RSP Has Deep Hands-On Experience In Building and Growing Complex Networks.
We use that experience to help groups define focus, develop policies and procedures, and build out the right structure to get collaborative work done. All services are offered as online Zoom or in-person meetings.
We help groups of people discover their collective self-interest, set shared goals and work plans, and develop the parameters of their collective work. Areas of expertise include:
Group Facilitation and Planning
Goal Setting and Work Planning
Policies, Procedures, and Processes
Team Building
Like organizations, networks go through various stages of development. We help our clients navigate the complexity of starting, growing, and scaling their network. Areas of expertise include:
Network and Team Assessment, Problem Solving, Consultation
Strategic Planning for Networks
Theory of Change for Networks
Thought Partnership and Coaching
Network Structure Development
Working Group Planning and Development
We help network clients understand what’s working, where attention is needed, and what results are taking place because of their collective efforts. Areas of expertise include:
Network Evaluation
Design and Build Out of Network Measurement Systems
Member Surveys, Interviews, Focus Groups
We know what it takes to manage large collective impact networks. For more than 12 years, we have served as the backbone support organization for the Appalachia Funders Network and the Central Appalachian Network. Over the years, we have captured the tools, knowledge, and lessons learned through our network management work. We want to teach, train, and support other backbone support leaders and organizations.
Training For Backbone Support Staff: Roles, Responsibilities, Tools, and Lessons
Coaching and Support for Backbone Staff
Our Clients
We partner with funders, nonprofit anchor organizations, financial institutions, and businesses inside and outside the Central Appalachian region to achieve their objectives with a deeper impact and broader scale.
Alabama Sustainable Ag Network
Appalachian Citizens Law Center
Appalachian Regional Commission
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
Appalachian Sustainable Development
Carolina Small Business Development Fund
Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Central Appalachian Forestry Alliance
Coalfield Development Corporation
The Educational Foundation of America
Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation
Highlander Research & Education Center
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
Natural Capital Investment Fund
New Opportunity School For Women
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Southern Sustainable Ag Working Group
Truist Bank CRA / Community Development
West Virginia Community Development Hub
Rural Support Partners’ Values
Our mission-driven management consulting firm is founded on a commitment to inclusive participation and aims to have the plans, actions, and results emerge from the vision and goals of the people with whom we work. The following values are at the core of everything we do:
Our work is founded on the rock-solid belief that the people we work with have the skills, wisdom, vision, and capacity to solve complex problems, create effective solutions, and create transformative change. Our job is to pull out that wisdom, bring about collective analysis, help create action plans, and reflective practices. The consistent use of the Popular Education Spiral keeps us grounded in this value.
We strive to uncover, speak-to, and address the multiple oppressions that undermine the beauty, health, and well-being of all people and communities.
We work to build long-standing and equal-power partnerships with our clients—creating the trust and mutually supportive relationship needed to do difficult and messy work together.
Our results-based approach means that we start with the end in mind to ensure our work and the work of our clients are focused on clear outcomes. This approach leads to a more efficient use of resources, and ultimately a greater return on everyone’s investment of time, energy, and money.
We honor and learn from the work before us while working to strengthen and sustain the change infrastructure that will continue the work over long after us. We believe in opening doors and supporting young leaders to ensure that the work of creating more just and equitable rural communities endures over the long haul.
Learn more about our approach.
Contact Us
Rural Support Partners is a mission driven consulting firm. Contact us to discuss how you’d like to advance your organization’s management, strategy, and collaboration in alignment with your goals.