We work collaboratively with philanthropic and nonprofit organizations on planning projects intended to bring about significant organizational and community change. Each assignment is unique, combining a range of planning techniques that draw on systems thinking, organizational theory, and interactive planning approaches that have been well-tested in practice. Our planning teams are tailored to the particular needs of our clients and emphasize both depth of experience and state-of the art technical knowledge and skill.

Our projects often involve working with clients on the design of innovative programs and practices. Our approach aims to integrate a thorough knowledge of what works with a commitment to making the best possible use of limited resources. We see program development as a dynamic process that begins with a sound “theory-of-action” that makes assumptions and goals explicit, a well-defined framework of strategies and actions that guide the implementation process, a strong commitment to defining expected impacts and measuring accomplishments in relation to them, and a process for reviewing progress and making program adjustments as implementation proceeds.

Urban Ventures has deep experience with a range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies appropriate to urban and community settings. We have the capacity to design and conduct complex applied research assignments that require “mixed-method” approaches that may involve a blend of survey and database research along with interview and focus group methods. Our teams have worked in a range of organizational and community settings and we are committed to producing results that help our clients answer the critical and relevant questions that inform planning and program design.

We undertake both formative and summative evaluations of foundation grantmaking programs and strategies and we work with nonprofit clients on both organizational and program assessments. We favor an interactive evaluation approach that involves our clients directly in the evaluation design process and that gathers and presents findings in ways that support organizational learning and improvement goals. Evaluation teams are structured to be culturally diverse and to bring a mix of skills and perspectives to the work. Because we draw on a national network of associates to expand our reach, we can undertake projects that are larger-scale and involve multiple fieldwork sites.