Parallel Solutions
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Our diverse mix of federal, state, and local government, private, and nonprofit sector clients invest in downtowns and neighborhoods, build housing, run cooperatives, protect natural and farm lands, support local businesses, develop and maintain trails, restore rivers, create and manage public parks, protect drinking water, address homelessness, support food security, steward wildlife habitat, nurture connections with nature, create and promote the arts, educate students, design and manage transportation systems, and support individual and community health and wellness. ​


"Megan's active listening skills combined with her unique ability to pull order out of chaos is what sets her apart." 

​Julie Clark, Executive Director, T.A.R.T. Trails, Inc.

"Megan gave us a road map to the future. She was a guide that gave us invaluable tools along with an eagerness and optimism that will stay with us for a long time. She touched every member of the group in a meaningful, positive way. Everyone felt empowered." 
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​Gerard Prendergast, Saluda Community Land Trust

As we experienced growth at Huron Pines, we wanted an independent voice with experience and expertise to help us work through questions around maximizing our impact and sustaining our work. Megan was that trusted voice for us. The help we have had from Parallel Solutions -- with staff training and organizational planning -- has helped fuel our success the last few years. Megan has a keen sense for drilling down into the root cause of any challenge and is always able to offer practical solutions for addressing those issues. She's great to work with! 

​Brad Jensen, Executive Director, Huron Pines 

"Megan was a great help in assisting us to determine our readiness to launch a capacity campaign and identifying the steps to initiating one.  She really took on the role of senior staff level support, diving into our organizational data and operations to provide considered concrete direction for board and staff.  She is concise, engaging, and committed and operates from a position of experience in the non-profit world of time and resource constraints." 
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​Chris Bunch, Executive Director, Six Rivers Land Conservancy

"In the past, our Board hadn't had a positive experience with strategic planning. Many of us were overwhelmed with statistics and dialogue that didn't make sense for our organization. We needed a planning leader and a coach who could guide us. Megan did an exceptional job in eliciting responses and generating ideas. She helped us think outside the box and smoothly navigate the process. During our first session, through a series of questions and responses we were able to revise our current mission statement into a clear and concise statement that better defined our organization. This was a huge accomplishment AND Megan made it fun. The following planning sessions proved to be just as beneficial.

​Ellie Vratanina, Board Co-Chair, Arts for All of Northern Michigan

"We’ve become wary, after working with too many consultants that let a particular process or model trump the legitimate needs of our small organization. Working with Megan as a planning partner and mentor has shown us how this business is supposed to work. Megan is foremostly a good human who understands that she is working in a community, bringing warmth and care to balance her incredible rigor, professionalism and drive. The combination is unbeatable and has helped us speed through the learning curves of exceptional non-profit management." 

​Brad and Amanda Kik, Co-Directors of Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology 
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"This was not a canned strategic planning session. Megan adjusted her technique as the day went to long to meet the needs of our particular institution and where we need to go." - Nonprofit Board Member

"Megan did an excellent job moderating discussion and leading us. She included everyone, including folks on Zoom, and was intentional in hearing from everyone." - Nonprofit Board Member

"Megan's training style worked well with the balance of presentations vs exercises and reflections." - Nonprofit Staff Leader

Strategy

  • A Rocha USA
  • Arts for All
  • Au Sable Institute
  • Athens Land Conservancy
  • ​Cerulean Center
  • Cherry Capital Foods
  • ​City of Traverse City - City Commission
  • City of Traverse City - Arts Commission
  • Fishtown Preservation Society
  • Friends of the Detroit River
  • Friends of the Rouge 
  • Great Rivers Conservancy
  • Esperance Teaching Kitchen 
  • Healthier Drinking Culture effort 
  • ​​Heart of the Lakes
  • Inland Seas Education Association
  • Traverse City Downtown Development Authority​
  • Munson Healthcare Foundations
  • Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy 
  • Parallel 45 Theatre
  • Saluda Community Land Trust
  • ​​Six Rivers Land Conservancy
  • Tecumseh Land Trust​
  • Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay
  • Water First Action Plan
  • Walloon Lake Trust and Conservancy

Organizational and Professional Development 

  • Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
  • Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan
  • Building Bridges With Music
  • Clinton River Watershed Council
  • ​Commongrounds Real Estate Cooperative
  • ​Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology
  • Disability Network Northern Michigan 
  • Ducks Unlimited
  • ​Friends of the Detroit River
  • Friends of the Rouge
  • Gathering Waters
  • Human Nature School
  • Huron Pines
  • Land Trust Alliance
  • Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance
  • MorningStar Retreat Center
  • Northwoods Land Trust
  • T.A.R.T. Trails Inc.
  • The Cornucopia Institute
  • Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
  • Title Track
  • Traverse City Track Club
  • Rotary Charities of Traverse City - Leadership Learning Lab 
  • Rotary Charities of Traverse City - Capacity Advisory Pool
  • Walloon Lake Trust and Conservancy
  • Women's Resource Center

Community Development

  • City of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Master Plan​
  • Conservation Millage Toolkit​
  • Norte's Explore Academy
  • North County Trail Association Optimal Trail Location Plan
  • Redevelopment Readiness Assistance, Michigan Municipal League & Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Networks and Partnerships

  • Boardman-Ottaway River Network
  • DownRiver Linked Greenways and Friends of the Detroit River
  • Goodwill Northern Michigan and Safe Harbor
  • ​Northwest Food Coalition
  • Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness​
  • Three Mile Trail Project
  • Torch Lake Area Conservation Collaborative​
  • Urban Conservation Exploration - Convened by Heart of the Lakes
  • ​U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • ​Water First Action Plan

Community Engagement 

  • Arts for All - Inclusion Study
  • Boardman Lake Trail
  • City Lot Project, City of Traverse City
  • Clark Township Community Development Planning
  • Discovery Center and Pier
  • East-West Corridor Transportation Study, Grand Traverse County Road Commission 
  • Food Security Summit​
  • Friends of Public Lands and Preservation
  • Healthier Drinking Culture, Traverse City Downtown Development Authority
  • Legacy Land Conservancy
  • Michigan Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
  • Northwest Michigan Community Health Innovation Region - Pooled Wellness Fund Exploration​​
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