Root Cause

Root Cause's purpose is to foster effective collaboration. Through intentional facilitation, training, and strategic design, we foster greater effectiveness within and among nonprofits, social service agencies, schools, hospitals, and their ecosystems to accomplish common goals. This is our purpose because decades of combined experience show us that when people work together effectively within their own organizations and come together with other organizations, positive change begins to happen.  Read more about Root Cause's purpose, take a look at some past project highlights, and learn about future Collaboration for Impact Cohorts in this month's newsletter! #collaboration #nonprofitcollaboration #collectiveaction #collectiveimpact #socialimpact

Root Cause is launching Collaboration for Impact Cohorts in 2025. This six-month virtual program is designed to help nonprofit leaders, backbone teams, and cross-sector partners strengthen collaboration, build resilience, and drive meaningful social change. Through virtual convenings, coaching, workshops, and facilitated peer learning, participants gain the skills and support networks needed to drive long-term impact. Root Cause is currently seeking funding partners to support the first cohort, launching Spring/Summer 2025. Funding partners can sponsor individual grantee participation, a geographic- or issue-based group, or contribute to a pooled fund. If you are interested in exploring partnership opportunities or cohort customization, please email us at info@rootcause.org. One-pager with more cohort information in the pdf below. #collectiveaction #collaboration #philanthropy #nonprofitsector #peerlearning #socialchange

Happy New Year's Eve 🎉 Thank you for following along as we celebrated 20 years of Root Cause! On the last day of 2024, we are closing out our 20 days of 20 projects campaign by sharing two of our facilitation and convening projects. Building collective action in Rhode Island with van Beuren Charitable Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gQ3mXShR Facilitation and Convening with ZERO TO THREE: https://lnkd.in/deP7ynDG We also want to give a special shoutout to two nonprofits who were incubated at Root Cause when we first started in 2004 and are also celebrating anniversaries: Interise and The Social Innovation Forum

Today, for our 20 projects for 20 years anniversary campaign, we are sharing four of our strategic planning projects that have a focus on increasing equity and access. Take a look below: Strategic plan for Girlstart, a nonprofit creating access to high-quality STEM experiences for more girls in more communities: https://lnkd.in/gjqGcB2 Strategy for building a national movement in 2015 with the Campaign for Black Male Achievement: https://lnkd.in/gAN2uRvZ Strategic plan to launch the Diversity-Informed Tenets for work with infants, children, and families with the Irving Harris Foundation: https://lnkd.in/e6kwHnvd Strategic planning for the HOPE Initiative at Bunker Hill CC: https://lnkd.in/dPR8eiwC

This year, Root Cause celebrated 20 years of helping drive effective and enduring social change! Since 2004, we’ve helped over 400 nonprofits, public agencies, schools, hospitals, and foundations achieve their goals. We look forward to a future of supporting collaborative efforts that help people and their communities thrive while advancing racial and economic equity and justice. In the meantime, check out some of our current and recently completed projects in our newsletter below. #nonprofitsector #nonprofitconsulting #collectiveaction #capacitybuilding #philanthropy

Today, for our 20 projects for 20 years anniversary campaign, we are sharing three of our performance measurement and evaluation projects. We work with our partners to develop performance measurement tools, processes, and systems and evaluate programs to make recommendations for the future. Take a look below: Framework performance measurement and evaluation for HOPE - Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences: https://lnkd.in/dx9V4U2V Pay for Success Coaching with the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance: https://lnkd.in/g8NXzj5M Evaluation an economic opportunity program for returning citizens through small business growth with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation: https://lnkd.in/e6yZ6WWS #performancemeasurement #nonprofitevaluation #nonprofitsector #frameworkevaluation #nonprofitconsulting

Today, for our 20 projects for 20 years anniversary campaign, we are sharing some of our capacity building, technical assistance, and coaching projects. We provide capacity building to foundation grantees, school districts, collaboratives, and public agencies to strengthen their teams, programs, and services while also integrating a strong, explicit organization-wide commitment to racial and economic equity practices. Take a look below: Customized Capacity Building and Technical Assistance for State Street Foundation Grantees: https://lnkd.in/gUcgHz9D Providing technical assistance to Massachusetts Department of Public Health funded organizations within the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention to support healthy relationships: https://lnkd.in/gXt9v4kM Continuous Quality Improvement for Kindergarten Readiness with the The Duke Endowment and Ready for School, Ready for Life: https://lnkd.in/deKkK2v Designing the Next Phase of a College, Career, and Life Readiness Partnership Coordination with Boston Public Schools: https://lnkd.in/g6UEN4Ge #capacitybuilding #philanthropy #nonprofitcoaching #technicalassistance #nonprofitsector

Root Cause is celebrating its 20th anniversary! For our 20 projects for 20 years campaign, today we are sharing four collective action projects. We help nonprofit service providers, public agencies, funders, and other stakeholders who share a common purpose come together to design, implement, and then measure the performance of collaboratives and collective action initiatives. Check them out below: Addressing maternal and infant health disparities in Guilford County, NC with Every Baby Guilford: https://lnkd.in/gMY-zMw Youth Violence Prevention Funders Collaborative with State Street Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gTeVhqt4 The Biogen STAR Initiative in Cambridge and Somerville MA: https://lnkd.in/gDen3V9 Boston WINS (Workforce Investment Network): https://lnkd.in/g2HhxRq #collectiveaction #collectiveimpact #socialimpact #philanthropy

Root Cause is celebrating its 20th anniversary! To celebrate, from now until the end of 2024, we are sharing 20 projects from our 20 years of social impact work. The three projects below all focus on community engagement and place-based work. From Springfield, MA to northern NH to Washtenaw County, MI, Root Cause worked with our partners to center local communities to co-create strategies and solutions. Check them out! - Building Community Wealth in Springfield, Massachusetts with MassMutual Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gndV83GH - Strategic Planning to Grow the Impact of the Tillotson Fund at New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gf6QqP_z - Community Mapping & Engagement for Healthy Aging with Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation: https://lnkd.in/eCWxMhqU #communityengagement #placebased #collectiveaction #philanthropy

How can funders support nonprofits with evaluation? Register for Philanthropy Massachusetts upcoming event November 19th where Root Cause's Lucas Orwig will be sharing some insights from our work with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.