Swell Collective

Building organizations committed to positive social change means committing to respectfully collaborate with the communities we serve. Collaboration doesn’t come naturally. All of us have been acculturated to the habits of competition. We know cooperation and collaboration are how we can work best together but we still fall into the traps of the competitive mindset.

We try to create intentionally diverse organizations and then we can’t figure out how to grow through conflict. We get defensive when called out. We ignore the emotional toll of the constant onslaught of seeing communities in pain. Then we squander our precious time with one another with unproductive meetings and superficial conversations at best, intractable conflict and the perpetuation of oppression at worst. All of these are solvable problems.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: A global perspective of the networks and communities of stakeholders your work resides in. Mindful attention to that social capital and treating it as the valuable resource that it is. Deep understanding and respect of community perspectives, needs and interests.

REAL TALK ABOUT POWER: Healthy dialogue that leads to stronger, thriving relationships. A shared understanding of the dynamics of power and a shared commitment to use that power as fuel for positive change, not as a weapon against one another.

PROCESS FACILITATION: Facilitation of deep dialogue and collaborative process. Guides by the side whose expertise is in the design of interactive and engaging experiences grounded in the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.

CENTERING WELLNESS: Many who are called to this work are empathetic and finely tuned to the needs of others. We often find ourselves centering the well being of those we serve before our own. We must flip this script. In order to sustain lasting change, we need to heal ourselves.

Peer coaching and accountability with a community of new wave leaders.
Ever feel like you would thrive with the support and structure of some regular check-ins with a community of your peers in making positive-change? Looking for a group that understands the struggles of representing marginalized communities while doing change work? Maybe you are approaching burn-out and feel like you need to recommit to your self-care and remind yourself of your own goals and dreams? Do you believe in the power of collaboration to accelerate and amplify good work? The Collective may be for you.

We connect change-makers all over the nation for coaching and mentorship from our peers in community organizing and social entrepreneurship. We use our collective and community power to access deep discounts on software and services all change-agents need. We keep each other accountable and we make shift happen.