Our Services and Approach

Parallel Solutions guides the processes and holds space for people to come together to align visions, get unstuck, create action plans, and make things happen to strengthen Great Lakes communities. Through consulting and coaching, facilitation, and community and team engagement, Parallel Solutions helps people build relationships and business practices to grow and sustain impact for the long-term.
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To accomplish this, we:
  • Help people clarify vision and direction, roles and responsibilities, lines of authority and communication, and accountability between organizations or agencies, within teams, or between staff and board.
  • Facilitate conversations when there is uncertainty or conflict among people or partners and create space to explore and resolve complex or difficult issues that do not have easy or formulaic solutions.
  • Coach board and staff members about organizational and fund development, and structure processes, policies, programs, campaigns and activities that reflect visions, goals, and values.
  • Develop and tailor realistic solutions that align with available capacity, resources, and time of the team working on an issue, project, or campaign.
  • Design and implement inclusive and meaningful engagement opportunities to connect with the public and diverse stakeholders.
  • Facilitate inter-organizational, inter-jurisdictional, and public-private governance and partnership agreements and processes in order to implement projects and provide services related to parks, trails, land management, water quality protection and restoration, food systems, transportation, and other community development efforts.

​Parallel Solutions’ clients are diverse in the scope of their missions and their scale. The firm serves state and federal agencies, local units of government, and non-profits, as well as private sector partners working on community development projects.


Strategy and Organizational Development

  • Evaluating assets, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, risks, threats, capacity and resources
  • Helping define or refine your mission or vision
  • Clarifying goals and desired impacts and outcomes
  • Exploring and developing growth scenarios 
  • Exploring new project or program feasibility​
  • Evaluating partnership opportunities
  • Creating business plans, staffing plans, and budgets
  • Evaluating and preparing policies and procedures
  • Recommending action steps
  • Preparing action plans
  • ​Developing criteria and decision-making tools
  • Developing dashboards to monitor progress
  • Providing organizational development training and coaching for staff and board members
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Support for Networks and Partnerships

We specialize in supporting public-private, inter-organizational, and inter-jurisdictional partnerships. 
  • Training and coaching in collaborative and consent-based processes and shared governance models
  • Facilitating network and stakeholder meetings
  • Preparing partnership agreements​
  • Creating collective impact and joint action plans​
  • Designing merger processes ​ 
  • Mediating conflicts
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Fundraising and Communications

We support solutions that respect our clients' capacity and focus on building and sustaining relationships. 
  • Communications and fundraising planning
  • Campaign feasibility and planning
  • Confidential advisor and donor interviews
  • Stakeholder surveys
  • Preparing cases for support 
  • Providing coaching or training for staff, board members and volunteers in community engagement and fundraising​
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Community and Stakeholder Engagement

We are committed to creating space for inclusive dialogue, listening, learning and understanding by:
  • Facilitating retreats and private meetings
  • Coordinating and hosting public meetings
  • Hosting focus groups and listening sessions 
  • Designing and implementing community and public engagement processes ​​
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