Issue: Premier national disaster organization had hit the limit of what its existing systems and resources could yield at maximum production for emergency sheltering and feeding during large scale disasters, which still was not sufficient to meet the likely requirements of future events.  The issues to be addresses were a combination of supply chain management issues, leadership capacity and selection, scalability and efficiency of business processes, and external partnerships.

Solution: Member of Topline managed the organization wide strategic program review including the engagement of leading experts from various disciplines, an exhaustive stakeholder engagement and analysis process, a top to bottom staff evaluation, and exploration of paradigm shifting models and resources for increasing outputs and outcomes.  As "game changing" solutions came into focus and were implemented, communication, training and engagement strategies were developed to enroll legacy staff nationwide, roll the model out to partners in non-profit and state & federal government, and attract a new generation of leaders to come forward and contribute to the brightness of the future it represented.

Result: As a result of the crash overhaul, the organization realized an increase in performance of over 30% in output over a previously unsurpassable maximum capacity within the first four months of implementation.  Within the year those same new systems would respond to the scale of a 300% increase over historical best performance.  Additionally, these new processes were built around unprecedented degrees of integration and collaboration with external partners and suppliers and resulted in a new climate of shared commitment to not only the mission but the success of one another's organizations as well.

Large Urban School District 

Issue: A school district heavily involved in educational reform sought to engage a large number of community based organizations into an initiative that would lead to integrated "wraparound" social services to low income families in the hopes of increasing student and family success and retention.  The project team needed to take advantage of a quickly approaching conference where many of the constituents they wanted to enroll would be present in order to launch the initiative in a way that would create excitement and buy in for the collaborative work that was to come.

Solution: Topline was brought in to help the team identify the messages that would drive the desired investment from the audience and design an agenda that produced a collective learning experience for the half day summit that would positively impact the participants.  Topline additionally assembled a team of expert facilitators to guide powerful and candid conversations for the nearly 100 organizational representatives in attendance and partnered with the summit conveners to plan for and successfully execute the day's event.

Result: The client described the event as a huge success.  Participant surveys expressed that attendees found the initiative compelling and much needed and that the powerful dialogues that they were part of helped them see clearly what their organization's critical role would be in its success.  Significant partner buy-in was achieved and public officials participating in the process were impressed with the energy and momentum produced and indicated their commitment to supporting the newly founded collective effort.

Issue: Board of Directors approved an initiative to create and implement a test program to build a youth program aimed at involving high school students in community service. The successful program would be rolled out to other branches of the organization. The initiative was hampered by fits and starts in the early months without an effective approach to program design and implementation.

Solution: Topline facilitated a series of planning sessions in which students designed and implemented the program from the ground up. Topline consultants helped the students create a framework and a leadership training program for building skills and competencies for successful community service projects. Topline provided facilitators, teachers and community mentors to conduct classes for students.

Result: The program won awards from the National Organization for creativity, collaborative process, and exceptional outcomes in terms of the number of high schools and the number of students involved in the program. It became a model for other regional and local efforts.