How I help
One service: helping your group get where it’s going.
I help groups figure out where they are, where they want to go, and how to actually get there. Sometimes I lead the process, sometimes I teach your team to run it, and sometimes I coach your leaders through it.
Three ways to work together
Most engagements use more than one.
I lead the process with you
I design and facilitate the sessions where your group does its thinking and deciding.
- Strategic planning
- Board and leadership retreats
- Community input sessions, including CHA/CHIP
- The hard conversation a team can’t have alone
I teach your team to do it themselves
Your own people learn to lead meetings and planning, so you don’t need an outside facilitator every time.
- Private team training, adapted to your work
- Public courses with CE credit
- Practice on your real meetings
I coach your leaders while they do it
Support in the months after a plan, when most plans stall.
- Implementation check-ins
- Team coaching with Lumina Spark
- Coaching toward the CTF credential
Want all three together?
The Connect the Dots Cohort combines facilitation, training and group coaching over several months, so the plan keeps moving after the meeting ends.
What people hire me for
The work, in the words you’d put in a budget.
Strategic plans
A three- to five-year plan your staff and board build together, with goals, owners and a first-year calendar.
Board and leadership retreats
A day or two that ends in decisions, not just good conversation.
Community input and health improvement plans
Public input, CHA/CHIP and coalition sessions where every partner is heard and the results are usable.
Team alignment
For teams where friction is getting in the way and nobody can quite name why.
Not sure what you need?
Start with a Planning Kickoff.
A half-day session where we look at where your group is, what it needs and the process that fits. You leave with a recommended plan and timeline, whether or not we keep working together.
What it’s like to work together
Four steps, and your people do the deciding.
1
We talk
A 30-minute conversation about where you are and what you need.
2
I design the process
Built around your goals, your people and the time you actually have.
3
Your group does the work
I lead the sessions. Your people build the answer and leave committed to it.
4
We follow through
Check-ins and coaching while the plan turns into action.
No plan that sits on a shelf.
No outside expert deciding for you.
No one-size-fits-all agenda.
Questions people ask
How long does strategic planning take?
It depends on your group. Some plans come together in one or two days; larger efforts run as a series of sessions over a few months. We’ll map it out in our Starting Point Conversation.
What does it cost?
Pricing is tiered by organization type. After a Starting Point Conversation you’ll get a clear quote for the process we agreed on.
Do you work outside Nebraska?
Yes. I work in person across the Midwest and Mountain West and travel wherever the work takes me. Online works too when your group needs it.
What makes the plan stick?
Your people build it, so they own it. And I stay with you after the retreat, with check-ins while the plan turns into action.
What clients say
“Your facilitation was a resounding factor in what we accomplished and how the group was able to work together. I can’t say it enough, how impressed everyone was!”
Ashley Newmyer · Chief Data Strategist, DHHS
“It feels like we are on a solid direction now and it’s like you worked magic with us that day.”
Molly Herman · Epidemiology Coordinator, Northeast Nebraska Rural Health Network
“John and Charity not only keep our team engaged, but do it in a way that synergizes the group as well as making sure every team member has a voice. … Their professionalism and savviness around group dynamics is second to none.”
Brock Rops · Executive Director, South Dakota HOSA
“Charity was very personable, knowledgeable of the process and taught in a way that was very uplifting and fun.”
Bob Ball · Program Assistant, Three Rivers Health Department
What happens when you reach out
A 30-minute conversation. No pitch, just a clear next step.
Tell me where your group is and what you’re working toward. You’ll leave the call with a recommended process and a realistic timeline for your situation, whether or not we work together.
Not ready to talk yet?
Intentional by Design is a quarterly letter: one method, one story from real work, upcoming courses. Four issues a year.