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Pause for change
Pause for Change is challenging the social impact sector to change the way WE change the world.
By learning new skills, you can address difficult challenges and pursue promising opportunities
In less time
For less money than traditional methods
Create deeper impact
Increase creativity, commitment, and connection to yourself, your colleagues, your community, and your work
In just two days, some organizations have made more progress than they’ve had working on a challenge for multiple years.
By 12-weeks
teams have uncovered the breadth and depth of a challenge or opportunity, and they know what to build (and not), and why.
Leaders are stunned
by the level of advanced teamwork, accelerated learning, and the depth of root-cause insights achieved in such a short time.
Most organizations
save a minimum of $100,000 and countless resources and staff time, not building solutions that nobody wanted.
Organizations that fast-tracked possibilities or discovered solutions that were never on their radar, have benefited from:
new revenue streams
angel investment
increased grant funding
improved retention
increased recruitment
healthy collaborations
The Park District of Oak Park sought a way to address complex and sticky problems in the organization and the community. However, we kept running into barriers. Pause for Change helped us redesign our process focusing on problem identification, engagement and testing of assumptions around big ideas. Since we made the change, we have been able to address challenges quickly and effectively.
GREG STOPKA
Strategy and Innovation Manager, Park District of Oak Park
“we have been able to address challenges quickly and effectively.”
A majority of the staff and organizations that have learned this approach:
are still using the skills years later
have advanced in their careers
been highlighted to speak about their success at conferences
have referred others
have returned for more
The PAUSE framework are essential skills that should be applied before you:
write your next grant application
form your next coalition
design your next program
begin strategic planning
pursue “change management” approaches
AND here’s the stuff “the boss” wants to know…
The PAUSE framework is a set of simple, efficient, and effective problem-solving skills that you can use now and later to address any area of uncertainty.
The PAUSE skills were designed based on learning and iterating with organizations all across the country for nearly a decade.
These skills contain inspiration from design thinking, lean experimentation, and are infused with principles of social justice and equity.
These skills are also informed by some of the world’s leading-edge changemakers and social impact designers who are featured on my online talk show, Possibility Project.
The PAUSE framework is my proprietary methodology helping changemakers address difficult challenges and pursue promising opportunities. Using these essential and simple skills, you can be certain which solutions will work, and why, using fewer resources, in less time, while achieving greater impact.
Download a handout about how you can use the PAUSE framework.
Speaking
Hire me to lead a workshop at your conference, retreat, or learning days!
I believe in learning by doing (ditch the theoretical) - I not only lead participants through the why of the PAUSE skills, but they get to practice the how and walk away with skills they can use the very next day.
If you have less time or just want a dash of inspiration, I also provide keynote presentations about the power of lean innovation, how we can disrupt the status quo, and as a sector, how we can better address social problems.
“Working with Heather was an absolute delight. Her professionalism and approachability were evident from the moment we connected and she was also responsive and accommodating through the planning process. The day of the event she delivered a thought-provoking and insightful message that left a lasting impact on the audience. Our survey showed that attendees also really appreciated the hands-on workshops that provided practical tools and strategies that could be applied immediately. Her approachable and friendly demeanor made hosting her a dream. ”
WHERE I’VE BEEN A FEATURED SPEAKER
Acumen
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)
Upswell
Independent Sector
Blackbaud
Exponent Philanthropy
Network for Social Work Management
Virtuous
Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown
TENWEST Impact Festival
Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC)
ELGL
United Way of Greater Knoxville
Governing & Living Cities
Classy.org Collaborative
Transforming Local Government
The Nonprofit Centers Network
Alliance for Better Nonprofits
Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE)
University of San Diego Social Innovation Challenge
ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation
Lean Startup Conference
Innovators Box
Knoxville Entrepreneurship Center (in partnership with Let Her Speak)
Associations Catalyzing Entrepreneurship (ACE)
Babson College
Startup Tucson
Southern Arizona Volunteer Management Association (SAVMA)
Nonprofit Learning Lab
Association of Fundraising Professional Southern
Cause Conference
Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
University of Arizona Eller College of Management - Nonprofit Leadership
San Mateo Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program
“We engaged Heather to do a hands-on session on the PAUSE framework for our annual nonprofit conference (HANOCON 2022) because her thoughtful exploration of how to navigate through uncertainty was a great fit with our conference theme. It was a true pleasure to work with Heather! From start to finish, she listened carefully to our needs, responded quickly and thoroughly to our inquiries and communications, and worked with us to ensure her presentation was aligned with and delivered what we were hoping for.
I can highly recommend working with Heather. She is professional but also extremely generous in her sharing of knowledge and resources. She has a genuine passion for the work she does and it shines through in everything she does and is.”
Project Collaboration
Bring me into your organization and I will teach your team how to use the PAUSE framework to address any challenge or opportunity.
Every organization I work with makes progress in less time, with fewer resources, to achieve greater impact.
This collaborative work includes a few layers:
First, I want to listen. I want to hear about your challenge or opportunity, what you’ve tried, what’s worked and didn’t, who’s involved, all the things…
I will design and lead a multi-day event with your team and we will make rapid progress on your challenge and opportunity. Yes, in just a few days.
I will coach your team each week for 12 weeks to hold them accountable, keep them committed to using the core elements of the PAUSE framework, and provide progress feedback to leadership.
To continue the progress, I offer a Train-the-Trainer program that trains your own team members to lead and coach the PAUSE framework and receive coaching support as they deepen their skills and experience.
COACHING
Sometimes we all need a little expert advice.
I have been leading and coaching teams to address all types of internal and external issues within the nonprofit, local government, and philanthropic sectors, and “eating my own dog food” for nearly a decade. I’d love to listen, and help you strategize about how you can best center the PAUSE framework in your work.
Pause for Change has been transformative for the City of Tucson. Not only did they facilitate our work on some very difficult projects, they offered us training and coaching to enable staff to take the lead in the future. Heather is amazing and really understands how to connect with people and challenges to make impact where it counts. The program we developed with Pause for Change is driving innovation in our organization in a way we couldn’t do before.
JOHANNA HERNANDEZ
Administrator, Office of Innovation & Strategy, Office of the City Manager, Tucson, Arizona