Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities
“We had the flexibility to play and learn together as a team,” said Pat Sukhum, Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities, as he described the organization’s strategic planning process led by Propel’s Strategic Services Consultant, Leah Porter, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Consultant, Shana Moses.
The team worked together to create a new set of organizational values that serves as a compass for their work. They engaged over 700 constituents to inform their strategic plan.
When Propel and Shana, the JEDI consultant, arrived to start their work, the team at Big
Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities (BBBSTC) were hoping for something transformative, something that would not only provide a clear road map for the future but also change how the organization conducted its work.
“The consultants we worked with were good about cracking us open and helping us realize how we were a little bit stuck,” said Sukhum. “We had to reckon with where we were starting from and who we wanted to be.”
Throughout the engagement, the team practiced new ways of working together and incorporating new processes they hope to continue into the future.
“We got to practice really listening to our community,” Jennifer Bartels, BBBSTC Vice President of People & Impact said. “Like many other nonprofits in the Twin Cities, we are called to be responsive to the community, and this process helped us learn how to listen to our constituents, dream about what is possible, and incorporate what we’ve learned in a way that really feels like we have them behind us.”
Bartels and Sukhum said the partnership between Propel and the JEDI consultant provided the structure, deep reflection, engagement, and discipline the organization needed to have a truly transformative experience. They have a clear roadmap for the future of the organization, and they feel confident that their JEDI work is their strategic plan.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities seeks to amplify the potential that lives within all children to realize their biggest possible future.