Working with the Arc NY

Non-profit

For over four years Globe North is proud to have worked with the Arc NY, providing a variety of services to help the statewide organization and its chapters meet the challenges of today and position them for continued success in the future. We were engaged to help design and deliver training for their new Leadership Institute which prepares rising leaders, providing training, coaching, mentoring and hands-on experience in solving real world challenges. A key benefit of the program, which recently graduated its second cohort, is the establishment of a peer network of senior chapter leaders across the state, building a culture of trust aligned with the Arc NY’s vision of Stronger Together.

Over the last two years we facilitated their Strategic Visioning process, supporting the development of clear, measurable outcomes for all workstreams, providing specific support for its Governance and Innovative Supports and Services working groups.

The focus of the Governance team was making it easier for the Board of Governors to lead the organization and improve ways of working across the Board, Chapter and State Office organizations. Collaborating with the team we helped them design and deploy:

Dashboard for the Board of Governors – sifting through the many existing reports to produce a consolidated set of trend charts for key financial, quality, staffing and advocacy metrics.
Guide to Excellence – an online “one stop shop” for information needed by board members including a history of the organization, a summary of board member responsibilities, overview of how the organization operates and a quick reference for key contacts.
Mentoring Program – matching up new board members with veterans of the board who can help orient them to how things work and find their place to best engage
Committee Training – an interactive workshop focused on the committee’s purpose, ways of working and plans for the year ahead.

For more on this work refer to our article on Empowering Boards.

The Supports and Services group explored ways to leverage new processes, technologies, and business models to access new sources of revenue, reduce costs to operate and improve the quality of life for those they serve. Through workshopping we helped them design and launch an Innovation Engine, which operates at the state level, sourcing innovative ideas from all chapters, as well as outside the Arc. Ideas with the most promise will be piloted and learnings will be shared with all chapters.

For more on this work refer to our article on The Practice of Innovation.

We also have had the opportunity to work directly with individual chapters, responding to major challenges they face today and discovering exciting new opportunities for the future. Examples of this work at the chapter level includes:

Coaching and Training – These in-person classes emphasize key leadership traits, introducing new concepts and skills that are immediately applied in classroom exercises, individual work between sessions, and team projects.
Strategy Development – Through multiday workshops that bring together key stakeholders – chapter leadership, board and key staff members – we evaluate results for prior strategies, identify key opportunities and threats, and develop actionable, measurable plans for the future.
Program and Change Management – Our associates provide support for strategic initiatives such as major capital programs, help chapters develop a vision, define plans for implementation, source key resources needed to realize the vision, and drive for results.
Grant Research and Writing – Leveraging public and private grant databases, our team works with the chapters to clarify their grant strategy, build up a pipeline of suitable opportunities and collaborates with them to complete and submit grant applications.

We have had the privilege to adapt our deep experience in the private sector leading transformational change to further the mission of The Arc, which “promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.” Through our work The Arc NY has improved its processes for developing new leaders, supporting board members and committees, communicating and implementing strategies, encouraging innovation, and measuring the impact of key initiatives. All of this comes together to build a culture that is more collaborative, data-driven, and innovative.

We’ll let Arc NY CEO Erik Geizer have the last word –

“We have made exceptional progress in all areas that Globe North has participated in. They are talented, great communicators, extremely responsive and agile, able to synthesize complex concepts into understandable context, dedicated to their tasks and bring outstanding energy to the table.”

To learn more about our work with The Arc contact us at info@globenorth.com.