Project Showcase: The Sophia Way

The Weber Group was brought in to build a strategic plan for The Sophia Way, a Seattle-based women’s homeless shelter. Charlie Smith, managing partner at the Weber Group, led a virtual session with over 40 community stakeholders comprised of city mayors, foundations and community partners. Charlie worked closely with The Sophia Way to envision and create the future of the organization and the result was a powerful yet succinct framework that the board and the organization could adopt.

 

“The Weber Group took time to listen to what we wanted and then guided us to our end goal. Charlie meaningfully engaged staff and board leaders in both a top-down and bottom-up approach to help guide us toward our ultimate objectives for the organization”, said Executive Director of The Sophia Way, Alisa Chatinsky. “Rarely can a person describe a six-month strategic planning process as fun but working with the Weber Group was truly both enjoyable and rewarding,” added Chatinsky.

 

Once the basics were in alignment, the Weber Group helped The Sophia Way implement a virtual World Café, which was carefully considered and thoughtfully planned, keeping over 40 individuals engaged during the three-hour zoom session. The World Café gave The Sophia Way the opportunity to show its true colors to others outside of the organization, as not everyone in the session was highly engaged with The Sophia Way prior to the café. Board chair of The Sophia Way, Maya Subramanian, shared “our level of respect just jumped tenfold…people now know we are the trailblazers in our field.”

 

The Weber Group helped The Sophia Way recognize a broader solution for the organization created to not only build a framework, but to help define the nonprofit’s future while encouraging growth. “Taking staff, board and stakeholder input, Charlie was able to produce a powerful, yet succinct framework that our board of directors has adopted,” said Chatinsky. Moving forward, the board agreed to review the strategic priorities of the organization on a quarterly basis and examine the mission-driven tactics to assure the objectives that The Weber Group helped recognize remain relevant.

 

If your organization is looking for assistance in strategic planning, especially in a virtual environment, contact us today for a complimentary consultation.