to support a more bicycle-friendly Los Angeles.

I remember standing in that very room 12 years ago as a young Executive Director of the LA County Bicycle Coalition speaking to the MTA Board of Directors with only a handful of other advocates advocating for and eventually winning a commitment for $6.7 million more dollars for bike and pedestrian infrastructure.  

The bicycle movement has come so far since then, growing in numbers, organizations, rides and capacity to influence the city (For more info on the growing bike movement, check out my Mexico City Bicitekas blog post).  Today, so many people eloquently called for Los Angeles to do more for cycling. I’m very grateful for all of the people and organizations that came out and spoke today. I also appreciate the Mayor, head of Metro, head of LADOT and head of City Planning listening to everyone’s comments. 

I’m hopeful that the City works to implement its bike plan and would like to see the entire 1,600 miles of proposed bikeways created in the next five years.  I know this will certainly cost more than $6.7 million, but given today's strong turnout and growing bicycle movement, I know it's absolutely possible.  

Here’s a list of the things I liked the most while spending the a recent weekend in Columbus, Ohio, leading another “Winnings Campaign” training for the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

1. President William McKinley’s quote (see photo above)

2. FireWater – Hundreds of people enjoyed music by the river on Friday night with the added bonus of enjoying 30 fire pits ON the river, in front of the city skyline. 

3, “The Cradle of Great American Leadership” -  a quote I saw celebrating the fact that eight U.S. Presidents came from Ohio.

4. I could learn more about some of the monuments by the Ohio Statehouse by dialing a phone number...try calling (614) 728-6885 to learn about their monument to peace.  

5. I finally got to see the home town of Sara Wookie, who I have enjoyed collaborating with as part of the LA Urban Rangers

6. Jeni’s Icecream – fresh, local organic ingredients made this little shops ice cream so rich and tasty.

7. Bicycle Boulevards – If Columbus Ohio can prioritize some residential streets for smooth, pleasant bicycle riding, why can’t we do the same in Los Angeles?

8. Germanville – a beautiful old neighborhood with brick roads and sidewalks

9. Jeremy Grandstaff – a native of Ohio, Jeremy and I co-led the Winning Campaigns training.  His sense of humor kept me laughing the whole weekend.

10. The hospitality of the locals – I appreciated the warmth and friendliness of all of the folks I met while in Ohio

I look forward to learning more about Burlington, Vermont and Asheville, Tennessee later this year.  I’m scheduled to lead trainings in these places for the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

This Friday, I'm pleased to present at this Pecha Kucha and invite you to attend.  Here's more information about it:

I'm a big fan of Los Angeles and always curious to learn more about both the history and current issues of the multiple neighborhoods and landscapes in LA.  One of the most innovative organizations currently engaging people and place in Los Angeles to uncover layers of social history is Public Matters.  This Friday night, Public Matters along with the Philipino Workers Center in Historic Filipinotown will host their mobile Hi Fi Jeepney tours and a video screening.  I invite you to learn more about this event and attend.  I'm thrilled to be a part of the Public Matters team and am excited that this project in Historic Filipinotown continues to move forward. 

 
Every month I email out a newsletter with tips, updates, lessons and upcoming trainings.  Here's a link to the full newsletter.  If you would like for me to email future newsletters to you, please contact me.  Thanks and enjoy!

(I don't have any photos of Matt but I do have a photo of some of the
recommendations Alta presented at a recent meeting in Culver City)

I’m continually impressed watching the movement for a bicycle-friendly Los Angeles grow and prosper in Los Angeles.  Many people make up this movement and I’m writing to recognize one person who has worked hard over the last 10 years in the public sector, nonprofit sector and private sector: Matt Benjamin. 

After graduating from UCLA Planning School, Matt worked for the Metro in their Bikeway department and helped get numerous projects connecting bicycling with transit off the ground.  Just after I left directing the LA County Bicycle Coalition, Matt joined the organization as its Planning Director and led a major planning effort engaging low-income, immigrant bicyclists in the bicycle planning process.  Most recently, he led the LA office of Alta Planning and Design, working for clients such as the City of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Culver City. 

While I’m sad that Matt will be leaving Los Angeles, I’m happy for him and very appreciative of all of the hard work he’s put in to help make Los Angeles a better city to bike in.  Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Matt.  Most recently, I teamed up with Alta Consulting and facilitated six focus group meetings for the City of Long Beach and one large public meeting for the Culver City Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.   

I wish Matt the best as he continues his work outside of Southern California. I also look forward to a new generation of leaders working hard to continue transforming LA into a great place to bicycle, or as the LACBC puts it in their vision statement, "a great place for everyday, year-round cycling; a Los Angeles with healthier, more vibrant communities, where the air is cleaner, streets are safer and quieter; a Los Angeles where people can live, work and thrive."

(photo of a brainstorm listing some possible fundraising strategies)

Earlier in the year, I worked with the leadership at LA Voice and SOAR Charter School to create fund development plans for their organizations.  If you’re organization is about to engage in this very important process, I suggest the following 10 tips:

1. Engage your Board:  Creation of a fund development plan is a great way to get your Board involved with fundraising.  If they help create the fundraising plan, they are more likely to implement it.

2. Decide how much you need to raise:  It’s easier to get folks involved to raise funds to meet a specific goal, rather than just having some vague sense for how much you need to raise.

3. Diversify your funding sources:  Discuss different sources of funding and choose to pursue at least three sources (individuals, foundations, government, corporations, earned-income, etc).

4. Prioritize:  While there are lots of good ideas out there for fundraising, you can’t do them all.  Prioritize strategies your organization has the capacity to do that yield the strongest results.

5. Create a Workplan:  Fill out a workplan that contains the following details:  What action you will take, when will that action occur by (month/year) and who will be responsible for carrying out that action. 

6. Give yourself time:  Putting together a fund development plan can take anywhere from one to three months, depending on how frequently you meet with other folks creating it.

7. Evaluate your past fundraising:  Just because you’ve “always” done some fundraising strategy doesn’t mean you need to keep doing it.  Evaluate past strategies and decide if the benefits outweigh the costs.

8. Learn from this Process:  A fund development planning process gives everyone involved the opportunity to build their capacity as fundraisers (something even veteran fundraisers can use).

9: Don’t forget about your Plan!:  Refer to your fund development plan on at least a monthly basis and make sure the workplan you created from it is integrated into your workplan.

10. Follow-up:  Make sure your Executive Director and at least one board member commit to engaging everyone else in the organization to implement the plan.

If your organization can use the services of an experienced consultant to create your own fund development plan, please contact me. 

(Photo taken of me recently by Tom Johnson, who just
opened his Lakewood Photo Exhibit in Long Beach)

I invite you to attend another Introduction to Facilitation workshop I'm leading at the LA Eco-Village on Wednesday, July 28th from 7pm to 9pm. Here's the summary of the training:

  
Facilitators play a key role in helping a group make decisions.  They help  create a safe environment where everyone feels like their input is valued. In this workshop, you'll explore the benefits of facilitation, explore the group decision making process, explore various tools a facilitator uses, and have the opportunity to practice facilitating a group (and receive  feedback on your efforts).

The other day, I rode over my first set of Sharrows on the 4th St. Bicycle Boulevard in Los Angeles.  I congratulate the LA County Bicycle Coalition and countless others who worked to make these bicycle improvements in Los Angeles reality.  For more information about this, check out the LACBC blog. 

If I remember correctly, staff and volunteers developed the blueprint for this campaign a few years back during a "Winning Campaigns" Training I led for the Alliance for Biking and Walking.  Over the years, I have led 10 of these trainings in various cities across the country and am scheduled to lead three more this year in Columbus (Aug 6-8) , Burlington (Oct 22-24) and Asheville (Nov. 5-7).   I invite you to learn more about these trainings on the Alliance for Biking and Walking's webpage, and also invite you to join me. 

I invite you to my friend Tom Johnson's art opening tonight (who recently snapped some photos of me that I plan on using as part of my new website...stay tuned!).  Here's a link to a blog that has several of his Lakewood photos.  Here's another link to a recent story that appeared in the Long Beach Press Telegram about Tom along with more information about the opening:

Here's a link to another two-page flyer I recently created that describes the fundraising services I provide along with 10 tips for nonprofit fundraising.  Enjoy!

Here's a link to a two-page flyer I recently created that describes the facilitation services I provide along with 10 tips for successful facilitation.  Enjoy!

LSC Fellows look on as James Rojas, Co-Founder of the Latino Urban Forum
shows the model he created to showcase the future public transportation system
in Los Angeles as proposed by the Mayor's 30/10 plan. 

The Friday before I left for Mexico City, I facilitated a day-long seminar focussing on Land Use, Transportation and Housing for the Southern California Leadership Network's Leadership Southern California Class.  Here's a description of the day from SCLN's recent newsletter.  

Below that is more information about the Leadership Southern California Class, which is currently accepting applications (due at the end of the week).  A few years back, I participated in the program and would highly recommend it to build both your understanding of regional issues as well as network you with other civic-oriented leaders. 

Leadership Southern California 2010 analyzes the challenges and opportunities of Transit-Oriented Development One of the most difficult challenges facing Southern California today relates to land use, housing and transportation. As the region's population continues to grow, vehicle traffic, road infrastructure and uncertainty over the price of oil have become issues of concern. A shift towards transit-oriented development (TOD) and efficient use of land has led to new initiatives and projects, some of which were examined last week by the Leadership Southern California 2010 Fellows. "The federal funding strategy our region initiated has empowered local communities to raise transportation funds on their own," said Denny Zane, Move LA, on the significance of the 30/10 transportation initiative. "This has been seen by the federal government and other local governments as a template for projects nationwide." The Chamber is currently working with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office, Metro and Move LA on next steps for 30/10.  For more information visit www.leadershipnetwork.org or follow SCLN on Twitter@SCLN.  View photo gallery.   

Last Week to Apply for Leadership Southern California Class of 2011
With several exciting additions to the LSC curriculum, the 2011 class promises to be the most relevant, engaging program to date. The 2011 class will include a regional seminar in Ventura County, where participants will explore the people, places and trends affecting business and technology, coastal communities and agriculture; as well as a two-day seminar on natural resources management, with the new addition of energy. The new, two-day orientation session will feature activities focusing on the Internal Dynamics of Leadership, in partnership with the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. This new component focuses on executive education practices dedicated to managing one's self in the midst of dynamic, changing, challenging and sometimes stressful situations.  Please share this information with a colleague who may be interested. View more information and apply now.

Yesterday, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy hosted me at their office here in Mexico City to make a presentation about the state of bicycling in Los Angeles.  Thirteen bicycle advocates from local organizations such as BiciTekkas and Mujeres Bicicletas attended.

I talked about the growing bicycle culture in Los Angeles and showed numerous pictures of LA from the last few years.  I shared some of the organizations and people that make up the growing bike movement in Los Angeles.  Organizations such as the LA County Bicycle Coalition, CICLE, Bike Kitchen, Bike Oven, Bicrowave.  I talked about various rides such as Midnight Ridazz, Ride-Arc and Critical Mass.  I also mentioned events like the LA Street Summit, Art Cycle, the Bike Film Festival and Ciclavia, in addtion to blogs like LA Streetsblog.  I mentioned current campaigns such as Sharrows, Bike Boulevards, work to implement a new Bike Plan and the broader 30/10 plan to implement $40 billion dollars of Measure R funds.  I also talked about the incorporation of art and showed some of Cache’s murals and those "Caution Please Pass with Care" signs that appeared recently.  There's plenty of other people and organizations also working for a more bike friendly LA and I'm grateful for their efforts.  Together, this movement has dramatically increased the number of people bicycling in Los Angeles over the last 14 years, which is when a small group of us decided to launch the LA County Bicycle Coalition. 

I answered numerous questions about how groups in LA raised money to hire staff, how campaigns were organized and how a diverse group of people that care about bicycling work together in LA.  We had a very good discussion and I also learned more about their local advocacy efforts and such as developing a new bike plan for the city, passing a policy that incorporates bicycle planning into street designs and their regular Sunday Ciclovias. 

After the ride, folks from the Bicitekkas invited me on one of their weekly night rides, which starts at the city’s iconic Angel on Reforma Blvd.  About 100 of us toured the city (in the pouring rain), which included a stop near the Zocolo that will be the future location of their first Bicycle Kitchen-like space.  Very exciting! On the ride, I met Beto, the cousin of a friend of mine in LA – Ozzie, who owns one of my favorite bike shops, Echo Park Cycles.  (with Orange 20 being my other favorite shop). Small world indeed!

Folks expressed appreciation for my presentation and asked how Jimmy Lizama was doing (for the last two years Jimmy has come down to their annual Bike Congress event).  I told them Jimmy is now a proud father.  We talked about how there is so much for Mexico City to learn from Los Angeles, but in turn, there’s so much that LA can learn from Mexico (which is one of the main reasons I have spent the last two weeks here, looking at subways, street food, public spaces, Ciclovias and more).   I look forward to the exchange between Mexico City and Los Angeles increasing, and watching both of these sister cities move closer towards sustainability. 

Did you know Los Angeles and Mexico are sister cities?  Here's more info from the City of LA website on all of it's sister cities: 

"A sister city is created when a community decides to join with a community in another nation to learn more about one another, and to develop friendly meaningful exchanges. A sister city becomes official with the signing of a formal agreement by the top elected officials of the two jurisdictions. A sister city is a broad-based, officially approved, long-term partnership between two communities. These partnerships have the potential to perform the widest possible diversity of activities of any international program, including every type of municipal, business, professional, educational, and cultural exchange or project. Sister city programs involve local government, businesses, and a wide variety of citizen volunteers including nonprofit organizations."

In addition to Mexico City, I have travelled to three other sister cities to LA: Vancouver-Canada, San Salvador-El Salvador, and Tapai-Taiwan.  I hope to have the opportunity to visit other sister cities to LA during my lifetime. Not only are all these places fabulous places to visit, but they also deepen our own understanding of the many cultures that make Los Angeles home. 

      

Today, I biked around Mexico’s central and historic districts and to my pleasant surprise, numerous parks, plazas, public squares and pedestrian streets awaited me.  

They vary in size from their giant, historic Zocolo where I watched today’s world cup game with thousands of others to a tiny patch of green in one of their many parks. Each one of these places had a place for me to sit, work and people watch. 

Great cities provide places for its citizens to congregate.  Trees that shade and benches that provide a place to sit make these spaces attractive and invite use from a variety of people.  Street vendors give life to the space and provide an extra set of “eyes on the street”.   Water features add a sense of play and wonder.

I can’t help but think what a better city Los Angeles would be if we had more places like this.  Instead of parking lots, why not build more parks? Instead of vacant lots, why not convert them to community gardens? Instead of five-lane wide streets, why not add a green traffic island, wider sidewalks and a bike lane instead?  I’m glad that Los Angeles has begun moving in this direction. 

     
I love street food in general for two main reasons.  One, it gives me access to a variety of foods.  Second, it helps create vibrant urban spaces filled with people.

Mexico City is filled with street food on corners, around their subway stations, adjacent to highways and just about anywhere else it can squeeze into.  It makes otherwise bland urban spaces into places where you can people watch, sit and rest.

I’ve sampled tacos, juices, hamburgers, fruit, nuts and in the process, I have gotten a better sense of the city and people around me.  I’d like to see more of this in Los Angeles. 

     
Mexico City has another lesson for Los Angeles – dedicating existing lanes of street traffic to develop a Bus Rapid Transit network.   I took one of these busses the other day from the Zona Rosa neighborhood I’m staying in to Condessa to meet with representatives from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

With traffic in Mexico City as backed up as Los Angeles, these Rapid Buses speed through the city and come every few minutes.  They are clean, modern and very affordable ($5 pesos per ride…about 40  cents). 

The platforms are in the middle of the street and are shielded from the noise of the traffic with glass and stone walls.  The bus I rode had standing room only. 

In a city struggling to move it’s people, this investment has increased mobility and reduced pollution.  It took political will from the City’s elected officials and sustained advocacy from ITDP to make this happen.  For more information about this project and ITDP, check out their posting on the subject. 






 

For those of you not on my email list, here's a link to the recent monthly email update I just sent out.  In it, I share some lessons from Mexico City, tips for starting a nonprofit and updates on my consulting work. Enjoy!  If you would like to receive future monthly news updates sent directly to your inbox, please contact me and let me know. 
Thanks, 
Ron

After recently facilitating a seminar on land-use, transportation and housing for the Southern California Leadership Network focusing on the Gold Line Eastside extension last week, I’m paying extra attention to this issue here in Mexico City.  I have had the opportunity to ride Mexico City’s subway system and appreciated several things about it that Los Angeles could learn from.

An extensive system:  You can go just about anywhere on the subway in Mexico City.

Little wait time:  Trains here run on a very frequent schedule (I’ve had to wait less than three minutes each time).

Street vending at stations:  The public spaces immediately surrounding stations are full of people and life as vendors sell a variety of food and goods

Linkages to bus and bicycle transportation: The station I arrived at yesterday connected to a Rapid Bus Transit system, extending the reach of transit.  It also had bike racks and a free city-bikes.

Dense land-use around stations:  Mexico City is surprisingly dense, with lots of transit-oriented development around the stations.

Use of symbols at stations: I liked the maps on the train that gave each station a symbol, in addition to its name.

Affordable fares:  A one-way ticket costs 3 pesos (about 30 cents). Can’t beat that!

Today, I will learn more about sustainable transportation in Mexico City when I meet with a representative from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.



 

When I woke up on Sunday Morning here in Mexico City and looked out my window down at the giant Reforma Blvd., it was full of hundreds of cyclists.  Without knowing it, I had stumbled into one of Mexico City’s weekly Ciclovia events where miles of major Boulevards are closed off to automobile traffic and instead taken over by cyclists, rollerskaters, walkers, soccer players, dogs, children and many more.

My friends and I walked down to the street and marveled at the constant stream of cyclists – old and young, men and women, all kinds of bikes.  What a great way to experience a city!  For those who didn’t have bikes, there were kiosks every half-mile or so where you could borrow a bike for free.  I didn’t have my passport with me so I couldn’t borrow one.  The good news is that this is a weekly event so I plan to borrow a bike next week.  There are also numerous racks full of free city bikes that people could use as well.

What also impressed me was that several of the blocks had programmed space where the streets were used for other purposes.  With world cup fever going on down here, several blocks of street were converted into mini-soccer fields. Another stretch of street was turned into a showcase for locals who had restored old VW Bugs to show off their cars.  Ciclovia here gives a variety of options for people to experience their streets as vibrant places to enjoy. 

At major intersections, police regulated the car traffic so it could cross the Ciclovia on a regular basis.  We later took the subway about six stops down to the historic Zocolo, and to my surprise, the Ciclovia was going on all the way down there!

If Mexico City can do this on a weekly basis, why not Los Angeles?  I’m definitely looking forward to riding in the first Ciclavia in Los Angeles on September 12^th.  I encourage you to plan on attending and invite your friends to join you.  I also just donated to Ciclavia in LA and encourage you to as well (also on this site is a fantastic short video describing Ciclavia in LA).  

The Liberty Hill Foundation continues to fund progressive, social-change oriented organizations working to transform Los Angeles into an equitable, livable city.  This year, Liberty Hill established the Wally Marks Institute for Leadership.  When Liberty Hill called me to ask if I could provide personalized coaching for some of their grantees participating in their Leadership Institute, I immediately said yes.

Since then, I have enjoyed working with three of their most dynamic organizations – CHIRLA, CLUE and LA Voice.  My role as a coach is to work with the leadership of these organizations to enhance their capacity around board development issues.  For each organization, we developed a series of goals and are now meeting on a regular basis between now and December to make their goals reality.

As always, I enjoy learning about the issues these organizations work on, ranging from human rights, economic justice and health care.  

1. BUILD YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Recruit a diverse group of people that believe in your mission

2. DECIDE THE “BIG PICTURE” OF YOUR ORGANIZATION
Have the Board decide the organization’s mission, vision, values and long-term goals (I recommend doing this at a weekend retreat).

3. DEVELOP YOUR WORKPLAN
Based on your long-term goals, develop a plan – What actions will you take? Who will lead them? When will they occur?

4. DECIDE HOW WILL YOU FUND IT
Develop a plan to raise money - Who might want to support this effort? How will you cultivate these funders? How/when will you solicit these funders?

5. DECIDE YOUR LEGAL STRUCTURE
Some choices: 1) Become your own legal nonprofit  2) Go under the umbrella of an existing nonprofit  3) Go under the umbrella of a nonprofit incubator

Ways in which I can help:

-I’m a skilled facilitator and can work with your organization’s leadership to make important decisions during a retreat

-I’m an experienced fundraiser and can help your organization create a fundraising plan

To discuss further, please contact me.

Having already served 15 clients this year, I decided to bring on some talent to assist me with my consulting work.  After initially bringing Bob Mckechnie on as an intern earlier in the year, I recently promoted him to my first associate here at Ron Milam Consulting. 

Bob McKechnie is a writer, educator and counselor.  For most of his life Bob served as an English and journalism teacher, counselor, and administrator at the secondary and university levels in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Coachella Valley.  Recently Bob turned his attention to raising funds for programs that help the working poor, food insecure, homeless, and youth.  I first met Bob while leading a training at the Center for Nonprofit Management.  His eagerness to learn about fundraising caught my attention.

As an excellent writer, Bob assists me with my work providing fundraising services to clients.  Bob has provided a valuable second set of eyes to me to help my clients develop strong grant proposals.  With attention to detail, Bob has also assisted me as I have researched potential funding sources for clients using resources like the Foundation Center database.

Outside of consulting, Bob serves on two non-profit boards, and works in leadership positions in the recovery community. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in social science and journalism from the University of Oregon, Eugene, and a Master of Science Degree in counseling from California State University, East Bay.  

Today, I depart to Mexico City for two weeks. I'll be staying with a good friend down there in a city I have always wanted to visit.  One aspect of consulting that I really appreciate is that I can work most anywhere, given an internet connection. I also plan to meet with folks working on sustainable development down there, including representatives from the Institutes for Sustainable Transportation and Development Policy, the Mexico City Department of the Environment, Pew Foundation, the International Institute for Facilitation and Change, and the Hue Hue Eco-Village.  I'm really excited to be down there during the World Cup and also look forward to exploring the city and culture while I'm down there.  As the photo suggestions, there's a strong connection between Los Angeles and Mexico City.  I look forward to deepening my understanding of this relationship and look forward to returning to LA.  If you need to reach me while I'm gone, please contact me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. 

Tomorrow (Thursday, June 24th), I lead another training at the Center for Nonprofit Management and I invite you to attend: 

As I mentioned in a previous post, five years ago this month I launched my own consulting practice.  To celebrate that, I'm hosting a happy hour on Tuesday, June 22nd at Silverlake Wine (2935 Glendale Blvd.), from 5:30pm to around 8:30pm.   I invite you to join me.    For more info on my happy hours, below is some info from a previous blog post:

For as much as I love LA, I also love getting away.  This weekend, I spent some time at a Pepper Tree retreat center just outside of Ojai.  Nestled in the foothills of the local mountains, it’s a relaxing place with an incredible view, especially at sunset.

I facilitate lots of retreats and while I know it’s hard for everyone to get away for an entire weekend, its well worth it.  You have time to build relationships with other folks in your organization.  You have time to rest and relax.  And most important, by not being distracted by all the pressures of the city, you can be fully present in the decision making. 

I encourage groups to plan in advance and schedule retreats outside of the city a few months in advance.  I experienced this recently when I facilitated a retreat for the LA Urban Rangers on a UC Natural Reserve in the hills of North San Diego County.

A small group of LLA Members meeting with the
Executive Director of Clinica Romero

Last Friday, I planned and facilitated a thought-provoking seminar for the Southern California Leadership Network's Leadership Los Angeles class.  Below is a description of the day SCLN wrote for their newsletter.  This week, I'm working on putting together another seminar for SCLN's Leadership Southern California Class focussing on Land Use, Transportation and Housing.  

Having participated in the Leadership Southern California Program, I would recommend the program to anyone interested in engaging more with regional issues and building a stronger professional network.  Right now, Leadership Southern California is recruiting applicants...check out their website for more info.

Leadership L.A. 2010 evaluates the impact of national healthcare reform on Los Angeles
The Leadership L.A. Class of 2010 continued its nine-month program with a session on Friday, June 11 focusing on health care in Los Angeles. The Fellows met at LAC+USC Medical Center with Dr. Hector Flores, Director, Family Care Specialists Medical Group to discuss the impact national reform has had on Los Angeles' local health care providers and practitioners.  As part of the day, Fellows also met with Jennifer Ybarra, Program Manager, The California Endowment, and toured the Legacy LA facilities and Ramona Gardens neighborhood.  Ybarra stated "it's not enough to have health insurance. A healthy community shapes an individual's quality of life. Lou Calanche, Executive Director, Legacy LA, highlighted key issues that still inhibit quality of life in Ramona Gardens, such as air quality and access to quality food. Excursions moderated by Pete Delgado, President & CEO, LAC + USC Healthcare Network, among others, gave the Fellows the opportunity to analyze three different systems used to provide medical services in LA: public hospitals, private hospitals, and community clinics. Read more@SCLN. View photo gallery.

Photo of checklist from a Board meeting where members
committed to different fundraising activities

This Thursday, June 17th, I'm leading a Building a Fundraising Board of Directors training at the Flintridge Center in Pasadena from 10am to 11:30pm. 

How engaged is your board with fundraising in your organization? This seminar provides an overview of the major elements involved in building and maintaining an effective board of directors. The focus is on maximizing the capabilities of the board and motivating them to take the lead in fundraising. Topics include developing board fundraising policies and structures to ensure active board participation.

Flintridge Retreat Center #117
236 West Mountain Street, 117 Pasadena, CA 91103

Sliding scale: $15-35

To RSVP, visit the Flintridge Center website. 

For more on Board fundraising, check out some of my past blogposts on the subject. 

Tonight, Tuesday June 15th, I'm leading a "Running Effective Meetings" Training at the LA Eco-Village, from 7pm to 9pm.  

This workshop explores the key components necessary to ensure meetings are effective and result in decisions that help an organization move forward.  These components include: developing an agenda, knowing people’s roles and responsibilities, having a decision making process, facilitation and good listening skills.

Fee: $35 (sliding scale available)
Reservations required: crsp@igc.org or 213/738-1254

Here's a link to my my Top 10 Tips for running good meetings.

For more information Ron Milam’s work as a facilitator, click here.

I will also lead another Introduction to Facilitation training on July 28th from 7pm to 9pm at the LA Eco-Village.

L.A. Eco-Village is located at 117 Bimini Pl. near 1st and Vermont in Los Angeles    directions

(David from Alta Planning and Design receiving
input at one of the break out stations)

Approximately 75 people participated in the bicycle and pedestrian planning process in Culver City on June 12th for a three-hour community workshop.  The workshop started with a presentation of the plan, presented by David Pulsipher from Alta Consulting.  The Public Advisory Committee, made up of community members, then gave their input on the plan.  One of the committee members, Ron Durgin, made the case for inserting a stronger vision into the plan.  He showed the inspiring, short Streetfilms video, Long Beach Shifts Cycling in to High Gear, which earned the audience’s applause.

For the next hour and a half, meeting participants shared their comments and suggestions for the plan, first by making general comments in front of the large group, and then by breaking up into four smaller groups to give input on proposed maps, programs, recommendations and a prioritized list of bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects. The meeting closed with David reviewing next steps, which incorporates the public’s input, the plan going in front of the City’s planning committee and eventually going before the city council.

It’s not too late to provide feedback on this plan – the deadline is June 18^th.  

I appreciate all the work that so many people have put into this process.  I also enjoyed facilitating this workshop and wish the community the best as they move forward.  

I'm looking forward to facilitate a community workshop in Culver City this Saturday.  Here's more information about the meeting from the Culver City website:

Community Workshop this Saturday - June 12th.  Please come to the final community workshop to discuss Culver City's first Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan.  The workshop will be held in Veteran's Memorial Auditorium from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. See you on Saturday!

The Draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is available for review on the Documents page. Please review it and come to the June 12 workshop to provide feedback.

Comments on the Draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan are due by Friday, June 18.  You can submit your comments here.

A little bit about the project...

The Culver City Bicycle and Pedestrian Initiative aims to help residents and visitors overcome these barriers. The initiative will compile updates in policy, program and infrastructure into the City’s first comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. This plan will guide the improvements for cycling and walking citywide.

Additionally, the impending 2010 arrival of the Exposition Light Rail Transit line and the bikeway alongside it, on the edge of the city, provides an excellent opportunity to enhance the adjacent area, promoting safe and comfortable non-motorized access to the station. The initiative features a physical project element that will focus on providing bicyclists and pedestrians with these connections—the Expo to Downtown Bicycle and Pedestrian Connector.

We hope you participate in this process to make Culver City a place that offers active, sustainable and safe lifestyles, where people bike and walk for transportation and recreation.

(photo from a recent LA Urban Rangers Retreat I facilitated)

This Wednesday (June 9th), I'm leading an Advanced Facilitation training at the LA Eco-Village. The following week on June 15th, I'm leading a Running Effective Meetings training.  I invite you to attend one or both of them.

Here's more information: 

Wed, June 9, 2010 from 7 to 9 pm at L.A. Eco-Village          directions

Advanced Facilitation 

This workshop explores more sophisticated tools and strategies that facilitators use to ensure groups effectively reach decisions.  Participants will have the opportunity to practice facilitating challenging situations and receive feedback from the instructor and training participants. 

Recommended pre-requisite:  Intro to Facilitation or some facilitation experience.

Fee:        $35 (sliding scale available)
Reservations required:  crsp@igc.org or 213/738-1254

============================================

Tue, June 15, 2010 from 7 to 9 pm at L.A. Eco-Village    directions

Running Effective Meetings    

This workshop explores the key components necessary to ensure meetings are effective and result in decisions that help an organization move forward.  These components include: developing an agenda, knowing people’s roles and responsibilities, having a decision making process, facilitation and good listening skills.

Fee:        $35 (sliding scale available)
Reservations required:  crsp@igc.org or 213/738-1254

I recently facilitated a one-day retreat for the Echo Park Time Bank.  I’m pleased to report their Board of Directors made a number of important decisions that will help them move forward. We focused on developing long and short term goals, which help guide any organization.  After brainstorming numerous possibilities, we categorized them and prioritized a few areas for them to focus in on. 

After the retreat, the founding Board members Autumn and Lisa emailed me the following “We want to thank you again so much for all the invaluable help you gave us last weekend. We felt incredibly encouraged and hopeful afterward.”

As always, I really enjoy facilitating groups and am always thrilled when participants leave the retreat more focused and energized about their work.  And for anyone living in or near Echo Park, I encourage you to check out the Echo Park Time Bank for an innovative means of exchange and community building.

For more info about the facilitation services I provide, check out my one-page flyer.

Five years ago this month, I launched my own consulting practice.   Since then, I’m pleased to report I have consulted for over 40 nonprofit organizations primarily in the areas of facilitation and fundraising. 

I love my work.  I get to work with dynamic leaders working on a variety of issues throughout Southern California.   With each project, I learn about my client’s work to create parks and open space, develop affordable housing, transform streets into bicycle-friendly places, create sustainable communities and so much more.  I also learn more about how to make meetings even more effective and how to engage staff and board members around successful fundraising strategies. 

To celebrate, I plan to hold another happy hour on Tuesday, June 22nd, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Silverlake Wine.  As always, my happy hours are places where I invite all of my clients and friends to share a drink and discuss the issues of the day.   I invite you to join us.

We’ll see what the next five years bring.  I hope to serve even more organizations that are working to transform Southern California into a sustainable region.  Thanks for all of your interest and support.

As a consultant, I specialize in providing facilitation and fundraising services.  I recently made some changes to my one page flyers for both of these subjects and would like to share them with you for your review.  Please feel free to forward them on to anyone who you think might be interested in my services, or give me a call if you would like to discuss further. 
Thanks, 
Ron

Here's a link to the facilitation flyer.

Here's a link to the fundraising flyer.

I'm pleased to serve as a member of the Public Matters Team.  Public Matters recently received a nomination for NAU's grant for change that if awarded, would provide a $10,000 grant to support our innovative market makeover work. Please take a minute to learn more about this innovative work and vote for Public Matters. 

More info on Public Matters from their website:

Public Matters generates innovative, artistic, place-based projects that build creative, civic and social capital in communities. Our projects develop creative community leaders. We engage residents in the creation of media-based neighborhood narratives that illuminate its history, character and conditions and integrate the results with broader civic processes, advocacy efforts and community initiatives. Our work addresses social issues through long-term educational projects. Our interdisciplinary approach is creative and analytical, left-brained and right-brained. We establish long-term sustainable programs that evolve beyond our initial involvement and are ultimately shaped by the community and its needs. 

Here's more information about Market Makeovers: 

Market makeovers are one strategy that aims to prevent obesity by working directly with community residents, community organizations and market owners to offer fresh, good quality fruits and vegetables to consumers consistently and reliably.

I'm excited to attend a fundraiser for the Liberty Hill Foundation, and invite you to join me.  Below is more information about their signature fundraising event.  I'm pleased to continue serving the Liberty Hill Foundation as a Consultant.  Having led many fundraising trainings for their grantees over the last few years, I'm currently serving as a coach for four of their grantees to build their capacity around board development issues.  Both Liberty Hill and their grantees they fund continue to inspire me with their work for social change in Los Angeles. 

Outside of Consulting, I'm pleased to serve as an LA Urban Ranger.  Earlier today, I met with some of my fellow Rangers and prepared for our final Malibu Public Beach Safari, which we are hosting this Sunday.  I invite you to attend.   Below is information the LA Urban Rangers emailed out about the event.

I just returned from a fantastic three-week vacation in Sri Lanka and Thailand.  I learned a great deal about the people, history and cultures of these two fascinating places.

In Thailand, we kept a safe distance from the protest zone, but discussed the current political unrest with locals during our travels.  The most inspiring place I visited in Thailand was the Elephant Nature Park, where I met the founder Lek (pictured in the photo).  She’s a real visionary who’s developed an engaging institution that not only rescues abused elephants, but inspires and engages visitors and volunteers in the process.  

Sri Lanka was another country recently torn by long-standing strife between its peoples, which we had the opportunity to learn about through conversations with various locals.  We toured Trincomalee in the north that until very recently, was a warzone, but has now returned to some level of normalcy.  The most inspiring place I visited in Sri Lanka was Sigiriya, an ancient Buddhist monestary built into a giant boulder (also pictured).

I hope both countries move forward towards a path of peace.  Altogether I return to Los Angeles refreshed and inspired.  I come back with a greater appreciation for the world’s diversity and my own city of Los Angeles.  I highly recommend international travel to local leadership here in Los Angeles. 

Here's a link to my April newsletter - containing some tips, questions and updates on my consulting work.  Enjoy!

I'm pleased to report the International Institute for Facilitation and Change has published another one of my articles in their online Bonfire newsletter - "Facilitation Skills - Listening".  I'm thrilled to contribute to a broader understanding of facilitation through this work and hope you find it useful, whether your facilitating a meeting or just spending time with people you care about. The International Institute for Facilitation and Change's website has a number of helpful articles on facilitation that I have found valuable and encourage you to check them out. 

Last night, I attended a high-energy fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer that President Obama spoke at.  A diverse crowd packed to hear the President, including my own elected representatives - Council President Eric Garcetti and County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas. 

I attended to not only support the cause,  but to also experience a major political fundraiser. 

As a Consultant, I’m always curious to learn from events I attend.  Here’s five elements from last night’s event that you may want to replicate if you are planning your own fundraising event: 

1. Feature a keynote speaker that many will fork out the extra bucks to see.

2. Stick to a relatively short program – they kept it to India Arie (who sang some inspirational songs), the chair of the DNC, Senator Boxer and then the President.

3. Their speeches celebrated progress they made while asking people for their ongoing support.

4. They personalized some of the invitations – the invite I received for this event came from my Council Member.

5.  They effectively dealt with challenges as they came up (including some hecklers in the audience that the President very effectively responded to by saying he heard their concerns, was working on it and then went back to his speech - to the applause of his supporters).

And at the end of the day, they raised an estimated $3.5 million dollars!  Even though my contribution was relatively small to the overall amount they raised, it was a gift I needed to give some thought to, and one that I’m glad I made.  

For more tips on planning an effective fundraiser, check out my recent blog post on the topic.

Many of us spend much of our times in meetings.  Having attending numerous meetings as a facilitator and participant, I would like to share the following 10 quick tips for running effective meetings:

1. Designate a Facilitator:  Whether it’s a member of the group such as the Board President or the organization brings in an outside facilitator, their role is to help keep the group focused and moving forward.

2. Develop an agenda before the meeting:  At the core of a good agenda are items that require the group to make decisions.  Project how much time each item will take and assign the outcome you hope to accomplish.

3. Stick to the agenda during the meeting:  Many temptations exist to stray off topic.  Stay focused to get the work done you need to get done and record other ideas brought up at the meeting for future meetings. 

4. Record decisions made:  Have a notetaker at every meeting to take minutes and have them record each decision, who is responsible for implementing it and if any future actions need to happen.

5. Start and end on time:  When groups slide from starting and ending on time, people loose motivation for attending meeting.

6. Set groundrules:  Groundrules help ensure civility between members. Some examples:  Respect each other, one conversation at time, be constructive.

7. Address conflict when it comes up:  Dealing with conflict can be challenging but not dealing with it and letting it fester can potentially be worse.

8. Use graphics:  Have someone scribe notes on a dry-erase board or poster paper to visually record people’s thoughts.

9. Evaluate:  Occasionally ask what about the meetings work well and what could be improved…experiment with ways to improve meetings.

10. Thank people for attending: If folks feel appreciated and valued, they are more likely to show up at future meetings, especially if they are a volunteer.

I’m leading three upcoming trainings at the LA Eco-Village on April 1, May 19 and June 15 related to running good meetings and invite you to attend.   

In the spirit of building community in Los Angeles, I’ve hosted/facilitated a monthly happy hour for the last year or so.  As a Consultant, I interact with phenomenal leaders working on a variety of issues all throughout LA.  This is one way in which I bring everyone together and I welcome you to attend. For every one of these I've hosted, a fantastic group of thoughtful, engaged and interesting people have attended, always having a variety of engaging discussions. 

My next happy hour is this Friday, April 23rd starting at about 5:30pm and going to around 9pm at the Eagle Rock Brewery Tasting Room at 3056 Roswell St. (one block south of Fletcher and one block east of San Fernando).  This is L.A.'s first brewery to open in 60 years! 

If you plan on dropping by, here's a question to ponder and potentially discuss as you chat with folks - who do you think are some of LA's best leaders and why?

Here's a link to the Facebook invite I sent out for the event. 

Now that health care reform has passed, what does it mean for Los Angeles? What local leaders are implementing innovations in health care in Los Angeles?  If you have thoughts on these questions, please let me know. 

I’m excited to again work with the Southern California Leadership Network and help them plan and facilitate their upcoming issue day on Health Care for their Leadership Los Angeles Program.

Last week, I met with a group of current Leadership fellows and alumni, and we brainstormed possible themes, speakers and site visits for this upcoming issue day in June.  Based on their input and working with staff from SCLN, I’ll be working to design this one-day learning experience.  Through the process, I look forward to building my own understanding of health care and also meeting many talented leaders throughout the process. 

I do the majority of my consulting in Southern California but occasionally work for clients in other places.  Over the last several months, I have worked closely with the leadership of SOAR Charter school in Denver to help launch a new school. 

Before Gianna Cassetta started work to create SOAR Charter School, I worked closely with her and her husband Marc Waxman in Harlem, New York, at Future Leaders Institute Charter School. 

When Gianna called me to ask if I could help them with their new school, I joined the team immediately.  Gianna is an exceptional leader who has recruited a strong Board of Directors to launch a rigorous, progressive school in one of Denver’s lower-income communities.  It’s a model that I would love see replicated in Los Angeles.

Working closely with Gianna and her board, I created a fund development plan which I am now working to implement.  I wrote one grant that’s secured the school $375,000 in support and am also working to help build a base of individual donors to the school.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the school’s first enewsletter sent out today. 

I’m pleased to report the fundraiser for LA Streetsblog that I co-hosted with four other people last friday went very well! Over 60 people attended this intimate fundraiser at the LA Eco-Village, with delicious food prepared by Deborah Murphy and ales from New Belgium Brewing.  For more about the event, check out the LA Streetsblog post. 

Pictured above are members of the LA County Bicycle Coalition’s City of Lights Program, one of the awardees of the evening.  This innovative program's objective is "to increase working-class Latino immigrant bicyclists' safety and empower them to educate and spread bicycle safety information and advocacy to their communities."

Having served as the LA County Bicycle Coalition’s first Executive Director, it gives me great pleasure to watch the organization continue to innovate, grow and transform LA County into a great place to bicycle.  If you ride a bicycle in Los Angeles County and care to see riding conditions improve, I encourage you to join the LACBC as a member today.

I’m pleased to serve on the host committee for an upcoming fundraiser for LA StreetsBlog on April 9^th from 6pm to 9pm, and invite you to attend.  Streetsblog is the go to blog in LA to get the latest and greatest on work being done to  transform transportation and the streets in Los Angeles into a more livable/sustainable system.  

This afternoon, I’m working at my friend Angel’s recently opened café called Cafecito Organico and really like the space! There’s a nice, shaded seating area (that's not shown in the picture) where I can work and the traffic on nearby Hoover and Bellevue here in Silverlake is relatively quiet.

I’m really excited that my friend Angel launched this new spot, which is a great addition for the community.  Some of you may know Angel’s coffee because he sells them every week at the Silverlake and Hollywood Farmers markets.  Just like a new nonprofit organization that makes its first big step and decides to hire its first Executive Director, Angel’s taking a big step by opening up a storefront and I wish him all the best.

If you like coffee, this is a spot to check out.  He imports his own fair-trade coffee from places he’s actually visited in Central America and other places.  His product is organic and he roasts the beans himself.  All this adds up to a delicious cup of brew. 

Check out Cafecito Organico at 534 N. Hoover St.,
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Mon - Fri 6 am to 6 pm
Sat & Sun 7 am to 6 pm. 

 

Over the last few weeks, I've noticed numerous of these posters plastered on utility boxes along busy streets in Los Angeles. As a Consultant, I bike to the majority of my meetings with clients and appreciate this extra notice designed to raise awareness of drivers.  I thank whoever was responsible for designing these and putting them up around town.  

To find out more, I went to the LA Streetsblog and found an post giving more information about these signs.  This Friday April 9th, I'm co-hosting a fundraiser for LA Streetsblog and invite you to attend.  It will be from 6pm to 9pm at the LA Eco-Village (117 Bimini Pl.). 

I recently led a workshop on planning successful fundraising events at the Center for Nonprofit Management and shared some of the best practices I've learned over the years as a Consultant.  

I'd like to share my top 10 tips with you:

1. Decide your audience: Figure out who you want to attend your event

2. Decide what kind of event to do:  What would your audience be most interested in attending? Make sure your organization has the capacity to do it

3. Give yourself six months to plan the event:  Working backwards from the event date, put all of these things on a calendar

4. Involve your board, staff and volunteers:  Figure all of the various ways you can involve and engage staff, board and volunteers both in the event planning and the event itself.

5. Pick the right location:  Pick a location that is easy for your audience to get to.  Also, pick a venue that’s going to be right for the event your doing. 

6. Aim to raise at least as much as you spend:  While fundraising events accomplish other important things like raising your organization’s profile, you want to earn making at least twice of what you spend

7. Keep the program short: Make sure you have a tight agenda and that you’ve let everyone know how long they have to speak. 45 minutes or less

8. Figure out the pitch beforehand: Figure out who will do this and when they will do it during the event. Practice beforehand.

9. Thank your attendees: Thank them for coming when they arrive, when they leave and afterwards with a letter if you can.Be sure to evaluate afterwards:  Taking time to evaluate will help you with future events 

10. Be sure to evaluate afterwards:  Taking time to evaluate will help you with future events

 Here's a link to my March Newsletter with tips + updates

Facilitation plays a key role in my work as a Consultant.  I've faciliated numerous retreats, board meetings and community meetings.

This Thursday, April 1st, from 7 to 9pm, I'll be leading an "Introduction to Facilitation" workshop at the Los Angeles Eco Village. I invite you to attend.  

Here's more info about the training:

Facilitators play a key role in helping a group make decisions.  They help  create a safe environment where everyone feels like their input is valued. In this workshop, you'll explore the benefits of facilitation, explore the group decision making process, explore various tools a facilitator uses, and have the opportunity to practice facilitating a group (and receive  feedback on your efforts) 

I'm excited that the International Institute for Facilitation and Change included my Top 10 Facilitation tips in their recent Bonfire Newsletter.  This organization and newsletter is a great resource for anyone wanting to improve their facilitation skills.  

I'm also pleased to invite you to the following three trainings I just scheduled at the Los Angeles Eco-Village, which you are more than welcome to attend: