Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC

Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC

Research Services

Explore how we are utilizing economic insights to promote human well-being and environmental sustainability.

About us

Sustainable Economies Consulting is your solution to handling small to large scale projects involving nature and communities. We know you are busy, and we can help your team avoid the stress of planning and organizing complex projects. Sustainable Economies Consulting frees you up to implement the programs that directly benefit your mission. When you need a streamlined plan that takes into consideration important conservation goals PLUS critical economic and community goals, we can help you develop your strategies. If you need to bring together multiple organizations that are partnering on your project, we can help you develop shared goals. When your project centers around difficult or complex issues, we have the tools to break the planning process into bite-sized pieces. Taking things one step at a time, we can help you work through the complexity to move closer to success. If you need measurable goals and outcomes around both nature and human well-being, we can help you quantify goals and develop metrics for tracking success. If you need guidance with grant development and planning, we can help you diversify into new funding sources. Sustainable Economies Consulting provides solutions to all these needs. Partnering with our experienced team will put you on the path to an organized and successful project. Ultimately, we help you achieve your sustainability goals and have greater impact on not only nature but also the quality of life for communities.

Industry
Research Services
Company size
2-10 employees
Type
Self-Owned
Founded
2019

Employees at Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC

Updates

  • Cleveland community, it's not too late. You can still register for tonight's event! Together with Sustainable Cleveland, we'll be sharing our findings from our community engagement for the Cleveland Climate Action Plan update. Join us today, Oct. 29 at 5pm at the Cleveland Foundation for a 1-hr in-person session. There is a virtual option too. Hope to see you there!

  • Our firm is a proud member of the Civic Consulting Collaborative. The Denver Climate Action project is a powerful example of the impact that can come from collaboration and authentic community engagement. The value of being a member of the CCC is that your organization then gets access to almost 2 dozen principal level consultants. We help you select your ideal team to tackle big challenges facing communities. Our co-op leads groups navigating community challenges to build agreement, increase capacity, and achieve equitable and sustainable solutions.

    In November 2020, Denver voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to create the Climate Protection Fund (CPF) to raise approximately $40M per year dedicated to climate action via a 0.25% local sales tax.         This is our most impactful project to date, in which CCC members Jacob Bornstein, Marisol Rodriguez and Matt Gray facilitated the process to create the CPF. ✨This project still matters because it shows the power of collective impact.✨ MAIN PURPOSE ⤷ This project set out to create consensus among a diverse task force of stakeholders to design the Climate Protection Fund, including what types of projects it would fund.   UNIQUE ASPECT ⤷ The opportunity to see the impact of a $40M/year ballot measure come to fruition is remarkable. Recent projects funded through the CPF include the purchase and installation of a heat pump at a Green Spaces coworking space, Mile High Youth Corps’ Energy and Water Conservation Program, and community solar gardens.          COMMUNITY INSIGHTS ⤷The secret to success was in gaining awareness of what mattered to other community members and the power of diverse community members coming together to design solutions. What would you add? What are some of your favorite secrets to success in collaborative / collective impact projects? ________________________________________ The Civic Consulting Collaborative is a member-owned co-op. We are dedicated to launching bold, innovative solutions, founded on collaboration and equity, informed by evidence, and always authentic. Please send us a message if you want to chat about partnering on future projects. Link to our website is in the comments.

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  • Today's post by Lori Stanley is a must-read if your nonprofit wants a human-centered approach to lasting impact. We fully concur with Lori's tips around what this looks like in action...with one small addition. Lori recommends that you "Ensure that the goals and initiatives focus on maximizing positive outcomes for the people served rather than purely internal or operational objectives." This is true, and, Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC regularly partners with organizations focused on conservation, sustainability and climate change. So, we'll add - we encourage you to look at maximizing positive outcomes for people served AND nature. There are many opportunities to find win-wins for human well-being and ecosystem health.

    View profile for Lori Stanley, graphic

    Helping forward-thinking nonprofits focus on what matters most to elevate their social impact and build sustainability strategically | Former Executive | Consultant | Facilitator | Mom of twins | Scuba Diver |

    Strategic Planning That Puts People First: A Human-Centered Approach to Lasting Impact. I recently spoke with an executive director who said their sector needs to focus advocacy efforts on the outcomes for people rather than the organization's sustainability. It left me thinking that it starts with strategic planning and building a culture of engagement. Here is what it looks like in action. 🔷Conduct Stakeholder Research: Understand the needs, pain points, and aspirations of those directly impacted and invested in the organization. 🔷Map Experiences: Create user personas or journey maps to visualize different stakeholder experiences, helping the organization empathize with their perspectives and understand their challenges. 🔷Involve Diverse Stakeholders: In workshops and discussions, include various voices—beneficiaries, staff, partners, politicians, and funders—to ensure the strategy is built collaboratively and reflects various needs and ideas. 🔷Co-Creation Workshops: Facilitate sessions where stakeholders collaborate to generate ideas and solutions. This promotes shared ownership of the plan. 🔷Align Strategy with people's needs: Based on insights gathered, define strategic priorities directly linked to improving stakeholder experiences, addressing their most pressing challenges, and achieving their goals. 🔷Prioritize Impact: Ensure that the goals and initiatives focus on maximizing positive outcomes for the people served rather than purely internal or operational objectives. 🔷Pilot Initiatives: Before fully launching any new strategy, test initiatives on a small scale with stakeholder input. Use these pilots to gather real-time feedback and assess whether the proposed solutions effectively address the needs identified. 🔷Iterate: Based on feedback, refine the strategies to ensure they’re genuinely impactful. This step ensures flexibility and responsiveness to people’s evolving needs. 🔷Monitor and Adapt: Once the strategy is implemented, create feedback loops with stakeholders to ensure it meets its goals. 🔷Remain Flexible: Adjust the strategy as you learn from ongoing feedback, ensuring it addresses people’s needs as circumstances change. 🔷Share Progress and Celebrate Wins: Keep stakeholders informed about the strategy’s progress and how their input influenced decision-making. 👋Hi, I am Lori. As a strategy consultant, I help nonprofits focus on what matters most and turn challenges into strategic opportunities to elevate their social impact and sustainability. 

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  • This quote by Simon Sinek aligns with our approach to strategic planning with nonprofits. Spend a larger percentage of your planning process on vision & goals. Equally important is ensuring your team has a shared understanding of those goals. Hint: this is easier said than done. It can take several iterations to ensure all team members are actually rowing in the same direction. Gone are the days of an overly detailed action plan. These overly detailed plans go obsolete too quickly and don’t allow for the flexibility needed to achieve your goals.

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  • When we work with your organization on a strategic plan, inclusive community engagement or an impact assessment... These might not seem like areas where you need to master difficult conversations. But the reality is, the more we're comfortable with mastering difficult conversations - the more we can move past conflict. This helps teams rally around shared goals, so your nonprofit can have more impact. Highly recommend following Chris Wong, LMHC, ACC with more tips on mastering difficult conversations and about nurturing high functioning organizational cultures.

    View profile for Chris Wong, LMHC, ACC, graphic

    Building High Performing Nonprofit Cultures | Nonprofit Strategy Coach | Certified Executive Coach | Turning strategic plans into strategic action | Podcaster | Licensed Therapist

    Thursdays, I focus on mastering difficult conversations. What's the biggest barrier in difficult conversations? Ourselves. I've held difficult conversations in all sorts of contexts and coached others through difficult conversations in countless other situations. The biggest thing people struggle with is fear: - Our fear of saying the wrong thing - Our fear of hurting the relationship - Our fear of being seen as the "villain" - Our fear of compromising our values So what can we do with the fear? Reframing our fears 1️⃣ Worried about the other person pushing back or getting emotional/angry? INSTEAD: - Assume that things will get heated and start planning how you'll respond - Look their emotion as evidence that they care - Look at their push back as the start of the "real" conversation 2️⃣ Worried about hurting the relationship? INSTEAD: - thinking of difficult conversations as the foundation of deeper relationships and showing that you care 3️⃣Worried about compromising your values? INSTEAD: - Get clear on what your non-negotiable values are and where you're willing to be flexible Once we overcome our fears, that's when we start building our confidence and building deeper relationships. What's your biggest fear in difficult conversations and how have you handled it? 👇 ------- I go through tips like this and more in my weekly newsletter on mastering difficult conversations and communication. Sign up in the comments below so you can go even more in depth on topics like this and more 👇 #supervisors #leaders #managers #empathyatwork #employeeengagement #communicationskills #difficultconversations #nonprofitleadership

  • Sustainable Economies Consulting thrives on partnerships. And yes, LinkedIn absolutely is a great place to meet new partners. After months of Zoom meet-ups and chatting on LinkedIn, Elizabeth Schuster met up with James Young last week in Cleveland to talk about innovation, strategic planning and learning communities. James focuses on innovation in associations - if you are a member of an association, definitely follow James.

    View profile for James Young, graphic

    I help associations innovate.

    #LinkedIn works. Since I started Product Community, I've broadened my network, met lots of great people, and learned a great deal about how to create a community of innovation. I was recently in Cleveland and got to meet face-to-face with a kindred spirit that I met via LinkedIn and continue to stay in touch (share ideas, offer encouragement, etc.). Thank you, Elizabeth Schuster! To be continued! #community #innovation

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  • Dear Friends and Colleagues: I've always valued transparency and authenticity, and I want to share with you some of the challenges I've faced this year. On the one hand, it's been an amazing year. My firm has been grateful to take on some of my favorite projects ever, around: 🔹Climate change & climate equity 🔹Environmental conservation & community quality of life 🔹Focused on community engagement, strategy, and impact assessment 🔹With both nonprofits and municipalities At the same time, I had no work in January and February. So it's meant this bust and boom cycle, with not enough work early in the year and a LOT of work the rest of the year. This has caused me to re-think my business model. I used to encourage only large projects. I now see that was a disservice to nonprofits. In response, I'm now launching a la carte strategic planning services. This makes the work more accessible to small non-profits - it allows you to contract out just one small piece, making it more affordable. And win-win - it also helps me stabilize my workload throughout the year and fill in key gaps. Please reach out today if you want to chat about a partnership. Link in comments to schedule a 30-minute, complimentary consultation. Best, Elizabeth Elizabeth Schuster, Founder of Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC

    View profile for Elizabeth Schuster, graphic

    Environmental Economist | Strategic Planner | Researcher | Collaborator

    Nonprofit leaders, you are feeling stuck. On the one hand, you know that your staff has (most) of the skills needed to lead your upcoming strategic planning process. On the other hand, your staff is busy and spread thin. Plus, you wonder if you might have some skill gaps. ⤷ Is your staff up to date with current best practices around community engagement and co-creation? ⤷ Does you staff have a full set of tools to design effective goals in a way that truly connects to your mission? . . For nonprofits who don’t want to hire out the full strategic planning process, I’m here to share that there’s a middle ground. ➡️➡️You can keep the pieces you know that you are able to manage in house, and sub out only the strategic planning services where there are capacity or skill gaps. A great example of a nonprofit using a la carte strategic planning services: This year, Holden Forests & Gardens hired my firm to facilitate about half of their strategic planning activities and they were able to keep in-house the other half of activities. By chance, this afternoon I facilitate the last Board retreat with HF&G. It has been a fabulous partnership that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to the Holden team - Joel Alpern, Meggie Butzow and Ed Moydell - for your collaboration and excellent communication throughout the process! You have a solid strategic plan that will guide your nonprofit forward for the next 5 years.

  • Be sure to follow Sustainable Cleveland to hear about upcoming community engagement sessions related to the Climate Action Plan Update. The community survey is also still open - click on the link to access the survey and have your voice heard (for those who live in Cleveland). Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC is proud to be partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in Cleveland on this important project.

  • We’ve truly enjoyed our ongoing collaboration with Lacy Consulting Services, LLC. This gives nonprofit and government clients access to more services. In addition to our strategic planning and environmental economics research projects, this partnership means your organization also gets support around: 🔹 Better understanding how to integrate trust-building into your strategic plan (and community assessments) 🔹 Building a diverse Board that better represents the communities your organization serves 🔹 Governance structures that center equity 🔹 An inclusive approach to advocacy that raises the number of people advocating for your critical issues Reach out today to design your Q3 & 4 projects. We’re happy to chat.

    View profile for Leander Lacy, graphic

    Equitable Conservation Specialist & Keynote Speaker at Lacy Consulting Services, LLC. | Stop Assuming. Start Knowing.

    We are excited to highlight our ongoing collaboration with Elizabeth Schuster and Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC! For a decade, we’ve worked together to push boundaries in environmental impact, combining Elizabeth’s expertise in environmental economics and strategic planning with LCS’ focus on DEIJ and community assessments. From our transformative project with Healthy Ocean Coalition to our current initiatives, we’re proving that integrating diverse perspectives, economic insights, and strong DEIJ principles creates lasting positive change for nature and communities. Here are some example outcomes you can get out of our collaboration: - Better understanding of how to integrate trust-building into your strategic plan - A diverse Board that better represents the communities your organization serves - Governance structures that center equity - An inclusive approach to advocacy that raises the number of people advocating for your critical issues Together, we’re revolutionizing strategic planning and creating more inclusive, impactful solutions for conservation practitioners. Here’s to many more years of successful partnership! #Collaboration #SustainableEconomics #DEIJ #Strategic Planning #Conservation Planning

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