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June 2022
The Quarterly Word
It’s easy these days to feel overwhelmed by the noise coming at us from all sides.
There’s the most common noise, of course, the noise of daily life—children in the flurry of their final weeks of the school year; ongoing COVID decisions – do I go? do I Zoom? Even the excitement (and additional noise) of trips to see family and friends.
The ‘noise’ from our culture and society can feel even louder, more damaging, and more chaotic. We continue to see tragedy unfold on a daily basis and must consistently fight efforts by some to strip individuals of their rights, whether that be voting rights, reproductive rights, or the right to safety. Conversations around change feel heavily polarized and frankly, unhopeful.
To get a little more concrete about listening, think about those comments we’ve each received in our feedback work that have truly stuck with us and allowed us to stand in someone else’s shoes.
As it goes in charged and difficult moments, we tend to reserve our energy for reaction more than listening. But, in times like these, it’s important to reground and try to center on what matters most. For me, that means remembering why I do this work and why listening is the at the core of it. Real listening, the kind that puts you squarely in someone else’s shoes, brings about greater understanding and empathy. We lack this right now and it shows, across our daily lives and our cultural lives.
To get a little more concrete about listening, think about those comments we’ve each received in our feedback work that have truly stuck with us and allowed us to stand in someone else’s shoes. These moments remind us not to flee from the “noise” or react to it in a knee-jerk way, but to stay centered and keep listening.
For instance, I will never forget the young person who commented in a survey from YouthTruth, the first feedback program I founded. They said that their teacher…”is nice but just not that good at explaining things.” This was such a simple thing to observe, but so wise and nuanced at the same time.
I remember the food bank client who said in an L4G survey…”I hate complaining, because it’s free food, but sometimes the fruit is completely rotten or we get stuff that expired a week before. Other than that, everything is awesome and we appreciate it a lot.”
Or I think of the person who said that the way their housing services could be improved would be getting better pest control because of all the rats.
What’s a feedback quote that sticks with you? I’d love for you to share it with us by posting it on this jamboard. Once we get a collective, we’ll share them back to the whole community.
If we don’t want to drown in the noise, we’ve got to keep coming together and reminding one another of the power of listening.
Listen4Good Insights: How A Performing Arts Organization Navigated the Pandemic
The pandemic created a crisis for countless nonprofits, with theater and arts organizations being among the hardest hit. California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) had just started the Listen4Good program when the pandemic started.
In a short period of time, Cal Shakes lost all of its earned revenue and reduced its staff by two-thirds, furloughing the rest. Instead of staying paralyzed, Cal Shakes decided to use every Listen4Good tool, resource, and skill to find a path forward.
Its lifeline? Audience feedback.
Armed with data to guide decision-making, Cal Shakes has been able to effectively return to live performances, while reaffirming its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Today, Cal Shakes is a thriving regional theater, more in tune with its audience than ever.
Learn how feedback helped Cal Shakes regain its footing by reading more on Listen4Good Insights.
Welcome L4G's June 2022 Cohort!
We are so excited to welcome 72 organizations (our largest round of participants ever!) to our June 2022 cohort. Listen4Good’s portfolio now numbers over 675 of organizations across the country!
The organizations in this new cohort represent a wide range of sectors, such as early childhood, workforce development, community development, human services, and the arts. And they represent communities all over the country, including Boston, MA; Tempe, AZ; Roswell, GA; and many, many more.
We’re also pleased to announce several new funders who are sponsoring various organizations - we appreciate their enthusiastic support!
Meet a new coach: Betina Jean-Louis
Listen4Good’s team continues to grow and we now have a team of 21 professionals on staff! Please join us in welcoming one of our newest coaches, Betina Jean-Louis. Betina spent 16 years at Harlem Children’s Zone, and went on to establish her own evaluation consulting firm, Arc of Evidence.
We asked Betina a few questions to get to know her better.
What is your favorite season, and why? Fall is my favorite season. It is perfect running weather, fall foliage is beautiful and leads to daily changes in the landscape, the air is really fresh, and the wind feels like it is cleaning out a lot of the heavy, cloying smells from the summer.
What are you reading right now? Right now, I'm reading articles about implementation science, particularly those relating to attempts to infuse equity into its practice. Here’s one I recommend, which talks about applying an antiracism lens.
What inspires you about working in the feedback space? I am inspired by organizations who are willing to do the work to go deeper and really understand the perspectives and experiences of those they serve. I appreciate their commitment to moving beyond the status quo so that they can learn more and improve their practice.
Betina Jean-Louis, Feedback Coach
SUPERPOWER: Helping do-gooders to actually do good
To learn more about Betina and our other coaches, visit our Coach's Corner.
Survey Monkey and Listen4Good: Shifting Power with Feedback
In mid-May, we collaborated with SurveyMonkey for another fun LinkedIn Live broadcast: Shifting Power with Feedback.
During this 15 minute conversation, Valerie Threlfall, our Managing Director, and Zachary Nunn, the Program Director of Employee Experience, exchanged their perspectives on the how’s and why’s of embedding equity into feedback practices, along with real-life examples from Listen4Good and Momentive.
As you may know, SurveyMonkey’s Analyze platform powers the work we do with organizations like yours, providing intuitive dashboards and data visualizations to help you listen to your clients more deeply.
If you missed it, you can watch the session by clicking on the red button on the left.
Next application deadline: December 1
It’s never too early to think about our next registration deadline! Fill out our registration form by December 1 to enter our January 2023 cohort of feedback programs.
In the meantime, we run interactive informational sessions every few weeks, where you can learn more about our programs, hear stories from other organizations, and find out how a funder can sponsor your participation. Register for an info session today!
Coming Soon
We have been busy at Listen4Good, innovating new ways to support organizations on their listening journeys. Be on the lookout for the following resources and offerings over the coming months:
An updated core competency framework grounding our definition of high quality listening practices in a strong equity frame
Updated program offerings for organizations who want to maintain access to Listen4Good services beyond 18 months
A refreshed Listen4Good web app with new updated brand colors
Look out for our next post on Listen4Good Insights, coming shortly, and have a wonderful summer! Thank you for being part of our community.
