Design Thinking Strengthens Communication (and Communities!) at a National Nonprofit

Real-World Requirements

YWCA USA directly serves its local associations, which are essentially autonomous organizations with a shared mission: To eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. Each YWCA is unique to the community it serves, and YWCA USA champions overarching standards and processes while also honoring the local expertise of each location. The organization’s structure, along with the geographic spread of its local associations and board members, can make communication and decision-making a challenge.

The YWCA USA member services team were already aware of the benefits of design thinking, but they wanted to deepen their knowledge and sharpen their skills at a previously planned executive retreat. The overarching goal was to help the team think more nimbly and flexibly as they tackled problems and explored possible solutions.

“The team had tried design thinking exercises in the past, but sometimes they got bogged down in the details and ended up just reverting to standard operating procedure.”

LISA GRILLS, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CAPACITY BUILDING, YWCA USA

Insightful Experiences

On Day 1, we reviewed the benefits and process of design thinking (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test). We covered the importance of zooming out, thinking about problems holistically, keeping solutions anchored in empathy, and allowing space for creative possibilities.

“It was very fast moving and fun. The way you interspersed the training with different exercises got people loosened up and releasing creative energy.”

BECKY HINES, VP MEMBER SERVICES, YWCA USA

Next, we put those core design thinking methods into practice by applying them to a relatable real-world scenario outside of work, so the participants could open their minds and be more freely creative in a low-stakes setting.

For the real-world scenario, we brainstormed ideas for making airline travel better—a situation many would like to reimagine.

On Day 2, the group took the concepts they learned on Day 1 and applied it to an actual work challenge: How might we reimagine the leadership transition experience for Executive Directors/CEOs and Board Chairs?

A key area of focus was opening up better dialogue with board members through video interviews, a necessity even before COVID-19 given the fact that they are spread all over the country. The virtual format offered unique challenges and opportunities, and Mindhatch created a training module with specific tips for facilitating an effective virtual interview.

The group then conducted the interviews, captured their key takeaways, clustered their findings to identify key themes, and prioritized which issues to tackle.

“It was really helpful to have a professional teaching these things we’ve been working on. There were light bulbs that went off with your more in-depth explanations.”

LISA GRILLS, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CAPACITY BUILDING, YWCA USA 

Inspired Results

The team came away energized and inspired to apply design thinking across a number of initiatives, including identifying which locations need the most immediate help from the national team, and what kind of support would be most helpful. They held town halls and strategy cafes to gather local input into the strategic planning process, zeroing in on governance and financial sustainability as particularly high-impact opportunities. The team is excited to apply design thinking methods to inform how they’ll move forward in those areas.

“People were engaged from start to finish. There was a great deal of interest and involvement.”

BECKY HINES, VP MEMBER SERVICES, YWCA USA

The member services team is also exploring how it can use design thinking to help associations in crisis mode. Even a challenging question like, “How might we help financially troubled organizations exit?” holds the opportunity for insight and growth.

YWCA USA plans to build on what they learned at the retreat with a much broader initiative over the coming year. Design thinking is really catching on at YWCA top to bottom, which we love to see!

Mindhatch Moments

Mindhatch’s communications style was clear, courteous, and professional across all methods (in-person, email, phone)?

“Absolutely agree.”

Did the completed project meet the objectives and achieve desired outcomes?

“Met all expectations!”

Any other feedback, suggestions, or comments?

“Thanks for running such a great session!”

“Listening is the willingness to change.”