"When the work's done right, with no fuss or boasting, ordinary people say, 'Oh, we did it." - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

WHAT IS THIS EXPERTISE? WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Social change initiatives often integrate multiple aims and partners.  Partnerships reflect a delicate balance of shared interests, diverse but interrelated expertise, and commonly held commitments to work together on an enterprise.  Every partnership represents a unique constellation of individuals, organizations, and institutions.  They are composed of partners who bring their own perspectives, cultures, and experiences to transact business in a mutually constituted forum.  As partnerships and initiatives grow in complexity, it becomes increasingly beneficial to unite layers of people and organizations around a set of strategies that create a "least common denominator" - a unifying principle or action around which various tasks can be organized. By finding issue-centered strategies, several partners in a multifaceted initiative can find ways to connect and add value based on their respective expertise.  Partnerships operate for a period of time deemed appropriate for accomplishing a common mission – perhaps forever, perhaps for six months.  The results of the work undertaken by partnerships will be as high quality and relevant as the partners decide it will be.

Partnerships are not organizations.  A wealth of informational resources and instructional materials exist about organizations – for profit and nonprofit.  However valuable the lessons from organizational change and management literature may be, they do not take into account the particular context and structure of partnerships.  Not surprisingly, public funders and philanthropic institutions are responsible for fostering the greatest number of partnerships aimed at improving societal outcomes.  Through requests for collaboration and partnership embedded in funding criteria or through the natural evolution of networks within the social change fields, an experience base exists.  However, it is sporadically documented and not as readily accessible as the extensive literature base on organizations.

The T. L. Hill Group recognizes the unique value and contributions of partnerships and draws upon information from several disciplines to customize approaches and design tools that match the needs of a particular partnership.  We work with members of client organizations to identify compelling issues and think creatively about how they might be strategically considered for a variety of activities, including developing messages that highlight a partnership's accomplishments.

TYPES OF PRODUCTS

All projects undertaken by the T. L. Hill Group are customized.  As a result, all products are tailored to meet the expectations specified in a scope of work negotiated with each client.  No “boiler plate” formats are used.  Therefore, in lieu of product templates, the T. L. Hill Group is able to share the examples below listed of products completed to date.  Any new work would result in a product uniquely designed to meet particular needs of the client.

  • Integrated Solutions engage partners from diverse disciplines and sectors in developing strategies and achieving results.
  • Implementation Frameworks allow partners to map and track progress toward achieving goals.
  • Conference/Meeting Decision Summaries provide partners with a concise report of decisions made during a conference or meeting, including brief listings of key issues and discussion points. These summaries, unlike minutes of a meeting, are used for managing the work and keeping the desired results foremost.

CLIENTS who have tapped into this expertise

A select group of projects implemented by the T. L. Hill Group which demonstrate skill in facilitating and managing partnerships is below listed.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services:  Partnerships for Youth Transition ( http://www.ntacyt.fmhi.usf.edu and http://www.systemsofcare.samhsa.gov).   Coordinated efforts of national partners involved in funding and otherwise supporting implementation of Partnerships for Youth Transition – a federally funded four-year cooperative agreement with partnerships in five sites (Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington) to design and implement logic models for improving access to mental health and wellness resources for young people ages 13-25 or older.  (January 2002 to present)
  • National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education and Families(http://www.nlc.org/iyef):  Alternative High School Initiative (http://www.ahsi.info).  Contribute to the National League of Cities team by co-facilitating the policy strand of work led by the Alternative High School Initiative (June 2005 to present)
  • Center for the Study of Social Policy (http://www.cssp.org):  Convened and facilitated a group of consultants who contributed to identifying key policies affecting youth development and youth transition, resulting in a CSSP paper, “Engaging Youth in Positive, Productive Roles,” February 2003.  View the final report at http://www.cssp.org/uploadFiles/engaging_youth.pdf.
  • Annie E. Casey Foundation:  Jobs Initiative Strategy on Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Competence in Workforce Development (http://www.aecf.org/jobsandrace.)  As a Program Associate, facilitated a strategy in 1997 with the Jobs Initiative sites to address issues of race, ethnicity, and cultural competence in workforce development.  Designed a framework and strategies that drew upon the expertise of Jobs Initiative workforce development practitioners, employers, researchers, technical assistance providers, consultants, and others.  Continued this work with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies as a consultant in 2001-2002.
  • Annie E. Casey Foundation:  UPS School-to-Career Partnership (http://www.aecf.org/publications) - See Casey Connects Newsletter, Issue 07, Summer 2001].   As a Program Associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, initiated the UPS School-to-Career Partnership in 1999 with the Human Resources Director of United Parcel of Service based in Burtonsville, Maryland, and the UPS Partnership Facilitator based with the Living Classrooms Foundation.  The partnership began expanding to include additional sites by 2001.

SAMPLE OF PRIOR WORK

Samples forthcoming.