Cross Sector Relationships
 

Current Activities

 

Appreciative Approaches to Building Effective Organizations and Communities

“The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths, making our weaknesses irrelevant.”
                                     —Peter Drucker, Author and Management Consultant

* The April 27-28/June 15 program has been cancelled, but we hope to offer it again.

Given the challenging economy, the topic of ‘what’s going wrong’ can easily dominate our conversations, so much so that we risk not noticing ‘what’s going right’. Yet, trying times like these provide opportunities to make positive change with and for the people we serve.

Appreciative Approaches to Building Effective Organizations and Communities is a highly-interactive two-part workshop that will provide participants with new skills to initiate positive change in their organization and community using the strength-based principles and practices of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). The first session provides an introduction to the AI model and relevant case studies. Participants will learn how to integrate AI practices into their work. The second session will be an in-depth discussion of successes and challenges using AI in the workplace and community.

Who should attend?
This workshop is designed for community and organizational leaders, including elected officials, local and state government employees, community organization management and staff, facilitators, and educators.


Objectives

Participants will learn to apply the AI framework to

  • Tap the strengths and capacities of your organization and community
  • Reframe problem-focused issues into solution-focused opportunities
  • Strengthen team effectiveness and capacity to collaborate
  • Facilitate engaged public participation

 

Content

Participants will be introduced to some of the latest thinking and research on AI. The workshop provides time to explore the following topics in depth

  • Recognize the power of a strength-based approach for bringing about change in organizations and communities
  • Refocus and craft questions to increase the effectiveness of conversations
  • Evaluate recent global case studies, research, and lessons learned from applying AI in areas such as health care, education, government, and international development
  • Develop the key capacities of collaboration
  • Receive support in developing sustainable change programs
  • Share personal insights and successes related to managing change, collaborating, and encouraging innovation

When and where will the training be held?

TBD       

School of Government, UNC-Chapel Hill

Who is the trainer?
Sallie Lee focuses on organizational and international development as a consultant to a diverse group of corporate, academic, governmental, and nonprofit organizations. For 15 years, Lee has collaborated with her clients to offer creative, participatory, practical processes for whole systems, while serving as a thinking partner, facilitator, and strategist. Trained in psychology and philosophy at NC State University, she also holds an MA in international development from the University of Miami and certification in global change and social innovation from Case Western Reserve University’s Global Excellence in Management program, the year-long flagship foundational program on which most other academic AI programs are modeled. Lee has published four articles on AI and trained more than 700 people in its principles and practices. She lives in Asheville, NC.

Who is hosting the training?
The Public Intersection Project at the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill focuses on encouraging cross-organizational, collaborative problem-solving at the community level.

Where can I learn more about the process of Appreciative Inquiry?
There are many websites devoted to describing the process and outcomes of Appreciative Inquiry. Visit http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/ for practical information and to learn more about the academic foundation of AI.

For more information, please contact Margaret Henderson at margaret@sog.unc.edu, or call 919.966.3455.

How much does it cost?

TBD

___________________________________________________________________________

Article in Popular Government:  “Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence:  The Community’s Role in Weaving a Safety Net,” Popular Government:  Vol. 73, No. 2. Winter 2008. This article describes our efforts to help communities build the capacity to stop domestic and sexual violence, and addresses both the humane and practical motivations local governments have to work collaboratively with local service programs. Thanks to funding from the NC Governor’s Crime Commission, we are also able to continue providing technical assistance and facilitation services to local governments and nonprofits working to strengthen their local systems of prevention and response to the violence.

Facilitations of Cross-Organizational Efforts and Board Retreats:  Lydian Altman and Margaret Henderson are available to facilitate meetings and retreats.  Recent work with a wide variety of public service organizations and local governments has focused on strategic planning and capacity building facilitation.

Workshops on Sustainability:  Using the materials developed in the project, “Building Community Capacity to Stop Domestic and Sexual Violence,” we provide a framework for project or community teams to use to assess their current strength and make plans for the future. Recent clients include the pilot project teams from across the country through the PREVENT Institute at UNC’s Injury Prevention Center and also the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators.

Conference Presentations and Training:  We are happy to respond to inquiries to make presentations or hold training events. Some of our recent topics and clients include:

  • NC Board of Elections:                                 
    • Stress Management
  • NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault:             
    • Communicating With Your Board:  How you say is What you get
  • National Sexual Violence Resource Sharing Project: 
    • Managing From the Center
  • NCSU Cooperative Extension:
    • Tips and Tools for Engaging in Public Problem-Solving
  • NC STEP (a program of the NC Rural Center):
    • Community Capacity:  Effective Organization and Leadership

Navigating Nonprofit-Local Government Relationships 

Navigating Nonprofit–Local Government Relationships training is offered by staff and faculty of the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, as part of the Public Intersection Project.

Check out our website at www.publicintersection.unc.edu. The public benefits when nonprofit and governmental organizations join together to solve community problems. In this training, we focus on ways to design mutually responsible, successful relationships.

Who Should Attend

Staff and/or elected officials of municipal and county governments and community-based nonprofits (including local philanthropies) who

  • Manage applications for government funding
  • Negotiate, review, or monitor contractual agreements between nonprofits and governments
  • Wish to assess the success of their nonprofit-government interactions
  • Have an interest in developing new ways of working together

Training Objectives

  • Share insights on managing the diverse expectations placed on nonprofit-local government relationships.
  • Share practices that strengthen mutual accountability within these relationships.
  • Discuss four common dimensions of these relationships.
  • Share information about effective ways to contract with and monitor nonprofit government relationships.

Instructors

Lydian Altman is an associate director of the Public Intersection Project at the School of Government. She has spent more than 20 years working with public sector organizations. She received an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Margaret Henderson is an associate director of the Public Intersection Project at the School of Government. Nonprofits have been the focus of her career in the public sector. She teaches a course in nonprofit management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned an MPA.

Stay Informed:
We invite you to join the Listserv for updates on activities and new publications.

No training events are currently scheduled.  Please contact us if you would like to arrange customized training for your organization.