The CIVIC Solutions

EXECUTIVE COACHING 

Coaching | Capacity Building

Tailored for leaders in the non-profit organizations

Whether you've been recently promoted or you’re making a career change, being an Executive Director comes with surprises that no one thinks to tell you in advance. Our inquiry-driven executive coaching program will assist you in navigating transition and building the right foundation for your leadership.

With your personal and organizational goals as milestones, our process will support your growth and instruct you on how to achieve impact with your board of directors, staff, community, and the philanthropic sector.

Over a six-month program, Derek will provide a confidential and collegial environment to explore your leadership style and vision.

Together we will develop:

• A leadership roadmap for the first two years as an Executive Director
• A broader understanding of the interconnectedness of your professional landscape
• Advanced skills on arts management and designing new organizational experiences
• Increased understanding of expanding your reach and influence 

CULTURAL/EDUCATIONAL/NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Organizational Assessments | Matchmaking | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Processes & Practices

Designed for universities, museums, theaters, and other non-profit organizations working in/with communities of color and examining issues of equity and inclusion

Universities, theaters, and museums are grappling with questions about their relevance in the shadow of declining attendance by traditional patron bases and their impact in light of changes in American demographics and cultural expectations. For example, some universities responded to declining numbers by replacing domestic students with international students. This move supported growth, but cost them connection with residents in their host communities. It often led to accusations of colonization and gentrification during periods of campus expansion in residential neighborhoods. 

Museums and theaters made attempts at broadening their audiences by introducing limited-run productions and exhibitions featuring artists of color. However, tepid commitments - from poor messaging and inadequate staff training to the reluctant placement and inclusion of diverse work as a central part of their audience engagement - made these initiatives seem tokenizing and patronizing.

Re|Fresh Strategies work with cultural and educational clients begins with by learning how the clients defines their challenges and what success looks like. From there, an assessment of the organization reveals areas of alignment and disconnect from the current state and the ways in which success can be achieved. For example, smaller institutions may benefit from matchmaking and facilitating connections with community stakeholders. Larger institutions may benefit from a more in-depth examination of how their plans and actions are navigating today’s environment while still aligning with their missions.

ENTERPRISE

Organizational Assessments | Matchmaking | Community Building | Racial Equity Dialogues

For companies and organizations seeking to add a social justice component to their operations and to diversify their client and audience bases

For-profit companies and many non-profit organizations often walk a fine line between wanting to fulfill their social responsibility expectations and meeting the bottom line. Today’s consumers and stakeholders, however, are more savvy and they understand when corporate actions are performative rather than substantive, feel when engagements are extractive rather than interactive, and recognize when their communities are treated as being monolithic instead of diverse. Additionally, with the proliferation of online content, the decline of attention spans, and a thirst for meaningful engagements, sustaining audience and consumer interest is significantly more complicated.

Similar to working with cultural and educational clients, Re|Fresh Strategies works with for-profit clients to understand their challenges and uses an equity lens to examine and develop new pathways to success. This may take the form of internal racial equity dialogues, evolving internal processes, or facilitating matchmaking with external communities and leaders.