Spotlight on TCC Group Changemakers: Rose Konecky

How do you inspire action in your advocacy work with your clients at TCC Group? 

The responsibility to take action lies with all of us.  We want our clients to be able to immediately leverage our work so they themselves can take action.  That can take the form of a TCC Group-created decision-making tool they can use right away or an evaluation framework that allows them to describe their work with a clear narrative. As evaluators, we use our recent advocacy research findings as a springboard to develop thought leadership about what actions evaluators can take. This includes evaluating how advocates’ messaging of a policy has taken into account current social movements.

What innovative approaches are you bringing to your work?

My mission is to make the data analysis results more human. The people and projects we work with are more than simply ones and zeroes on a spreadsheet. It’s easy to get lost and return to a nonprofit client with overly technical, sterile findings, but I’m motivated to turn a seemingly inscrutable dataset into findings and visuals that inspire enthusiasm and action. One way I accomplish this goal is to take a couple of (enormous) steps back from the work and articulate what makes a given project particularly important in the big picture. This helps to set the tone for every following conversation.

What is it about TCC Group’s approach that sets it apart from other social impact firms?

“Just one more thing….” Remember how TV detective Columbo always had to ask just one more question on top of the questions he had already asked? TCC staff are all so genuinely curious, and that drives all the work we do on advocacy! The most recent advocacy project I worked on had us turning to industry experts, key governmental actors, and policy implementers. Then we conducted an extensive literature review to add more context to the answers we were finding. We are persistent, and we are always willing to ask “just one more thing” in just one more venue to get the answers to client questions.

You’re currently working on an exciting climate change project. Can you share more details about this effort? 

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our lifetime, but it can be hard for a grantmaker to tell a compelling story of the work they have done to protect the climate. One of our clients makes a portfolio of grants to support innovations in green energy. We are currently working with them on an exciting and informative process called Ripple Effects Mapping. Much like when you cast a pebble in a pond, the effects start small and ripple outward exponentially. Similarly, with their grantmaking, the effects of their work have begun with their grantees’ ability to engage in programs to support energy innovation. We are currently gathering data on the next ripple outward, and the ripple after that, in hopes of helping them to tell their impact story as grantmakers. At the same time, we are helping them be better partners by reducing less useful reporting requirements from grantees.  The project has moved at a lightning-fast pace, so we are excited to say that only a couple of weeks in, we are already learning a ton about the effects of their grants on the world and how they can work better with grantees.

You’ve worked at TCC Group for more than a decade and have worked on a wide range of issues to improve the lives of young people. What’s one project you’re particularly proud of?

Our work with Delaware’s Camp Arrowhead has allowed us to provide clear insights on how their various camp programs are fulfilling their mission and where their camp administrators have opportunities to grow in the future. As a former camper myself, it’s been inspiring to see how much thought goes into the programs that were offered to me decades ago, and to kids, including my own, now.

What does it mean to you to be a part of social change work at this moment?

The social and health effects of the pandemic, the acute challenge of racial justice, and the erosion of democracy made me feel pessimistic about the pace of social change work at first. But, my work at TCC Group has presented me with opportunities where I can effect change. Outside of work, I support causes that mean a lot to me (such as volunteering for organizations in my community or developing social capital among neighbors and with groups that bring new people into the democratic process).

You can learn more about Rose and her work at TCC Group here.