Your Crescendo Proposal - Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative

Atlanta Public Schools Maynard Jackson Cluster Principals Skywriting Session

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT

OCTOBER 2019

crescendo n. (kre-shen-do) 1 a gradual increase; specifically: a gradual increase in volume of a musical passage 2 the peak of a gradual increase. Your Crescendo is your growth. Your increase in volume. Your peak. We find it highly appropriate to carry the name of what we are commited to. Your Crescendo. About Your Crescendo We are on a mission is to empower purpose and impact for leaders and talent in their business performance, leadership and careers.

Kim Anderson, Tene Traylor, Janelle Williams Board of Directors Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative (AWBI) Atlanta, GA

AWBI Leadership –

We’re excited to propose facilitation of your board retreat on October 29th and 30th. It is our understanding that you are at a critical juncture in the mobilizing of your board and leadership as you plan to intentionally move your momentum forward in your new organization. To that end, we have proposed an experience designed to connect your board members to each other with stronger awareness of each others’ path to here, their strengths, passions, motivations and their purpose. We are also looking to advance your board governance, structure and working committees’ framework. Finally, we are looking forward to translating your strategic plan to an implementation plan through a strategic articulation map built through collaborative working sessions. Your mission to “actively reimagine economic realities to produce an opportunity-rich future for all’ is compelling and inspiring both in its clarity and the opportunity to deliver on it.” It is our objective for this experience to tap into the power of purpose, unleash the passion and leverage of your board members and channel the growth opportunities of this mission with intention, crystal clear clarity, a high performing team and profound results.

Thank you for the opportunity to engage you and your board. We look forward to your response, our progress and your impact.

Reggie Hammond, Your Crescendo Founder and Managing Partner Launched 2011 Career Highlights Accenture (Ohio and Atlanta) 1991 – 2005 Exervio Management Consulting Atlanta Office Lead (Vice-President) 2005 – 2011 Purpose To get the world on purpose with impact. Passion Empowering others performance through their gifts and purpose

Peace and blessings,

Reggie Hammond Your Crescendo

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

PROPOSAL CONTENTS

About Your Crescendo

1.0

Approach

2.0

2.1 Facilitation Approach

Experiences And Examples

2.2 Facilitation Approach

Board Design Requests – Asked And Answered

2.3 Facilitation Approach

Proposed Agenda Design

Workplan

3.0

Our Team

4.0

Reggie Hammond

Erika Williams

Illustrative Deliverables

5.0

One Client’s Experience

6.0

Other Relevant Experiences

7.0

Retreat Investment / Cost

8.0

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

ABOUT YOUR CRESCENDO 1.0

Our Approach

We ignite purpose and its pursuit in organizations, teams and individuals through intentional vision and strategy with their gifts, passions and motivations front of mind.

A Moving Performance To bring it’s’ most inspired performance, a symphony must have talented musicians that are at their best, well rehearsed and all engaged on the experience it is looking to inspire for its audience.

Our mission is to orchestrate an inspired performance for maestros, instrument sections and musicians to bring their best performance.

LEADERS

TEAMS

INDIVIDUALS

Leadership on Purpose • Leadership Development • Executive / Leadership Coaching

Building High Performing Teams • Team Retreats • Forums • Strategic Planning Facilitation Finding Your Forte • Strategic Articulation • Grow-To-Market Strategy

Finding Your Forte • One-on-One Coaching

Placement on Purpose • Talent Acquisition • Full-Time Roles • Consultants and Contractors

• Group Coaching • Speaker Series

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

2.0

OUR APPROACH We help boards and leadership by building and inspiring high performing teams on purpose.

A Moving Performance

Boards and teams are a critical enabler of purpose delivery / mission realization and organizational performance. There’s no mystery there. However, often boards and teams are only acceptably functional and growing their performance is not a priority for many organizations. They persevere through less than optimal team dynamics in an effort to focus on the task at hand. Their work is often too demanding to invest the time to grow their performance, dynamics and capability. And it easily becomes a slow brake to mediocre performance, results and impact.

So it’s healthy to stop and ask, “What does it take to build a high performing team on purpose?

But first let’s set a vision and answer a more aspirational question -

What makes a high performance board or team on purpose?

• Leaders and team members that are aware of their strengths, passions, motivations and their purpose and how they can bring them to the organization’s purpose. • Additionally, they work together with intent to engage purpose to drive work and performance. • There is a keen awareness of purpose for the team and the organization through collective understanding of the mission, strategy and vision. • Team members that are not only fully engaged but also passionate about their work. • Strong team dynamics including trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability and results. • Leadership that actively works to align people and their contributions to each individuals’ forte. • New members are selected that not only meet job qualifications, but are passionate about the work and their gifts align with the role.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

2.1

FACILITATION APPROACH EXPERIENCES AND EXAMPLES

Our objective is to create experiences that are:

Purpose is a powerful accelerator for building high performing boards and leadership teams. With focused intent, we work to harness that power to create engaging, personally vested and mission impactful facilitated experiences. We approach facilitation as an opportunity to create immersive experiences that embolden the purpose of the organization. We design experiences with intent and a focus on engagement.

• Intentional • Immersive • Engaging • Purpose-Connected from Organization to Leaders • Memorable to create meeting objective mnemonics

Below are highlights from recent retreats we’ve facilitated that illustrate these objectives in the facilitated experience we designed.

NATIONAL BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP RETREAT Having lost focus on stakeholders (professionals, students and entrepreneurs) in recent years, we created a panel experience with participants that represented each of their stakeholders. We took them to a rooftop venue and gave them binoculars to create vision snapshots to frame their strategic articulation.

IMPACT CHURCH – STAFF RETREAT VISION CONSTRUCTION

Once our strategic articulation was completed, we needed to build the implementation plan. Having led the implementation through consulting, we needed to transfer ownership of the plan to the client to continue without our support. To prepare them for this key transition, we created a vision construction experience in the space of one of the city’s most prominent commercial builder’s offices and provided construction hats and cold pack lunch pails (that they continued to use as a reminder of the experience).

CITY OF ATLANTA FULTON COUNTY LAND BANK AUTHORITY As an approach to level set new board members with old on how landbanks work, we had board members play an equity version of Monopoly with members having the opportunity to be the ‘land banker’.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE In an effort to create an immersive experience connected to their purpose related to equitable transit-oriented development, we had members take MARTA to our strategic planning session. We also featured only vendors in the community neighborhoods they served including

SLAM! ACADEMY ATLANTA In a high stakes team building and strategic plan development retreat, a soon-to-launch charter school had a contentious relationship between its board (mostly African-American) and the foundation/funders (mostly Latino) that provide the blueprint for the school. By starting with connecting their purpose to the school mission allowing them to more meaningfully get to know each other and then work together to plan the strategic articulation’s implementation.

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS While leading delivering of key district strategic initiatives in the midst of a cheating scandal, the leader and the strategic program and project delivery team found themselves working through abysmal morale. We facilitated a series of Finding Your Forte starting with the key leader and then her team. This energy carried over into the entire district when the new superintendent embraced StrengthsFinder as a strategic thrust to ‘Focus on What’s Strong instead of What’s Wrong’. This helped them navigate beyond the scandal, and now every teacher and staff knows their strength from StrengthsFinder and the use them in everyday education processes and support.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

MORGAN STANLEY FOUNDATION

Trained and developed Foundation’s Board of Trustees through ongoing education of the emerging issues and trends within the nonprofit sector and effective proposal evaluation Created sub-committee structure for Board of Trustees to support communications and various issue areas within the Foundation’s grant making portfolios.

ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION

Designed and facilitated a meeting with key stakeholders to support the development of a two-generation focused data strategy. The post-meeting deliverable included a strategic articulation map to visually depict delivery of efficient family-centered programs and services that are informed by a proficient approach to data collection, sharing and understanding.

Developed a toolkit to help the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family Centered Community Change sites develop a clear articulation of key outcomes (The Why) that align with the needs of children and the appropriate strategies and services (The How) required to achieve those outcomes.

HISTORIC WESTSIDE GARDENS

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

2.2

FACILITATION APPROACH BOARD DESIGN REQUESTS – ASKED AND ANSWERED

Objectives: • To thoroughly, explore, analyze, and chart the implementation of AWBI’s strategic plan.

• To afford the board and staff, in particular the new Executive Director, the opportunity to delineate with specificity the strategies and tactics necessary to implement the themes of AWBI’s Theory of Change and to achieve its strategic priorities.

Team Building • Exercises to allow board members to get to know the new Executive Director and other board members both personally and professionally. - RECOMMENDATION: Launch retreat with ‘Me Map’ ice breaker – Each participant uses a flip chart sheet to draw maps, life milestones, icons and big move arrows to diagram their path to here. - Additionally, we recommend the morning of DAY 1 be committed to MY PURPOSE, OUR PURPOSE. This experience includes a discovery and affirmation of strengths, passions and motivations through assessments and shared debriefings. This will allow board members to get to know themselves and each other through a new lens and provide a sustained platformed for board committee assignments, personal and professional aspirations and fulfillments. - Refer to National Black MBA Association Leadership Team Example on page 27. • One specific idea included having the founding members (Tene, Janelle, Ellen) share context, background and “story of AWBI” in fishbowl format (evening of 10/29). - RECOMMENDATION: Create a wall timeline with AWBI from past milestones through projected milestones from strategic plan implementation planning. - Refer to Impact Church Strategic Planning Ice Breaker Example on page 18. Board Leadership/Strengths • Discover and outline strengths that each board member brings to the table - RECOMMENDATION: My Purpose Our Purpose includes Gallup’s StrengthsFinder exercise. Module described above. • Creation of roadmap for each board member’s role in an effort to ensure each board member leaves the retreat feeling confident about their individual role and potential impact of board and organization. - RECOMMENDATION: See timeline exercise above.

Implementation Work Plan and Timeline • Review and amend existing implementation work plan to determine

- Priorities for 2020-2021 - Benchmarks for 2020 - What is the role and structure of community voice? • Facilitator to provide AWBI 2020-2021 Implementation Plan as a product/deliverable

- RECOMMENDATION: Use Strategic Articulation Approach to build Implementation Plan. Some of the content is already in the strategic plan and will only need to be re-cast ahead of the retreat and confirmed during the board retreat. We recommend building out the STRATEGIC PRIORITIES and CRITICAL INITIATIVES elements in break out sessions at the retreat. - See Illustrative Examples on Page 20 - 23.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

Board Committee Structure • Discuss and ultimately determine final board committee structure based on workplan and identified strategic priorities and workplan - RECOMMENDATION: Consider utilizing a mix of standing committees (those responsible for managing ongoing board activities), tasks forces (time limited assignments) and advisory groups (to engage a broader range of stakeholders to provide guidance and insight on particular issues). After naming the committees, leverage the results of the strengths finders and my purpose, our purpose assessment to identify those individuals best suited to serve on the varying committees. Capital Deployment Strategy and Execution • Discuss Capital Deployment strategy and implementation in alignment with work plan and priorities. - RECOMMENDATION: Consider a participatory approach to grantmaking and collaborative decision- making. Similar to our work with the New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) where we supported the design and implementation of an Allocation Committee Structure for a capital deployment of $1 million annually to women and girls led grass-roots organizations. We recruited a diverse mix of 30+ community members, leaders, and funders representing a wide-range of perspectives and ideas to serve on the NYWF Allocation Committee. The committee members were divided by issue and geographic areas and received an orientation and training on the guiding principles and objectives of NYWF’s grantmaking strategies before meeting potential grantee partners. This process remains a hallmark of NYWF’s grantmaking process and continues to create equitable opportunities for local-led solutions, long-term grantee partners and sustainable change for women and girls. Thought Leadership • Discuss how AWBI can begin to shift thinking around the racial wealth gap, democratic ownership, participation of anchor institutions in building community wealth, etc. • Discuss potential forums in which AWBI will participate in 2020 • Consider how AWBI will “right the wrongs” from the past including those that will be seen at The Peace and Justice Memorial and the Civil Rights Memorial Center? What is the plan for writing those wrongs? - RECOMMENDATION: Your Crescendo has developed and utilizes an approach in the EXECUTION phase of purpose realization in Finding Your Forte that we call BRANDING ON PURPOSE. This approach lays out three levels of branding a person or organization to grow awareness and engagement for target people and organizations. In a popular TED Talk, Simon Sinek proclaims, ‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy what you do it’ and then illustrates it with three powerful examples of The Wright Brother, Apple and Dr. Martin Luther King. This approach was developed with this premise at the foundation. We recommend a facilitated discussion (full board or breakout) with the framework as a backdrop to identify the channels of building brand awareness, thought leaders and target engaged stakeholders. - Illustration

• SPECIAL NOTE All of the segments requested by the board entries of the RFP require more time than currently allocated in the 2 partial days retreat. It will be imperative to prioritize the segments.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

2.3

FACILITATION APPROACH PROPOSED AGENDA DESIGN

AGENDA

Our objective on Day 1 is to engage board members in a compelling way through an introspective series of exercises on their most optimizable assets and how they can bring their best to AWBI. This will also give the board an opportunity to get to know each other on a much more introspective and compelling level through a strengths-based approach to build gratitude and teaming intelligence.

YOUR PURPOSE, OUR PURPOSE Tuesday October 29, 11 am – 5pm

Ice Breaker: Me Maps • Board members chart their life milestones, major moves on a map with significant events that define them on a flip chart and share with the rest of the board. Module 1 • Finding Your Forte – Overview and Approach • What It Is and How it Works Module 3 From Passions to Purpose (Passions Assessment) Module 4 Rewarding your Motivations (Motivations Matrix) Module 5 Purpose Discovery: Bringing your purpose to AWBI Module 2 StrengthsFinder and Leadership Domains

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

AGENDA BUILDING A HIGH-PERFORMING BOARD ON PURPOSE Wednesday, October 30, 8am – 2pm

Our objective on Day 2 is to build our go-forward board

and committee structure with governance and management routines.

Ice Breaker: Can You See It?

Module 6 • Vision Casting: Taking Vision Snapshots • Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast • Use Strategic Plan to Cast and Share what our vision aspirations are and what our mission realized looks like.

Module 7 • The Five Dysfunctions Virtues of a Team

• Using the model to establish our board norms, routines and habits. • Building Trust, Healthy Conflict, Commitment, Accountability and Results

Breakout Session

Module 8 Building Our Board Structure and Committees On Purpose

Module 9 • Articulating our Capital / Funding Strategy • Workshops and Deliverables Module 10 • Articulating our Grant Making Process • Workshops and Deliverables

Breakout Session II

Module 11 • Implementation Planning • Breakout into Strategic Priority Groups

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

3.0

WORKPLAN

Key Activity

Target Date

Who’s Involved

Facilitators Executive Committee Executive Director Facilitators Executive Committee Executive Director Facilitators Executive Committee Executive Director

Retreat Planning Call 1 Review Facilitation Design

Week of Sept 23

Retreat Planning Call 2 Verbal Retreat Walkthrough

Week of Oct 7

Retreat Planning Call 3 Verbal Walkthrough (as necessary)

Week of Oct 21

Tuesday, October 29 8am CST

Facilitation Set Up

Facilitators

Tuesday, Oct 29 11-5pm CST

RETREAT DAY 1

Board

Tuesday, Oct 29 7 pm CST

Dinner and social

Board

Wednesday, Oct 30 8:00am- 2:00pm

RETREAT DAY 2

Board

Tour of the Civil Rights Memorial Center and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice Delivery of Implementation Plan for Strategic Plan (Delivery Meeting)

Wednesday, Oct 30 2- 5 pm

Board

Facilitators Executive Committee Executive Director

Wednesday, Nov 27

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

Outline of the Summary Report Strategic Articulation Map including Implementation Plan • Purpose (Mission from Strategic Plan) • Vision (from Strategic Plan) • Vision Snapshots (Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast) • Headline Indicator • Differentiators • Strategic Priorities

• Critical Initiatives - Implementation Plan (Timeline, Target Dates, Resources Required)

Note: These are elements that are typically part of our Strategic Articulation Map Approach. Several of them are already captured in the Strategic Plan and will be pulled into the map where it belongs. At the board retreat, our approach is to confirm and move forward. Ultimately this exercise is to set context for the Implementation Plan

Capital Deployment Strategy Overview

Board Committee Structure

Board Strength Profiles by Leadership Domain

Board Forte Profiles

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

4.0

OUR TEAM PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

COACHING AND LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Reggie Hammond is committed to his mission to help leaders, teams and organizations live their purpose in their projects, business, careers and lives. He focuses on helping professionals find their forte through optimizing their passions, gifts/strengths and marketrewarding motivations in a way that impacts their purpose and the world around them. He uses this approach to help leaders drive purpose and engagement in their teams and organizations.

• Coaching for Performance (GROW Model) • Purpose-Focused Careers and Business • Program and Project Management • Value Realization / Delivery • Strategic Planning

• Employee Engagement • Keynote Speaker • Go-To-Market Strategy • Business Development Planning • Business Case

Reggie Hammond

“Mission based organizations have a clear advantage of igniting realization of their purpose stakeholders. To make the most of this imperative, it is mission critical that they have: • A well articulated singular vision of their future • A stakeholder community that understands and adopts the mission, vision and strategic priorities • A culture for clear communication of the task at hand and high performing camaraderie for all involved. The organizations that get this and mobilize their strategy with this in mind are well positioned to witness the impact and success their purpose so richly deserves.” through the purpose of their people and

EXPERIENCE

Reggie has a long, successful track record of empowering the performance of leaders, teams and organizations. His experience encompasses driving both individual and business performance for his clients. He has committed his professional career to delivering business critical initiatives for the individuals and organizations he has engaged through consulting, leading and coaching.

YOUR CRESCENDO Founder and Managing Partner • Executive Coach, Consultant and Facilitator

• Offerings: Finding Your Forte (Coaching); Strategic Articulation and Planning; High Performing Teams on Purpose (Teams and Leadership Retreats); Placement on Purpose (Full-time and contractor placement); Talent and Leadership Development • Coaching and Placement Clients have included: Coca-Cola Enterprises, Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County School System, Impact Church, Navigator Management Consulting • Speaking and Workshop Clients have included: Accenture, Deloitte, Turner Broadcasting, UNUM Group, WELCOA (Wellness Coalition Association), AT&T

EXERVIO MANAGEMENT CONSULTING Vice President, Atlanta Office (Launched) • Clients included The Coca-Cola Company, AT&T, Fiserv • Key Accomplishment: Developed and Deployed Net Client Value (NCV) Strategy and Approach, Program Delivery Diagnostic

ACCENTURE Senior Manager, Business Process Excellence and Business Case Delivery • Clients included Unilever, Hallmark, Borden Foodservice, Victoria Secret Stores, • Key Accomplishments: Developed Find the Money program for ERP Benefits Realizations and Value Delivery • Co-founder of Diversity initiatives / affinity groups in two offices: Ohio (CARE 2000) and Atlanta (African American In Motion) AAIM

– Reggie Hammond

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

STRATEGIC PLANNING CLIENTS

Impact Church • Strategic Articulation and Marketing and Branding Strategy • Vision Construction (Strategy Implementation)

Centric Consulting • Placement on Purpose

Historic Westside Gardens • Strategic Articulation / Leadership Retreat

Navigator Management Partners • Atlanta Go-To-Market Strategy • Placement on Purpose

Atlanta Public Schools • Executive Coaching • Finding Your Forte (Leadership Retreat) • Cluster Strategy Plan Development Fulton County School System • Communications Leadership Team Retreat

Exceleration Partners / Potential Matters • Strategic Articulation

Whizzimo • Launch Strategy

EXECUTIVE COACHING - GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY

The Ascend Consultancy Group • Go-To-Market Strategy

Albireo Group • Executive Coaching • Strategic Delivery Partner

The Lean Coach, Inc • Go-to-Market Strategy

Black Teacher Collaborative • Strategic Articulation

712 Exchange • Go-to-Market Strategy

The Honeycomb Life • Launch Go-to- Market Strategy

BeckWay Group • Launch and Go-To-Market Strategy

The Global Launchpad • Go-to-Market Strategy

BlueFletch Mobile • Go-to-Market Strategy

Conserte Consulting • Go-to-Market Strategy

CONSULTING CLIENTS

Unilever • Bestfoods - Post Merger Integration Strategy • Foodservice Strategy AT&T • Tower Operations Strategy • Supply Chain Consulting Resources

The Coca-Cola Company • Innovation Process and Systems Strategy • Global Project Manager Training Delivery

Hallmark • Business Transformation Strategy (ERP enabled)

SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Keynote Speaker – WELCOA Summit (Wellness Coalition of America), SAP User Conference, Accenture, Deloitte, UNUM Group • Performance Consultants International, Coaching for Performance Certification • Accenture Atlanta – Coach of the Year – 2000 • Accenture Atlanta and Ohio – Founder of Diversity Initiative – AAIM and CARE 2000 • Create Your Dreams, Board Chair; TechBridge, Board Member UN Women, Global Women For Well Being (GW4W) Founding Member

EDUCATION • The Ohio State University, MBA – Operations and Finance • Albany State University, BS - Marketing

FINDING YOUR FORTE WESTSIDE ATLANTA CHARTER SCHOOL STRATEGIC ARTICULATION | FEBRUARY, 2019

CONSULTING PROFILE

As Founder and Principal Consultant of The Albireo Group, Erika develops and executes cutting-edge strategies to facilitate social change and sustainability within communities around the world. Her management consulting firm interweaves strategic communication, stakeholder engagement, program management and performance evaluation services to heighten the capacity and efficacy of social purpose organizations. She brings diverse insight in maximizing resources to create desired results for nonprofit/NGO’s, government, philanthropic, and socially responsible businesses.

Erika S. Williams

OUR CORE STRENGTHS

“We love to work with social purpose driven organizations, helping them to deliver more of their mission in an efficient and effective way. For the efforts of these organizations lay the groundwork for a just and civil society worth inhabiting.”

Albireo implements sustainable strategies to facilitate social change through research, strategic planning, execution and evaluation.

Fund Development Help clients acquire resources to advance the mission of their organization. Build the long-term capacity of an organization by infusing strategic marketing, performance measurement and the identification of ongoing, reliable sources of revenue into our fund development strategies.

Performance Evaluation Design, implement, manage and review evaluation systems for a range of social strategies.

– Erika S. Williams

Strategic Planning & Visioning Using our strategic planning framework, we create a participatory decision making environment where participants partner to define priorities, objectives and tactics that serve as an actionable blueprint for advancing the organization’s mission.

Facilitation and Community Engagement Design and execute tailored public engagement opportunities to garner input and strengthen partnerships among community stakeholders.

OUR APPROACH INFORM Scan the environment to identify gaps and opportunities in achieving the goal, and gather and assess the data to give way to the use of best practices and issue-based insight and expertise ACT Engage the appropriate audience and partners for resource development, buy-in and accountability; and conceptualize and implement relevant, creative strategies with deliberate messaging and streamlined processes within an agreed-to timeline for execution MEASURE Monitor and evaluate the strategy within an accountability framework that enables the tracking and articulation of the impact, and when necessary, quickly assesses opportunities for course correction while nurturing a continuous learning and innovative environment for the organization

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

A Long Walk Home • Strategic Marketing & Fund Development for Organization Ending Gender Based Violence

Park Pride • Facilitation of Strategic Planning Process

Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association • Best Practice Benchmark Study for Naturally Occurring Retiring Communities

Annie E. Casey Foundation • Fund Development for Education Achievement Portfolio • Strategic Plan for Two Generation Programs • Family Centered Community Change Toolkit

Premier Academy Child Care Center • Evaluation of Pre-Kindergarten Summer Transition Program

Atlanta Public Schools • School System Strategic Planning - Cluster Plan for Maynard Jackson Cluster

RRC (Resources for Residents and Communities) • Strategic Plan Development, Facilitation and Planning Retreat

Black Teacher Collaborative • Fund Development

Sports Leadership and Management Charter School • Board & Staff Retreat Facilitation

Emory University - Office of Community Partnerships • Stakeholder Engagement

Spelman College • Curriculum Development & Training for the Civic Engagement Fellows

Georgia Food Bank Association • Research for the No Kid Hungry Campaign

Sustainable Neighborhood Development Strategies Inc. • Board Development

HABESHA, Inc. (Helping Africa Build and Establish Schools Here and Abroad) • Non-Profit Capacity Building Training for Youth Urban Gardening Project & Youth Development Projects

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta • Neighborhood Development Fund Grantee Consultant

United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta • Evaluation of the Fresh Start Program, an emergency financial assistance program for low-income families funded by the Georgia’s Department of Human Services

Literacy Alliance of Metro Atlanta • Coalition Building & Event Coordination for Adult Literacy & Education Initiatives

EDUCATION • M.S., Urban Policy Management, New School University for Social Research, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management & Urban Policy, New York, NY, May 2002 • B.S., Business Administration & Management, Lincoln University, Oxford, PA, May 1997

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

5.0

ILLUSTRATIVE DELIVERABLE IMPACT CHURCH – STRATEGIC ARTICULATION

We facilitated the development of the strategic articulation plan including the brand and marketing strategy. This project was over an elapsed 13 weeks and included facilitation of a series of key meetings including: • Kick-Off Meeting – Staff and Leadership • Vision Casting Sessions – Leadership • Strategic Articulation – Staff and Leadership • Stakeholder Assessments – Focus Groups with Current Impact Attendees, Past Impact Attendees, Never Attended Impact Participants • Current State Marketing and Brand Associates

Illustration: Kick-off Meeting.

Included an exercise to time trace the past decade of growth and milestones by having each participant attach a string to a common graphic marking their time and role.

“Your Crescendo led Impact through a strategic plan for the next 7 years. They facilitated our sessions and were able to bring clarity to images and words. Their facilitation also allowed for all voices to be heard and valued which helped to improve the buy-in from the team. The team looked forward to the remaining sessions being facilitated by Your Crescendo which continued to utilize our theme and relevant tools and creativity.”

Dawn Wright, Chief Operating Pastor Impact Church

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

IMPACT CHURCH – VISION CONSTRUCTION (STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION)

At the completion of developing the strategic plan, Impact Church asked us to manage the implementation of the strategic plan. We developed a framework including a timeline for status reporting that each project used to report weekly.

Illustration: Vision Construction Training to teach associates how to manage their projects using Basecamp Project Management Portal going forward.

Illustration: Select slides from the kick off and weekly status report across teams.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

IMPACT CHURCH – STRATEGIC ARTICULATION

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

ATLANTA FOOD & FARM – STRATEGIC ARTICULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING

We facilitated the development of Atlanta Food and Farm Strategic Articulation. We also led the development of their implementation plan and delivered project management training to their team.

Contact: Kwabena Nkromo, Executive Director

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS – MAYNARD JACKSON CLUSTER STRATEGY AND PLAN

We facilitated the development of the Maynard Jackson Cluster (high school, middle and elementary schools) strategy and plan. Working with all cluster principals through a series of facilitated working sessions, we were able to reach collaborative decision making on the plan to deploy across the cluster and develop its accompanying implementation plan.

Contact: Angela King Smith, Chief Engagement Office APS

Illustration: Jackson Cluster Strategy Map and Implementation Plan

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES INC

Erika Williams, Albireo, LLC designed and developed a Board Handbook on behalf of Sustainable Neighborhood Development Strategies, Inc. This resource served as a tool for board members by chronicling vital organizational information and clarifying roles and expectations around service on the SNDSI Board of Directors. Erika also facilitated their annual board meeting/ orientation. This work furthered SNDSI’s ability to support the residential and economic development efforts in and around Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit V. This included: • Aligning operational goals and strategy with the board development strategy and organization’s ability to leverage existing and critical resources, relationships and/ or services by enhancing board capacity. • Utilizing proven board development strategies that lead to sustained resources and institutional excellence. expectations, roles, and opportunities for investment in a deliberate and cohesive manner that enhances SNDSI operational capacity. • Clarifying board the investment in tools, training and assessment. • Maximizing the

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

NATIONAL BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION – LEADERSHIP RETREAT

The National MBA Association is under a leadership change with understandable uncertainty with regards to roles and priorities going forward. As a result, we facilitated a leadership retreat experience that allowed them to: Level-set and learn more about their own personal strengths, passions and motivations Learn these things about each other as a common language to affirm and encourage each other in the course of their work Connect their own purpose to the purpose of the organization as a key feed to the strategic articulation going forward. Each participant received their forte (illustrated to the right). Additionally, we used the StrengthsFinder tool to assess each leadership team member individually. Based on assessment results, we were able to illustrate the balance of their four leadership domains: Strategic, Influencing, Relationship Building and Execution. would deliver the aggressive objectives and deliverables at the first 2-day retreat with my leadership group. What blew me away was his stealth and facile ability to facilitate the difficult conversations to unearth situations that hindered the ability of group to become a team. All accomplished - goals, objectives, and deliverables while team building.” Kay Wallace, CEO National Black MBA Association “As the new president and CEO, I was confident that Your Crescendo

Illustration: Finding Your Forte Deliverable from First Phase of Program

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

NATIONAL BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION – LEADERSHIP RETREAT

Additionally, we wanted to understand the strengths of each leader and how well balanced and covered they were as a leadership team. Having them each complete Gallup’s StrengthsFinder, we were able to learn about each leader’s gifts and how they might best advance the purpose of the organization. Additionally, we now have common language to have leaders’ intentionally tap into each other’s strengths in their roles, projects and work. Gallup has found that the number one driver of engagement is whether a leader is tapping into their strengths. This exercise gives us the opportunity to drive engagement on the leadership Additionally, we assessed and facilitated a candid and transparent discussion on engagement and team dynamics supported by assessments from Gallup’s Q12 Survey and Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a team. team through strengths awareness and usage.

Illustration: StrengthsFinder Results by Gallup Leadership Domain

Illustration: Gallup Engagement Report

Illustration: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Assessment Report

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

CITY OF ATLANTA – FULTON COUNTY LAND BANK AUTHORITY

We were engaged to facilitate the development of the strategic articulation for the City of Atlanta / Fulton County Land Bank Authority. This included a first phase of assessing stakeholders through pulse check tools including surveys, focus groups and interviews.

“The LBA has engaged Reggie Hammond and the Your Crescendo team (“Your Crescendo”) to assist with its strategic planning needs. As part of the process, Your Crescendo held a facilitated Board/Staff retreat to assist in developing a framework for a strategic articulation of how to proceed over the next 36-60 months. The full day retreat was well conceived and executed by Your Crescendo. The selected location was comfortable and delicious food for breakfast and lunch were provided. The flow of the day allowed for smooth transition from the recognition and acknowledgement of the fundamental purpose and mission to a detailed examination of the goals and tactics to optimize the mission. The conversation included various tools and topics that creatively allowed the group to interact and engage in honest and thought-provoking dialogue during the entire day.” Chris Norman, Executive Director Fulton County/City of Atlanta Land Bank Authority, Inc.

Illustration: We hosted the board and staff at the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to facilitate development of their strategic articulation.

Illustration: Board Members weigh in on elements of purpose and mission that have been realized.

Illustration: Land Bank assembles its board and staff for the first time since engaging new board members to reach quorum and functioning board status.

Illustration: Board Members created VISION SNAPSHOTS to capture what their purpose and mission looks like realized.

Illustration: Erika Williams presents findings of Stakeholder Assessment and delivers report to Board of Directors.

Illustration: Reggie Hammond presents strategic articulation approach.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE – STRATEGIC ARTICULATION PHASE

We were engaged to develop the strategic articulation map phase of the Strategic Planning Project with Hummingbird Firm. To create a thoughtful and intentional experience, we were careful to embrace the experience the areas served by TFA’s community stakeholders. We patronized local businesses for catering and services.

Illustration: Vision Snapshots captured by TFA member participants.

“Reggie’s facilitation of the TransFormation Alliance’s strategic planning retreats has been marked by thoughtfulness around process as well as results. He has also been able to re-direct conversations, when necessary, and adjust in real time to take advantage of shifts in energy and tone so the overall goals of the meeting are met while allowing participants to feel they have fully expressed themselves.” Illustration: Entrepreneurs whose services and products were engaged for this experience.

Illustration: Wellness break facilitated by Almost Home yoga.

Odetta MacLeish-White Managing Director TransFormation Alliance

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

ONE CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE 6.0 An interview with Samantha (Evans) Maxey, Executive Director of Communications Fulton County School System

What was your objective? I wanted to bring in an outside person to be able to facilitate a process where my team was engaged and where we could be refocused on our work; see our deficiencies, strengths and building blocks to move forward and create our plan for the next year. Usually, we would do it on our own. This time I thought it might be helpful to have that outside perspective.

In addition, I was new in my role. I was there a little under a year. So there were also some internal dynamics at play as there will be with new leaders, new plans, new ways of doing things, etc. I was also very interested in getting help to gel better with my team.

Describe the experience. Were there any memorable moments? The experience started before the actual event with the entire team. This was incredibly valuable to me. Reggie and I met a couple times and had in depth conversations about my needs, hopes and goals. He was very candid from the start, which I appreciated. He told me, “We need to deal with you first, see what’s going on with you, before we focus on the team.” He helped me pull out my own deficiencies as a leader. He challenged me to be comfortable with those types of conversations. He then started drafting some things based on what he heard. He shared those plans with me and his creativity was amazing. He presented a menu of options for the different ways to engage, price point, etc. Having those choices allowed me to pick and choose the right solution for our needs. Then, we got to the part of engaging with the team. He came to the office, met the team, introduced himself and prepped them for what they were going to experience. It definitely got them curious, which was good. Then, the actual day was amazing. It was refreshing to be in this contemporary space, to think, reflect and breathe. Breakfast was set up. His attention to the little things made all the difference. It was important for the whole experience. He knew that. We had breakfast, mingled and just enjoyed each other, which was nice. The structure, organization and very deliberate way he went from one item to the next was perfect. He wasn’t afraid to push where he needed to push. Again, he wasn’t afraid to allow us to be uncomfortable.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

Reggie knew more about communications and public education than I knew. I was really surprised. He did his homework. He knew our challenges. There was no, let’s get him up to speed. He was 100 percent present. And that was important. He knew our stakeholders, roles, environment, etc. I was impressed. There was one memorable moment when he pointed out a stakeholder group we hadn’t made a real focus. He was surprised. After the light bulb moment, we were too. We still talk about it to this day. Reggie took the time to do the work to make sure he would truly be a good guide and expert on what we deal with, and what we were trying to accomplish. The icing on the cake was that he went out and found some communications professionals to come in and have a two-way conversation with us to discuss best practices, things we were doing, opportunities for growth, current trends, etc. That was the best part for us. Reggie was smart enough to not bring in other educators, but corporations like Coke and AT&T to provide fresh perspective and new thinking. The entire team said that we need to do that regularly because it was just so valuable. What has changed for you since working with Your Crescendo? For me personally, I am now forced to regularly step back and take a breath. I find myself thinking more about my team, my expectations, how I’m communicating with them, how communication is being received, the impact that it is having. I’m also more cognizant about being more caring, listening, paying attention to the unspoken things, body language, etc. I am holding myself more accountable. Then there are the tactical things: how we work more collaboratively on plans, working more as unit, how we lead staff meetings. As far as my team, what was tremendous was that we walked away feeling more like a team. I had this one colleague who rejected this word “team”; didn’t understand how that reflected our department, work. And now that person is more comfortable with using the word; and sees that we are all concerned about each other and working together to accomplish our shared goals. Why Your Crescendo? As professionals and leaders, we are too close to our own work and our perspective on a daily basis to be objective enough to see opportunities for growth; opportunities period. It is refreshing to get an outside perspective to measure your success, your progress, your worth. You cannot do it yourself. I think it’s critical to have that outside view. And then there’s Reggie who comes to the table with tons of resources, who is so creative and all inclusive of the possibilities of how you can strengthen yourself, your organization and what you what to accomplish. Every consultant cannot do that. But he has very natural knack for it. I enjoyed the entire experience. Really, the actual day was just a piece of it for him. He was thoughtful, organized and had a big-picture view of how to help me and my team. While working with him, you wouldn’t think he had other clients. You would have thought he worked in public schools with the knowledge, skill and expertise he brought.

I would recommend him any day. He is the real deal.

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCES 7.0

TURNER Atom Women’s Group

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Jackson Closter Principals

Wellness Coalition of America (WELCOA) Summit Immersive Workshop - FORTE

THE POSSE Foundation Staff Retreat

SLAM! ACADEMY Staff Retreat – Finding Your Forte

IMPACT CHURCH Vision Construction

ACCENTURE African American In Motion ERG

ANNIE E CASEY FOUNDATION Data Governance

THE HOME DEPOT GSU ALUM – Finding Your Forte

MEN LIVING LEGACY Finding Your Forte Peer Group

RCIE FOUNDING 100 Finding Your Forte

RRC Board Retreat

FAITH AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS Forte Peer Group

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE TADA

HISTORIC WESTSIDE GARDENS Forte Peer Group

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

8.0

RETREAT INVESTMENT / COST

Key Activity

Amount

Professional Services Fees (Includes Facilitation, Project Planning Support and Graphic Design Fees)

$18,500

Executive Director Support Credit

($7,000)

Lodging 2 rooms

~$500

Travel (Mileage) 320 miles round trip / $0.58 per mile

$185.60

FINDING YOUR FORTE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE BOARD RETREAT | OCTOBER 2019

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