Integrate evidence-informed knowledge to
improve effectiveness.

TRAINING, TOOLS & RESOURCES

Organizations recognize the importance of adopting evidence-informed processes and practices, but they often lack the time, energy and skills to develop and implement customized training, tools and resources that can build their organizational capacity in key areas.

Heather Graham offers evidence-informed and customized training, tools and resources that support organizations to build capacities and improve their effectiveness. Her areas of expertise include: Board Governance, Collaboration, Strategic Planning, and Community Engagement. 

Examples of Customized Training offered through Workshops and Webinars:

  • Board development workshops that provide orientation to board governance basics and best practices for Boards of Directors
  • Governance for Community Engagement workshops
  • Collaboration Capacity Building Workshops and Webinars for organizations and collaborations
  • Community-based research workshops

Practical Tools and Resources Developed:

  • On-line resource for the Ontario Community Support Association called “Collaboration Coach” (www.collaborationcoach.ca)
  • Collaboration Toolkit & Training for the United Way Toronto
  • Community Collaboration Framework and Policy developed and implemented for various Hospitals and Community-based Organizations (includes collaboration capacity building workshops)
  • Board development tools and resources (checklist of Board Governance best practices; role clarification exercise; case studies exploring potential conflicts of interest)
  • Capacity Building Guide for Strategic Planning (supported by a grant from the City of Toronto to enable community-based organizations to plan, organize and facilitate their own strategic planning)
  • Resource to support the exploration of collaboration opportunities for Community Legal Education Ontario (includes pros and cons of various collaboration options; examples from models in practice; and strategies to ensure success and mitigate potential risks)
  • Public Engagement Toolkit for the City of Hamilton to strengthen staff’s capacity to understand, support and facilitate effective public engagement efforts

TESTIMONIALS

“Smart, thoughtful, very grounded in her understanding of the broader determinants of health….Those are just a few things I can say about Heather Graham. Community coalition development, strategic planning, meeting facilitation, staff training – these are just a few of the ways I’ve worked with Heather. Her project management skills are sharp and her outcomes and deliverables on point and as agreed. Collaborative, creative and fun to work with – I look forward to continuing to work with Heather in the future.”

Axelle Janczur, Executive Director, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services

 

“Heather developed and delivered a comprehensive training program to United Way Toronto’s staff, to enable them to utilize a new collaboration toolkit that she skillfully created with our team. Her approach was thorough, thoughtful, engaging and professional, and she was able to draw upon the skills and experiences of participants, which resulted in a highly successful series of workshops. She was also very skilled in drawing out complex collaboration issues that staff were grappling with, and facilitated dialogue that helped them to receive support from their peers as well as practical tools to apply in their work. I would highly recommend Heather for this type of work in the future.”

Lisa Watson, Formerly Director of Strategic Initiatives, United Way Toronto