Strategy

When movements, coalitions and organisations need to consider new ways to work together to shift power and create systemic change, I can support them to develop clear and useable strategies.

I particularly like working across movements or networks and using methods like Catalytic Thinking to help groups think beyond their current constraints and consider their best contribution to change.

For example, I supported the Open Government Partnership and members of the broader open government movement in setting a new vision and strategy for supporting local, open government around the world.

May worked with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2019 in revising our strategy for promoting open local government… She helped us develop a strategy that was ambitious in its vision but practical in its implementation design.

That the strategy was unanimously approved by OGP’s Steering Committee and very well received by the OGP community is a testament to the quality of May’s process and deliverables.  Many of the ideas May brought to the table for OGP Local are now informing other strategic processes within OGP, which goes to show the depth and richness of her inputs, and the deep understanding of the organization that she developed over a relatively short period of time.

We also really appreciated May’s approach to the work – always collaborative and based on open, candid discussions. She was also deeply invested in ensuring that there was broadbased buy-in and excitement for the strategy as it was developing.. Beyond the intellectual depth May brought to the process of developing the OGP Local strategy, she also made the process fun and enjoyable, earning trust and confidence from colleagues very quickly. It was a real pleasure and privilege working with her, and we look forward to future opportunities to work together again.

Shreya Basu, Deputy Director and Regional Lead – Asia Pacific, Open Government Partnership