Hi everybody I am hoping the OS Listserve can help me with the "third day" process. I have been asked to propose to a regional human service nonprofit organization, a process that will give them a vision and issues and actions for serving the community for the next 10 years. The client wants to involve 200-250 stakeholders'''' within the county it serves, and would like the participants to offer to the client organization, what they see as the needs of the community and how should the organization help the community meet the needs, in a ten year period. The convening issue will be something like: "Wh at should the XXX Regional Human Service Organization do now and in the future to serve the needs of families and individuals in Contra Costa County 10 years from now?"
I think this is a perfect opportunity for an OS meeting and will propose that. However, I am a bit stumped on the third day. While I do see the value in printing books on the evening of the second day, and giving them to the participants on the third day to vote on the top ten issues the organization should be addressing, does it make sense to have the participants develop a list of actions for each of those top 10, given the fact that they are not employees of the organization? The reason, by the way, the president wants input of the community (and not of the organization's staff) is because the organization is in the business of serving the committee, thus, he figures it's best to start with the communities sense of their needs, instead of what the staff thinks the community needs are. Any help with this I will surely appreciate, and if you have additional thoughts on the design besides my day three question, I would be grateful. If you wish, I will keep you up to date. One final thing, if anyone would like a copy of my proposal that can be used as a template, let me know and I will send it along (or post somewhere??) Craig LaFargue Antioch Consulting Group
