“Bruce Decker’s knowledge of the Appalachian region, including systems of care, funders, and providers has been invaluable for the Appalachia Funders Network’s (AFN) Health Working Group. AFN’s Health Working Group has engaged Bruce a number of times to facilitate our regional meetings – he offers a good balance of member-to-member learning, narrowing of focus / opportunities, and actionable next steps – as well as fun, educational group/team activities. Bruce is organized, responsive, an excellent listener, and easy to work with.”
~Terri Donlin Huesman, Co-Chair, Health Working Group, Dublin, OH
“Doing work that changes the circumstances in a community is not only difficult to do, it is also hard to talk about. What is needed to make the change happen? What partners and what activities? What will the change look like? How will we know if we are making progress? These are the questions that our group (professionals working with Community Action Agencies across the country) had at our last annual in-service. Collective Impact was able to clarify the relationships and the dynamics of this community approach so that we left with greater knowledge, increased understanding, and a much better perspective on all the issues. Thanks so much, Bruce!”
~Barbara Mooney, Director, Association of Nationally Certified ROMA Trainers, Harrisburg, PA
“Mid-way through our organizational 5 year strategic plan, we felt we needed to ask the tough questions to ensure we were on the right track to accomplish our goals. We turned to Collective Impact. Bruce researched our organization, presented it to us in a way we had not considered, and we have a much better perspective on our direction as a result. We are on track; thanks to Collective Impact.”
~Jeffrey Fondelier, Vice President of Operations, Blueprints, Washington, PA
“As a large center, we collectively set out to begin our strategic planning process knowing there would be many levels of detail to consider and the need for objective, thoughtful, and creative ideas and assessment processes. Immediately, Bruce Decker listened to our needs and considered what our center was “all about”. He took the time to invest in this effort so that he could respond to participants’ needs along the way. He provided detailed materials that efficiently and effectively helped us focus on what we needed to accomplish at the upcoming sessions. During the sessions, he creatively kept our attention while making all pieces of the session pertinent to our goal. In the end, people loved Bruce and what he was able to accomplish. Repeatedly, I heard that our sessions were not “typical strategic planning” sessions. Positive reviews have come in from our center team AND our partners. Finally, the summaries Bruce provided to us after each session are crucial documents to us as we build new materials and the plan for the next 5 years!!!! We are very grateful to Bruce and Collective Impact!”
~Lesley Cottrell, Director, West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disabilities (WVU CED), Morgantown, WV
“Bruce — I have to tell you that having you facilitate the planning process was probably the best decision CHRIC made in tackling such a huge undertaking — and accomplishing so much in a very short period of time. My hats off to you and your company for providing such a good service — and you have the perfect personality for it as well!”
~Stephanie Kiyak, Councilwoman, City of Dunkirk, NY
“Working on the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) project, Bruce and the team at Collective Impact outperformed any hope we had of facilitation, coordination, surveying, reporting, etc. Without the cohesive element they provided, we would not have been successful in our Planning Phase. Bruce Decker went above and beyond what he received in his contract to make sure this project succeeded. That’s a quality you can’t put on a resume. The residents of our city may never know how much work went into BCJI, but those of us who do certainly owe Bruce and Collective Impact a debt of gratitude.”
~Rodney Pell, Administrative Officer, Huntington Police Department (Retired), Huntington, WV
“Bruce Decker was assigned to the City of Shinnston as our Community Coach during our participation in Federal Home Loan Bank’s Blueprint Communities Program. Our team was very new to the concept of community development and Bruce was an integral part of bringing us around to the highly effective team we are today. Particularly while facilitating our efforts to write a strategic plan for the City of Shinnston, Bruce was incredibly skilled in drawing from us OUR ideas of what we wanted Shinnston to become and the steps to get us there. Our plan won an award in the course of the program and is currently undergoing its third update as we accomplish one goal after another.
Later, the City of Shinnston was awarded a Flex-E Grant to increase our community capacity through leadership training. We once again called upon Bruce Decker and Collective Impact to facilitate sessions on visioning, team building, motivation, cultural competence, and leadership. The exercises designed for these sessions were challenging, thought-provoking, and highly effective. I have also personally been through other training sessions led by Bruce at conferences put on by Create West Virginia and the WV Community Development Hub. I’ve never been disappointed; Bruce always delivers results.”
~Debra Herndon, City Manager, City of Shinnston, WV
“Working with Collective Impact was wonderful. The facilitators were skilled, organized and had great vision of what our project needed in order to be successful. We still receive so many compliments on our finished product, and even better, it is still a relevant piece of information that our organization and our community rely on to proceed with accomplishing our goals.”
~Amanda Moore – Executive Director, Clay County Business Development Authority, Clay, WV
Conducting a Community Needs Assessment (CNA) across eleven counties can be a daunting task; it requires a considerable investment of time and human resources and implores all stakeholders, including coalition and community members, to take a hard (and honest) look at local strengths and opportunities. Our work with Bruce Decker and Collective Impact to design and launch the initiative, develop and administer a survey tool, and organize and conduct focus groups, has been thought-provoking, clarifying, and at times eye-opening. I deeply appreciate Bruce’s commitment to the process and his excellent organizational and time-management skills to keep us engaged and on-track. The end product is something I am exceptionally proud of and can use to further strengthen our communities throughout region 5. Thank you, Bruce!
~Kathrn Kandas, Coordinator of Regional Prevention Services, Community Connections, Inc., Princeton, WV
“Collective Impact has done an outstanding job of assisting us with various projects and initiatives. The attention, careful listening, diversity of skill, professionalism and friendliness of everyone we have worked with is extraordinary. They have a wonderful way of bringing their experience and expertise into a spirit of partnership that has brought forth creative energy, enthusiasm, and effective capacity building within our leadership team and our organization.”
~Sr. Janet Fleischhacker - Executive Director, Congregation of St. Joseph Ministries, Nazareth, MI
“I’ve worked with three communities that have had strategic plans done by Collective Impact. In all three the planning process and subsequent document provided structure for locals to move forward, often with significant projects. It is no wonder that they have repeat business and a good reputation with these folks.”
~Herk Conner – Executive Director, Doddridge County Economic Development Authority, West Union, WV
“Bruce and Jeremy were a pleasure to work with on our agency’s Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment project. They made sure they understood our needs and worked diligently to deliver a product that exceeded my expectations.”
~Rick Smith, Executive Director, Eastern West Virginia Community Action Agency, Moorefield, West Virginia
“Bruce, on behalf of our team at Go Global NC, thank you for your terrific facilitation in Chapel Hill for our staff retreat. It was very informative and enjoyable, and your kind and supportive approach received many compliments from our team. It was a very valuable day and provided a forum to focus our discussions. Thank you again for the opportunity to work with us on our first steps to building a better team.”
~Go Global NC (formerly The Center for International Understanding), Research Triangle Park, NC
“Bruce Decker has provided excellent service to Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia for the past several years. Bruce has always presented a positive, encouraging, and high-energy attitude with all of our projects. I highly recommended Bruce and his Collective Impact team.”
~Lora Pierce – Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of WV, Charleston, WV
“Without Bruce Decker and the Collective Impact team, Wayne County, WV would still be attempting to put together a countywide plan. Bruce and his team were instrumental in the development of our “20/20 Vision Plan” and the implementation of many of our goals identified in the plan. Thanks to Bruce and the Collective Impact Team, Wayne County can look forward to continued growth and development in many sectors across the county. Thanks Bruce, you’re the best!”
~Brett Jones, Executive Director, Housing Authority of Wayne County, Wayne, WV
“The Indiana County Department of Human Services has been a long time customer of Collective Impact; we have used their branding communication and Venue Internet services (website) for over fifteen years. The website is very easy to manage and to make changes to. More importantly, our customers tell us how easy it is to navigate our website to search our human services directory (by topic or name) or find our flyers and brochures. The few times that we’ve had problems, the Collective Impact team is quick to respond to correct any issues. We’ve also contracted with Collective Impact for project evaluation. The cost is reasonable, their time and commitment to the project is sufficient and the outcome is a quality report.”
~Bonni S. Dunlap, Ph.D. – Director, Indiana County Department of Human Services, Indiana, PA
“Collective Impact made it easy for us to share ideas and engage community partners which lead to a comprehensive product with well-defined deliverables and dates of completion. I look forward to working with them again in the future.”
~Ronda Francis, Administrator, Marshall County Health Department, Moundsville, WV
“When I came back upstairs after seeing you off, the students were talking, talking, talking in the hallway. I had to herd them back into the classroom! Never have I had to do that before! Your energy and enthusiasm were carrying them along into new territories … thank you, Bruce!”
~Trish Hatfield, Marshall University Graduate School Humanities Program, Instructor
“Collective Impact – particularly the expertise and enthusiasm of Bruce Decker – was a win for our organization. Bruce was able to provide our nonprofit executive leadership a plethora of strategies on collaborations in a compelling, fun, and interactive way. Bruce challenged existing paradigms and empowered leadership to approach collaborations in a new way. Since the workshop, several of our groups have partnered successfully to maximize on resources. I highly recommend Collective Impact.”
~Hillary Rowe Wiley - Regional Public Affairs and Communications Advisor, NeighborWorks America: Working Together for Strong Communities, Atlanta, GA
“I was very impressed and comfortable with the way Bruce presented the materials and got us involved and productive. I especially liked the variety of ways he introduced the various topics and how he directed us into different ways to think about the topics without being authoritarian. I was surprised at the inclusion of our statewide partners in the planning process as I did not expect that to be appropriate since we had not experienced that approach before. However, I was very pleased with this and thought it was a most productive day. Bruce’s leadership facilitated a most congenial and relaxed working environment. I was pleasantly surprised at how well and enthusiastically we all worked together. All of Bruce’s approaches were user friendly, operationally appropriate, and facilitated positive results in a painless manner. I would most definitely recommend Bruce to other organizations that may need this same assistance.”
~William Lindley, NWVCIL Board President, Morgantown, WV
“Collective Impact collaborated with us in designing and leading a statewide training for the network of Family Resource Centers in West Virginia. Throughout the twists and turns of design and fulfillment of our 2-day training, we were fortunate to work with a team of consultants who were professional, client-focused, flexible, effective, interactive, strength-based, positive, and connected. All provided in an atmosphere of fun and with a mindfulness of varied learning styles. We left our meeting with a renewed energy of cohesiveness, coupled with action steps and concrete ideas to move forward. The success of our training would not have been possible without the insight and effectiveness of Collective Impact.”
~Genny Ferri, Community Partnership Coordinator, Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia - a project of TEAM For West Virginia Children, Inc., Huntington, WV
We have had Bruce work with our Board of Directors and staff on several occasions providing strategic planning and professional development training and the results have been outstanding! Bruce led us in identifying our strengths, challenges, opportunities, and actionable next steps while providing fun, interactive, and educational team activities. He helped us look inward to examine ourselves and consider some new and innovative ways of getting things done. I also had the pleasure of working with Bruce when he led our sponsor organization, the Congregation of St. Joseph Ministries, through the One Rising capacity building initiative. Bruce is genuine, organized, thoughtful, responsive, and very easy to work with. I very much enjoy our time with Bruce and highly recommend him.
~Cynthia Drennan, Sisters Health Foundation, Parkersburg, WV
“Our organization completed a strategic plan about 10 years ago, so it was completely outdated. The board was very reluctant to start a new plan, but with the help of Bruce Decker and Collective Impact, we’ve developed a great plan to help us move forward as an organization. Bruce was patient, creative, informative, and energetic. He was really able to get us thinking outside of the box and get discussions started that helped set goals and develop a plan for our organization to take the next step. Thank you again Bruce!”
~Jessica Stump – Executive Director, Snowshoe Foundation, Snowshoe, WV
“Bruce Decker was extremely flexible and accommodating. His Collective Impact team did a very thorough and professional study for us.”
~John David - Director, Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS), Oak Hill, WV
“We have hired Collective Impact to provide a variety of services including facilitation, strategic planning, and training. They are consummate professionals, providing what we asked for, working with us to make sure our needs are met, and providing excellent follow through. They bring a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to their work, as well as creativity and thinking outside the box. We look forward to working with them again!”
~Laurie McKeown, Coordinator, TEAM (Together Eliminating Abuse and Maltreatment) for West Virginia Children, Huntington, WV
“Collective Impact facilitated a great strategic planning process for our agency. Activities and interactive discussions kept staff engaged and focused on the process resulting in a comprehensive three year plan. For fun yet productive strategic planning sessions, I would definitely recommend Bruce Decker and Collective Impact.”
~Robin Kees, West Virginia State Director, Telamon Corporation, Martinsburg, WV
“My personal experience with Bruce Decker and Collective Impact has actually saved my hometown by meeting, talking about the problems, working on issues, and collectively coming up with solutions by creating a plan to alleviate substandard housing and provide quality homes for all of Wayne County. We have actively started a Neighborhood Association that is over 100 members strong and are continuously working to make not only our town, but every town in Wayne County a better place.”
~Rose Meredith - Executive Director, Wayne County Community Services Organization, Inc., Huntington, WV
“The Wayne Family Resource Network has had the privilege of working with Collective Impact in many different capacities over the years, such as strategic planning, community development, town hall conversations, and housing. Collective Impact is dynamic and understanding to the different cultures and needs in our communities and organizations. Bruce and the Collective Impact team work diligently to make each project a success. They provide their client with resources, tools, and guidance to move towards achieving their goals. Any community or agency would benefit greatly with assistance from Collective Impact. Collective Impact empowers their clients to achieve their goals by working together to as one to maximize their success. We look forward to working with them again in the future.”
~Charity Damron - Coordinator, Wayne County Family Resource Network, Wayne, WV
“The Trust Fund has worked with Collective Impact on a number projects and I have to say, their vision, ambition and desire to push out the barriers, is truly inspiring. Bruce has an innovative way of working with strong minded individuals and teams, by providing the leadership, tools, and guidance necessary in getting the job done.”
~Marlena Mullins – Executive Director, West Virginia Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Charleston, WV
“The WV ATC provides technical assistance and direct services statewide to West Virginians living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. While our primary headquarters is on the campus of Marshall University, in Huntington, WV, staff are positioned at strategic points across the Mountain State. Because we are spread out regionally across the state, agency staff sometimes felt disconnected, and at times struggled to understand the duties of colleagues they don’t see every day. The center asked Collective Impact to facilitate a half-day session designed to break down social and professional barriers. Bruce Decker carried out a highly effective process that helped staff communicate more easily with colleagues, and more readily handle intra-departmental conflict. WV ATC staff enjoyed the experience, and continue to reap the benefits.”
~Dr. Marc Ellison, Executive Director, West Virginia Autism Training Center - Marshall University
“After hearing from nonprofits around the state that one of their greatest needs was to learn how to collaborate with other nonprofits, businesses, and government within their communities, the West Virginia Nonprofit Association reached out to Bruce Decker to facilitate 4 regional trainings on Building Bridges for Community Impact. The day long workshops were a good balance of content and group engagement. Bruce addressed the ‘nuts and bolts’ of collaboration, and then wove in ‘real life’ group exercises that resulted in preliminary partnerships and regional action plans on issues relevant to each community. His facilitation skills kept the participants engaged. He offered new information, fresh ideas, and taught participants new skills for strategic planning. It was a great experience to work with Bruce and I look forward to tapping into his expertise in the years ahead.”
~Laura Lee Haddad, Executive Director, West Virginia Nonprofit Association, Lewisburg, WV
“So thrilled to have been able to work with Bruce on developing our WV Chapter of the American Planning Association 5-year Plan. Our chapter recently had a transition of leadership and we needed to re-engage a group of people who had not come together beyond an email list in a while. We completed a strategic planning process for our statewide group virtually and Bruce made the sessions accessible, enjoyable, and worthwhile of people’s time in a busy, Zoom fatigued world. When we needed a little bit more guidance to complete the project and set us up for success for this first year, he stayed in touch even beyond what we originally agreed to make sure we got the support we needed. He rose to the occasion to help a bunch of planners create a working Plan to lead us forward. Highly recommend Bruce for his investment and commitment to his work whatever the topic!”
~Breanna Shell, City of Huntington, City Planner