The Define phase focused on deepening relationships and specifying the collaboration’s focus. Each group articulated their roadmap: What would they focus on? What would success look like?
The facilitation team guided women’s funds in co-creating their vision, thinking critically, and balancing individual needs with collective interests. They helped define values, roles, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution strategies.
Rich conversations clarified these points, with facilitators writing the plan based on the co-creation process. Women’s funds reviewed plans to ensure their ideas were captured, resulting in a two-year roadmap for each group.
“Knowing will be more valid—richer, deeper, more true to life and more useful if…our knowing is grounded in our experience, expressed through our art, understood through theories which make sense to us, and expressed in worthwhile action in our lives.”
— Peter Reason, “A Laypersons’ guide to cooperative inquiry,” University of Bath, 1998
Facilitators supported each group creatively, allowing women’s funds to fully engage in building relationships and collaboration. Relationships strengthened, and insights emerged about working across time zones, languages, and approaches.
Despite the demands, the commitment to the vision and each other remained strong. We honored their work by increasing the budget to fully resource all 13 Collaboration Groups!
Next step: Refine!