RAYMOND L. RIGOGLIOSO
Consulting Services for Nonprofits
Raymond L. Rigoglioso
Consulting Services for Nonprofits
Copyright 2011 Raymond L.Rigoglioso
All Rights Reserved
Challenge: this voluntary association of nonprofit, government, and educational institutions serving disabled people in Westchester County, New York needed to develop a shared agenda for its work over the next five years. Historically, members of the group’s steering committee had set the partnership’s priorities and did most of the work. The steering committee co-chairs wanted the membership to take greater ownership for the partnership’s direction and to engage more fully in its work.
Co-Designing the Process: I met with the co-chairs and quizzed them about: the history of the partnership, its accomplishments, its strengths, its challenges, their frustrations, what was going well, what wasn’t going well, and the dynamics within the membership.
The co-chairs asked me to facilitate their next regularly scheduled meeting. They did not want to exceed the agreed-upon meeting time, so I had just two hours to help the partnership create a vision and an action plan for the next five years.
Creating a Tailored Meeting Structure. The meeting structure would first engage members in a dialogue about the direction of the partnership. In my inquiry, I learned that the membership had completed a survey of its main priorities. I would have members break out into four working groups according to these priorities. The groups would define each issue and create a plan of action around it. We would conclude with reports from the working groups and a discussion of next steps.
Review. I presented a minute-by-minute script to the co-chairs along with the worksheet I had created for the working groups for the co-chairs to review. We refined the structure and worksheet to the co-chairs’ satisfaction.
Results. In just two hours, 37 participants defined the four major challenges facing people with disabilities in Westchester. They created goals for the changes they sought and a plan of action for achieving that change. This powerful session moved this group from ambiguity to clarity and action.
Case Study: Westchester Disability Advocacy Partnership
“In just two hours, Ray helped the Westchester Disability Advocacy Partnership’s diverse membership define the challenges facing people with disabilities in the county and begin to create a focused and achievable agenda for action. His gift for listening and asking the right questions helped us hone right in on the issues and create a cohesive vision that we could all buy into.”
-Meghan Schoeffling and Robin Osborne,
Co-Chairs, Westchester Disability Advocacy Coalition
