NETI Strategic Planning Retreat
Manchester, New Hampshire
6th & 7th February 2025 Global
The purpose of this photobook is to document key outputs from the NETI Strategic Planning Retreat, so that those involved have a record and reminder of the work that was done (and how it got done!) over the course of the 2 days that the team spent together in Manchester, NH.
Retreat Participants
• Heather Foran, Terri Bruce, Rob Brown (CDI)
• Carolyn Edsell-Vetter, Micha Josephy (CFNE)
• Allison Curtis, Shelley Miller, Dave Hammer (ICA) & facilitated by Mark Jenkins (Coverdale)
Outlines of Day 1 & Day 2
How We Will Work Together
Establishing the emerging context in which we are doing this work…
Sharing Personal
Purposes
Why do you do the work that you do
(Why it matters to you):
“I do this work so that / in order to “
In order to leverage what energizes me, my skills and capacity to see intersections and opportunities to shape change in this context.
In order to move power, money, resources.
In order to catalyze at the intersection of personal, interpersonal systemic.
People need hope and connection. Without that, they can be destructive to things I care about.
Co-ops create opportunities for that hope and connection.
I know this because I have experience it as a member of different co-ops. It is a huge honor to use my skills to broaden co-op relevance and accessibility.
In order to create fertile ground for people and communities to operate successful, sustainable co-ops.
… so that they can use their innate strengths and co-creative power to solve their problems together.
… so that they can lead dignified, healthy and joyful lives in right relationship with the human and natural world.
I do this work to …
• Shift power.
• Connect big systems with individual lives / experiences.
• Leverage my privilege / brain
• Make a living.
• Feel like I’m doing something when things feel f’d (cockroach).
• Build solutions.
I do what I do because people spend a lot of time working (too much) and those hours should bring joy and meaning to the greatest extent possible.
Building co-ops (etc) is a way to ensure more people have the opportunity to feel that. Scaling that work can multiply that effect.
Also, I like puzzles, and this work presents lots of tricky puzzles – math/art/people. Its fun.
• To create better businesses.
• To create better jobs.
• To increase people's sense of pride and purpose.
• To help people develop agency and voice.
• To increase worker power.
So that people have the security, self worth, power, decision making skills needed to participate in society.
AND … I like deals.
As a result of coming of age when off-shoring jobs became a real problem for those needing jobs, I developed the idea of employees owning the businesses where they worked to prevent offshoring = EO.
Also love that employee ownership helps close the racial wealth gap.
I do what I do to create a more economically fair / equitable world… …so that no one else goes through what I did.
So that we, as a society, stop throwing people away.
What We Notice about our Personal Purposes
Developing Strategic Aims for NETI
By 2030 we will have a specific understanding of what critical mass is necessary so that worker buyouts are recognized as an essential element of economic development.
We will have built the infrastructure (network) necessary to achieve this milestone through the development of:
• A strategic, diverse and growing pipeline;
• A conversion process for worker buyouts that is effective, efficient, worker centered and provides post conversion support through the ecosystem.
• Sufficient aligned capital to meet the needs of the growing demand.
This will result in a thriving worker owned business ecosystem.
This will result in a well functioning coordinated network of practitioners, EO businesses and professional service providers, and lay the groundwork for an ecosystem to ensure worker owners and their businesses can thrive.
NETI exists in order to increase demand for and supply of exit planning and EO expertise/services.
In order to …
Facilitate the creation of dense regional ecosystem/network of EO businesses, service providers & advocates
So that workers can own and control / influence the business they work in.
So that they have the opportunity to profit from ownership, improve wages, benefits and quality of work.
In order to reduce income and wealth inequality and build a resilient and prosperous economy.
Stakeholders:
Who are we doing this for and with
Keep them satisfied. Handle with Care!
Intended Outputs and Outcomes
It was a true privilege to be in the room with you all as you opened up, shared, discussed, wrestled, and found your way to gaining greater clarity and alignment for NETI (at a strategic level).
The personal purposes you shared dial directly in to the NETI Vision and Core Purposes that you evolved together. It makes perfect sense that you intentionally come together in order to reduce income and wealth inequality, and to build a resilient and prosperous economy. These words aren’t mine – they are your shared higher order purpose, and it’s so very worthy and highly compelling.
I am humbled by who you are, where you are going and why; by the work that you do and the vital difference that you make. Please know that I remain in your service and committed to your just Vision and Purposes. Mark Jenkins mark.jenkins@coverdale.co.uk
+44 757 29 24 035 Coverdale OD Limited United Kingdom Tel: +44 131 523 1337 info@coverdale.co.uk www.coverdale.co.uk
