LLC Previous Consulting Projects

Our client roster includes some of the country’s leading foundations such as:

 Our work covers a wide range of focus areas and geographical regions. Some of our previous projects include:

Scans

 2009

1. A Scan on Network Development and Catalyzing Collaborative Action on Poverty and Injustice (Client: The Synergos Institute)

   • Authors: Claire Reinelt, Natalia Castaneda

   • In this scan we explore how to strengthen the capacity of Synergos’ networks in order to foster more collaboration within and across the networks, with the goal of more effectively addressing issues of global poverty and social injustice.  We identify key challenges and formulate strategic recommendations around capacity, communication, and network assessment, among other areas. 

1. Developing a Racial Justice and Leadership Framework to Promote Racial Equity, Address Structural Racism, and Heal Racial and Ethnic Divisions in Communities (Clients: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The Center for Ethical Leadership)

   • Authors: Deborah Meehan, Claire Reinelt, Elissa Perry

   • In this scan we identify and analyze key success factors of programs that are enhancing leadership capacity to work across differences, take collective action, and address the systems that perpetuate racial inequities in communities.

     More specifically, we explore ways in which the leadership paradigm is shifting. The heroic paradigm of leadership that privileges white, male, individual leadership is being questioned and challenged from many directions, and in many communities and organizations. The current state of the economy, the rise of social technology, and the election of a new president have expanded the potential for making breakthrough changes in leadership that is more inclusive, networked, collective and participatory. This shift will significantly increase the capacity to bring about positive changes in life outcomes for children, families, and communities of color.

2005

1. Multiple Styles of Leadership: Increasing the Participation of People of Color in the Leadership of the Nonprofit Sector (Client: The Annie E. Casey Foundation)

   • Authors: Elissa Perry, Jamie Schenker

   • In this scan we uncover insights about successfully involving and sustaining people of color in the leadership of the nonprofit sector, based on their experiences and practices. Recommendations raised by participants include targeting individual leadership development, and focusing on constituency building and transition planning.

2. A Scan of Health Leadership Development Programs for the Youth, Immigrant and Senior Communities of California (Client: The California Endowment or TCE)

   • Authors: Claire Reinelt, Deborah Meehan, Jamie Schenker, David Weaver (Change4Good Coaching and Consulting), Bella Celnik, Tino DeVelde, Elissa Perry, Pauline Vela

   • In this scan we identify opportunities and gaps, and advance recommendations for helping TCE support effective leadership development that contributes to improving the health and well-being of Youth, Immigrants, and Seniors. The scan findings reveal a very strong foundation for building leadership capacity through continued support to exciting leadership programs, and expansion or replication of promising models to extend opportunities to seniors and rural areas.

3. A Scan of Leadership Development Efforts in the Greater Washington Region (Client: The Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington Region)

   • Authors: Claire Reinelt, Deborah Meehan, Raquel Gutierrez

   • In this report we uncover opportunities for the Nonprofit Roundtable and its grantmaking partners in the Greater Washington region to work together. The report addresses the following objectives:

     • Identify opportunities for building on the strengths of current leadership efforts

     • Build the capacity of the team to assess and address leadership needs of the region

     • Engage multiple stakeholders in assessing leadership needs, capacity building efforts, current strengths, and opportunities

     • Utilize methodologies that accelerate opportunities for collective learning and increased collaboration

2003

1. One Story Many Voices: The Impact of VPI Leadership Programs (Client: The California Wellness Foundation)

   • Authors: Jah’Shams Abdul-Mumin (Non-Traditional Leadership Program), Kim Ammann Howard (Evaluation and Organizational Learning Consultant), Deborah Meehan (LLC), Claire Reinelt (formerly at Development Guild/DDI), Georgia Sorenson (Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland), Robert L. Williams (Fanning Institute for Leadership, University of Georgia)
     

   • The Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI) aims to reduce violence against youth in California.  In this report we describe the stories of fellows and awardees to help bring to light the impact of the initiative, and analyze the lessons learned about specific leadership development approaches and emerging models of leadership for the field.

Evaluations

2009

1. Prime Movers Evaluation (Client: The Hunt Alternatives Fund)

2008

1. Boundary Crossing Leadership Program Evaluation (Client: The California Endowment)
   • Authors: Rebecca Aced-Molina, Claire Reinelt
   • In this highly participatory evaluation we engaged the key stakeholders, including TCE’s staff and its grantees, with the goal of strengthening the boundary-crossing capacity of health leadership. In the first phase of the project we created a learning community and established strategic learning objectives, and in the second face we collected data from the community participants about impact and areas of improvement.

2005

1. Leadership Matters: An Evaluation of Six Family Planning and Reproductive Health Leadership Programs (Client: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation)

   • Authors: The evaluation team was led by Claire Reinelt (LLC’s Research and Evaluation Director, formerly at Development Guild/DDI) and included top experts in the field: Kim Ammann Howard (independent consultant), Deborah Meehan (LLC’s Executive Director), Pamela Putney (independent consultant, Pathfinder International), and Cecilia Roddy (Senior Consultant at Development Guild/DDI).  
      

   • This groundbreaking evaluation explores what it would take to develop leaders that can significantly improve access, coverage and quality of family planning and reproductive health care in developing countries. The team delivered practical, evidence-based recommendations around the following key areas: Selection and Recruitment, Program Model, Design, and Content, and Post-Fellowship Activities. In order to increase the usefulness of the results, we shared the findings with all the stakeholders, including funders and program managers. 

Other Projects

1. Consultative Session, Learning Lab and Learning Circle for the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (Client: CFILC)

   • In this project we worked closely with CFILC to integrate learning from a Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) leadership pilot into the design framework and structure for the Institute.

2. Learning Lab for the International Leadership Association (Client: ILA) 2006

   • The goal of this learning lab was to learn about how to create sustainable learning communities.  During our time together we produced a framework on the elements of a successful learning community, which can be found here.

3. Leadership Learning Roundtable (Client: United Way of Toronto)

   • In this event, entitled “Funding and Evaluating Leadership Development: What Works?” we convened 30 funders from Canada who were interested in developing a shared understanding of leadership development. We developed an updated version of GEO’s Framework for Leadership Investment and Evaluation that ultimately helped the group think about how to become more intentional about where they are currently investing resources, where there are gaps in investment, and how they might work together to maximize the impact of their resources.