The 15-5 Plan
A Team to Plan and Scale Your Programs, Cater to Your Staff and Manage Your Convenings
People who run organizations and social impact enterprises spend over 60% of their time implementing programs and planning events.
You know what this means, don't you?
While you once felt moved by the work, the constant barrage of infrastructure building and program planning is exhausting. The work is meaningful, but you do not have the time to manage people and programs, but someone has to do it.
You sometimes feel both a tired that sleep won’t fix and a sense of purpose. You have the demands of the board, the tea, and what the community is looking for you to do. To say nothing about the sense of urgency you feel coming from your own career clock. The need for vacation shouldn’t be an everyday occurrence.
You, the team and the people you are meant to serve have seen their fair share of wins. You could see even more wins if the task of planning convenings, managing people and keeping the many parts of programming didn’t take up so much of your time.
Here’s the Deal.
Time can feel like it is running out.
You’re working on a clock. You don’t look up to see what time it is because that would slow you down. If you were to pay attention, you’d amaze yourself at what you and your team have been able to accomplish, but there is a nagging feeling that we are all acutely aware of.
Well, of course it is finite, but your time feels particularly spread thin. The world is changing so fast and all you want to do is slow it down enough to catch your breath. Our society is also facing a strange time of change, but it feels like it leaves people behind. You are attempting to chart a territory where you consider those who companies, governments, people in a position of power tend to push down, whether intentionally or not, and you lead an organization that works to help people as much as possible. If others could see your vision and what’s possible, your work would be made a little easier. Not that you have all of the answers - by no stretch is that true - but you do understand your people and your community.
You know a little somethin’!
Calm and collected in the face of emergencies is your strong suit and you’ve had plenty of practice. Not only that, but you’ve seen too much not to have tapped into what could be better if only there was the time and resources to do so.
You are not running out of time. Not at the speed you think you are. You are just wasting some of the time you’ve been given. You probably sense it.
“Is this the best use of what I see is possible for my people?”
Likely not, but here you are slugging away at another event, managing someone else’s program that didn’t step up the way you thought they would, responding to an emergency that is important, but drains you, leaving you with little else. Forget the vision that you see glimpses of. Creative space to think through the best ways to build out an ecosystem so the organization you are leading can flourish seems like a pipe dream. You’re laying the foundation to a certain extent, but what now?
Let’s pause for a second.
I’m Ebonni.
I’m the Founder of We Are Ideas. We plan events, manage programs and scale both so the reporting is done for funders and other stakeholders. We help take care of day of logistics including managing sponsors, vendors and special guests. We build infrastructure for you and the team to scale programs so folks go from, “I’m running out of steam.” to “I have the capacity, confidence and creativity to get closer to our organization’s mission.”
Your problem is time management.
Meaning you give it all away. Everything is important so now nothing is really important.
How It Works
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Analysis While We Plan.
Our first step is looking at what you have added to your organization that is important, but has not moved you closer to the mission.
How have you given up a sense of direction and meaning because you know how to balance a lot of balls in the air? You know how to take a lot on so you do even though it is not what’s best for you, the team and most importantly, the people the organization was built to benefit.
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Planning While You Envision.
Our next step is understanding how the programs and events are helping to build out an ecosystem that your team and intended community members were meant to benefit from. We do that through establishing a client profile and database, working with your team on events between 3 months to 1 year, help plan those events so funders and board members are happy while now having a keen eye on if said programs and events will support the greater mission 3 to 5 years from now. Planning.
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Capacity While We Build Alongside You.
We help you build capacity through event management, staff development/training, and event and program reporting.
We take dated and/or mission creep programming and events and produce events and programs that support your staff and community moving boldly (sometimes with a bit of trepidation) closer to the mission of the organization. We do this over time so it isn’t a jolt to the organization’s system, but a natural next phase to an ecosystem you have had in mind for quite some time if only there was a team to do what you did not set out to do.
What’s in the plan.
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Support in confirming event sponsors
Copy writing to support communicating with potential donors
A more holistic approach to fundraising
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3 months to 1 year of event and program management support, employee relations and program reporting
A team to help plan convenings so you don’t have to do as much of the heavy lifting
Sponsor, vendor and special guest management
Registration support
Guest/client profile management
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Financial consulting on how your funding is aiding or can directly aide in system change work for your community and/or cause
Sunsetting programs that are no longer a good fit for the direction of the organization
Capacity to build programs that aid in system change work
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An ecosystem to support long-term organizational goals for emerging leaders and senior managers
Monthly and biweekly small group Q/A calls with legal counsel, human resources analysts and accountants for you and/or your staff to join
What the People are Saying about Our Work
Executive Director
“I have had the pleasure of working with Ebonni in different capacities including her work in housing justice, social justice, partnership development and event management. Her unapologetic approach to equity and belonging while also considering many aspects of systems-change work is impressive. Ebonni has a keen sense of what is needed to get the job done when complicated matters arise. She has an expansive network of policy makers, corporate leaders and organizers. I trust her leadership and grateful to have the opportunity to work with her.”
Domestic Workers, Base Building Nonprofit
Housing Director
“Ebonni understands the big picture and attends to the small details. She treats both with equal vigor. She has the guts and integrity to tell me what I need to know, not necessarily what I want to hear. If she doesn't replace me when I retire, she's going to have to help me find and train someone (or more than one) to be as professional, innovative and adaptable as she is.”
A Municipal Affordable Housing Agency
Social Impact Founder
Ebonni is simply one of the best managers of large-scale initiatives I've ever known. She's brilliant, engaging, creative, and does an incredible job of keeping everyone on task to maintain quality. I'm truly privileged to be able to work with her.
Tech company for social good
Founder
“We Are Ideas worked on our event and idea management for our event. We’re planning better and have seen a 40% increase in funding, productivity and attendance which has been pretty remarkable – can’t wait to see more!
So grateful to Ebonni and the team for taking the time. I really felt you all cared and connected to this project in the same way I connect to it. You see why it's important and needed in our community. You saw its potential and helped to fill the holes and get us organized. It's great to work with people who actually get that part and its makes a significant difference to me.”
Artist Nonprofit
You Have a Vision to Realize.
Let us help you plan the events, write the reports and move you beyond the mission.
Our Guarantee.
If at the end of your time with us, you have not had exemplary event management support, a built out system change program and a more cohesive, purposeful and productive team, we give your money back.
Cost: $15,500/per quarter OR $56,800/annually