After the Advisory Committee co-created the vision and design of the Collaboration Lab, we translated it into a process to support women’s funds in forming collaboration groups. Success was due to intentional planning, selecting the right people, and setting women’s funds up for success. We gathered feedback, stayed flexible, and remained focused on the vision.
Fenomenal Funds aimed to strengthen the Prospera International Network of Women’s Funds by facilitating connection and collaboration. The Advisory Committee’s vision guided us to translate this into a participatory process. Clear steps and timelines ensured shared understanding, while defining roles and responsibilities clarified expectations. Openness to input refined our plan, building shared ownership essential for success.
With a plan in place, we sought the right people. The Facilitation team was crucial in creating a brave space, requiring feminists who embodied the vision and could design a dynamic process. They needed to navigate power dynamics, build trust, and keep the group focused on their goals.
An orientation session helped facilitators refine steps and identify themes of interest, fostering a community of practice. We ended up with a dedicated group of feminists who formed strong bonds with the women’s funds, some continuing to work with them in the implementation phase.
The Advisory Committee continually asked: how should women’s funds feel? What experience should they have? We surveyed them and used insights from Resilience Grants to select themes. We created facilitator profiles, held an info session, and provided a multilingual information packet detailing the process, plan components, and guidelines for the Advisory Committee’s review. We stayed open to questions and support, working to set them up for success.