“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” — Aristotle
When you set up a strong team, a special kind of alchemy occurs. You start to see results that far surpass anything individual teammates could do on their own. We see it all the time; it’s one of our favourite parts of the job.
It’s In Our Blood
Social change is our business. And our lifelong passion. We have a solid track record of empowering leaders and organizations to take ownership of their impact. Our partnership combines a few key strengths:
We’re rock solid: Our team holds a PhD, an MA, and certification from the Bridgespan Group. We are part of a team of Innoweave coaches and have a long-standing relationship with the J.W. McConnell Foundation. We also have substantial experience in organizational development, performance review, strategic clarity, program monitoring and evaluation, as well as in project development, community engagement, training and group facilitation.
We are nimble: We are flexible when meeting your needs, and can draw from both our academic and professional training, but also be creative and adaptive if your needs change.
We’re honest: We love our job and usually have fun. But our goal is to come to solutions. Which sometimes means we’ll play the bad cop. We’ll push and we won’t shy away from saying things that need to be said (though always with great compassion).
Diversity excites us: We’re experienced with non-profits, social innovation and grassroots initiatives, arts and cultural organizations, as well as government agencies, universities, private and corporate foundations.
Two Heads Are Better Than One
Our hands-on, collegial approach reflects the strengths of our co-founders. Friendship, trust, shared vision, and a deep sense of commitment to people and community, are at the heart of our relationship to our clients, partners and each other. Lara grew up in the community sector, participating in her first rally at the age of 3, serving as a Board member of an award-winning NFP as a young adult, and working alongside her activist dad for many years. Stephanie began her career in the NGO sector managing programs in the areas of gender and development, girls’ education and youth engagement.
Stephanie lived in Ethiopia and India, went to Harvard, and has a PhD in education policy. Lara loves languages and speaks three, has travelled to over 20 countries, and founded an independent cultural organization that builds bridges between local artists and citizens that wish to participate in the artistic vibrancy of their communities.
Stephanie researches clients (and just about everything) thoroughly, and arrives at every meeting having read as much as she can on the subject. Lara can hold a room with incredible poise and integrity. No tough discussion ruffles her feathers.
Lara is a master gardener. Stephanie is a hockey mom.
From our team to yours
There’s nothing we enjoy more than watching the magic of smart people’s ideas multiply into something that far exceeds everyone’s expectations. We’re team players and building strong, long-term relationships is our goal.
We get you to the finish line: We are careful to only take on clients we know we can help.
We’ve been there: We’ve been in your shoes. We get it. We understand your objectives, your concerns and the demands on your time. Just as importantly, we speak the same language and you can look to us for insight and advice on issues of strategy, accountability, and delivering measurable results.