More Strategy Sessions

Hiring a graphic recorder for a strategy session is not just a good idea, at certain successful organizations, it is a practice. This is the practice of the organization PWA Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that raised over $1.66 million this year through one event for its cause. If you are a nonprofit agency and have a good cause you are strategizing around, and are interested in implementing graphic recording, I am becoming quite seasoned in strategy sessions! I have been scribing well with both facilitators and consultants, and grown strong in these skills by doing strategy sessions with The PWA Foundation. Working with a facilitator is like being a silent partner. I pick up on the direction the facilitator is guiding the discussion in, but also must actively listen to every participant at the meeting. We also have a short preliminary, which is something I like to request, in order for me to get the gist of what needs to be covered. Obviously, a good facilitator does not lead the group but merely puts the agenda before them in a way that makes them find the most important discussion points and turn them into community input. And the PWA organization has some of the best people coordinating events like meetings. As a result, the strategy sessions are always a pleasure, with inspired input from each participant and a sense of hopeful direction for a challenging cause. The number of people potentially served by The PWA Foundation is ever-expanding, not because of HIV, but because the organization itself emphasizes outreach and expanding its services. This is not necessarily an easy task. There are many people who need help in the world, and in the immediate municipality, and the system is not meeting their needs. So the nonprofits must step in and do what they can. There are so many ways to make our society a better place, and helping the poor and advocating for people who have medication needs, along with all the secondary needs explored and discussed at these sessions, is surely one of the most important. It is an honour to work with these activists making society a better place.