Our Approach
When Woodvalley Community Strategies begins work with a new client, we are clear on our approach: we are pragmatists acting in support of a goal or vision. We like to identify real problems and work toward real solutions; our plans and projects are not based on “unicorns and rainbows.” A comprehensive plan that has 19 goals and 71 objectives for a town that has 1,700 residents and four staff members is unlikely to produce any positive outcomes. A trail project that is 19 miles long in a community that is only 6 miles wide is unlikely to get built. At least, not without a good strategy.
Let’s slim that plan down to 3 or 4 big ideas or goals that people can rally around and work toward. Let’s lay out a roadmap or create a framework to achieve those goals. Then let’s work together, build some momentum, and get it done. WCS prefers to work in communities that will let us help to implement some of those goals. Let’s find the first grant to make something happen or re-prioritize existing resources to get started.
When a community is facing real challenges, trying to figure out their next chapter, solve a problem, or deliver a project, they deserve an honest assessment and an understanding of the choices they can make to achieve their goal. Let’s be honest with each other about what it's going to take. We ask hard questions. Say the quiet part out loud. Push back. Talk it through. Many communities decide that they aren’t ready or don’t want to decide on an issue - and that’s ok.
