“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
As a feminist organization facilitating collaboration, we ground our work in a politics of justice and use an action and reflection cycle to capture the what, how, and effect of the Collaboration Lab process. We embedded learning into every phase, gathering knowledge from various stakeholders. This evidence gathering, although resource-intensive, was integral to the Lab’s success. Keeping learning central enriched our process and deepened our insights into feminist collaboration.
We documented the entire Collaboration Lab process, from rolling out the lab to forming each collaboration and developing plans and budgets through the three phases (discover, define, refine). We built a team of documenters and facilitators to support collaborations. Each group had a documenter trained in our documentation format and data management protocol. They took notes, reflected on group dynamics, supported plan writing, summarized discussions, and shared key points with the groups. Graphic recorders visualized the group’s focus and roadmap.
To gauge the progress of the Collaboration Labs, we gathered feedback from the women’s funds. The Fenomenal Funds team did not attend meetings unless invited, so we used “Typeform” surveys to collect qualitative feedback at the beginning and end of each phase. This feedback helped us recalibrate our approach based on the needs of individual funds and groups. Notes from meetings and survey responses guided our actions and adjustments.
To understand data patterns, we held collective reflection meetings with the facilitation team. These meetings allowed facilitators to share insights, offer tools, and strategize, fostering a community of practice. These reflections helped us see emerging connections across collaborations and identify where additional support was needed. Staff also held bi-monthly one-on-one meetings with facilitators.