Website with Information about CoLAB Planning, facilitation, nonprofit management, grants and other services

Take a look at the CoLAB Planning button on the AskBess.net site to see a brief description of the CoLAB Planning Series process and philosophy. Please let me know if you have questions. It is a fun and challenging process where people learn a lot of USEFUL information about each other!

CoLAB Planning Boca Raton + Florida Atlantic University + Jr. League of Boca

These CoLAB Planning workshop participants are engaged in an idea table exercise to mine ideas that are based on existing assets within the organizations represented: Nonprofit Resource Institute (Community Foundation for Palm Beach & Martin Counties); Palm Beach County Resource Center; and the Jr. League of Boca Raton.

CoLAB Planning Broward County 2007

Participants network with each other using a speed dating method that connects people to resources in a large group facilitated process created by Bess de Farber.

Starting Out

This is my first try at creating a social network with people interested in collaboration as an art form or community development tool or a way to find common minds through this Internet connection. It should be a terrific adventure to share my thoughts, experiences and successes with the world in this way. And then to learn from others who have a passion for how collaboration works and doesn't work.

I've been facilitating collaborative relationships since I was a young musician. There was always a challenge when combining forces with others. Music is a collaborative artform even as a solo player--having an audience is so important to one's development if in fact the musician wants to share. So sharing has become my life long passion in all aspects of life.

The CoLAB Planning Series was created in 2001 as a means for leveraging existing community assets and connecting people and organizations to each other, quickly and meaningfully. Several funders and stakeholders were at the table: United Way of Broward, Community Foundation of Broward, NCCJ, ArtsServe, and Volunteer Broward. The problem after 9/11 was that so many resources were going to NY that leaders felt something needed to happen to help nonprofit community groups connect. The CoLAB Planning Series design resulted from this meeting.

So this blog is devoted to sharing information about CoLAB as well as learning from others about their collaboration development experiences.

I'm curious to see what else I can do with this blog. So more later...