Sustainability That Keeps "Good" Alive
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Summary
In February of 2021, The Simple Good (TSG) approached OnCenter on a referral to construct a custom strategy to build corporate infrastructure, create board governance, and invest in program growth. Over the next 10 weeks, OnCenter and TSG worked through seventeen sessions designed to analyze and explore specific aspects of TSG’s business model and build a plan where organizational strategy, funding strategy, and program strategy were all aligned.
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The Simple Good connects the meaning of "good" from around the world to empower youth to become positive activists through art and discussion. |
The Challenge & Context
The team at TSG sees a future world with cross-cultural understanding, empathy, peace, and justice. Every day they inch us closer to this reality by rallying students, artists, and the greater community behind the message that “good” means the same no matter where you go.
What started as a photo blog in 2012 has blossomed into a globally-connected movement that has now served over 5500 students in 31 global communities. The cornerstone program is a social-emotional learning (SEL) and mindfulness-based Arts Residency Program, which has active locations in six Chicago Public schools. The program empowers youth to cope with trauma, build resilience, and practice empathy.
In February 2021, amidst ongoing COVID uncertainty, TSG approached OnCenter on a referral to construct a custom strategy to build corporate infrastructure, create board governance, and invest in program growth.
What started as a photo blog in 2012 has blossomed into a globally-connected movement that has now served over 5500 students in 31 global communities. The cornerstone program is a social-emotional learning (SEL) and mindfulness-based Arts Residency Program, which has active locations in six Chicago Public schools. The program empowers youth to cope with trauma, build resilience, and practice empathy.
In February 2021, amidst ongoing COVID uncertainty, TSG approached OnCenter on a referral to construct a custom strategy to build corporate infrastructure, create board governance, and invest in program growth.
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Our Approach
TSG's strategic goals were mapped out across our proprietary Strategy Timeline, which helped them visualize how the whole picture fit together.
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After intentionally identifying the challenges, opportunities, and roadblocks facing the organization, the team spent ten weeks working through seventeen sessions designed to analyze and explore a specific aspect of TSG’s business model. An organizational assessment, including SWOT Analysis and Business Model Canvas, laid the foundation to develop a financial model using historical financial statements. Design research interviews and marketing personas revealed qualitative insights that supported a custom "Future-State Visioning" session.
Each activity was intentionally selected and strategically organized to lead to clearly articulated priorities. These were dissected and mapped out in a flexible visual framework that highlighted the interconnectedness of the organization’s strategic goals over time. Additionally, the custom financial model helped TSG visualize the real financial implications of balancing subsidized programs with earned revenue programs to pursue a path to financial sustainability at scale. |
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I'm so grateful for this program. It is what we needed to get the team aligned to a single vision and growth. It has also empowered me to have conversations with stakeholders about what the gaps are and where we need to go in order to be sustainable. - Priya Shah, Executive Director, The Simple Good |
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Outcomes
In a year when many organizations found it difficult to make any big decisions because of unprecedented uncertainty, The Simple Good stood out. They had a plan where organizational strategy, funding strategy, and program strategy were all aligned.
The organizational plan relieved the Executive Director of burdensome tasks and elevated key program leaders into their sweet spots. A focus on clear messaging supported the organization in developing a best-in-class digital presence and exceeding fundraising goals. Most importantly, strategy has become a discipline at The Simple Good, where they follow a regular cadence of revisiting their plan and adjusting to external factors in lock-step with each other. *pictured right is one team member's incredible submission during our Future-State Visioning exercise. |
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