What We Do

After leading philanthropic and non-profit organizations focused on economic development, health, education, child welfare, place-making, and resident-led community transformation for 40 years, we believe in the power of sharing the lessons learned. We have a long history of leading learning exchanges and sharing events, and have written or participated in numerous case studies, books, and articles.

Today, we remain dedicated to expanding the conversation about the issues of economic inclusion, social justice, stakeholder engagement, innovation and inspired action. 

We participate on teams distilling lessons, as well as facilitate workshops on building a culture of innovation and trust, forming and managing effective teams, and achieving social change through large-scale citizen action.  

We also write articles and contribute papers on the topics of philanthropy and community change.

Change is best implemented when stakeholders bring their unique gifts and talents to the table, are well-informed, and share the responsibility for plans.

As a process design partner, VanicaCummings works with teams in developing or refining their guiding principles for engaging stakeholders, setting planning goals and values, and involving constituents upfront in setting out the engagement strategy. This begins with listening and culminates with feedback and reporting.

VanicaCummings can help your team:

• Insure inclusive and diverse stakeholder participation
• Lift up the aspirations, concerns, and priorities of your stakeholders
• Support and strengthen the stakeholder engagement capacity within your organization or institution
• Inventory, connect, and coordinate engagement assets in your organization, community, or institution
• Develop an informed constituency
• Build broad ownership of a plan and strengthen your partnership with your stakeholders
• Develop intentional structures for shared ownership of assets, as part of an overall wealth-building strategy

People who are deeply engaged and contribute to a plan make a commitment to action and own the approach for moving forward. At the heart of building dynamic teams and collaborations that can achieve transformational change is enabling people to learn and plan together across differences in a way that can break down resistance to change and give strategic focus to achieving a new future.

VanicaCummings uses a hybrid process that combines theory and practice from the Instititue for Cultural Affairs (ICA) Participatory Strategic Planning and David La Piana’s Real-Time Strategic Planning.

This process is based on:

• The power of participation
• A commitment to rapid response

Participatory plans are not detailed long-range plans, but rather emphasize broad strategic directions for action that will catalyze movement and create a magnified impact. The group experience of exploring alternatives for remaining competitive or expanding impact together is how innovation occurs and creativity is released.

To initiate and sustain change, organizations need practical and coordinated resource and capacity building strategies which can keep pace with a rapid rotation from planning to action, meet a social and economic bottom-line, operate across sectors, and blend various types of capital, from tax credits to philanthropy.

VanicaCummings uses the principles of its Inside-Out Leadership Model, Finders Keepers Staffing Strategy, Rapid Resource Planning Process, and Innovative Capital Strategies Matrix to provide coaching and facilitation to organizational leadership teams.

VanicaCummings can help you:

• Clarify and strengthen a culture of risk, respect and innovation
• Build creative and inclusive teams
• Listen to and plan with your stakeholders
• Recruit, develop and retain inspiring leaders
• Develop a portfolio of diverse financial resources
• Set the leadership, structure, and strategy in motion for your capital campaign