Our Clients

“Kerstin brought a great deal of expertise to the table to help our team think through the critical aspects of our network model and how it operates. She worked collaboratively with our team to understand our current challenges, led training sessions with our team to ensure we were all speaking the same language, and facilitated critical conversations to help leverage the expertise within our team to identify potential solutions. It was a great experience working with Kerstin, who took an iterative approach with our engagement, allowing flexibility and for adaptation as new challenges were identified and new approaches were needed.”

“We worked with Kerstin for over a year during the inception phase for the European Community Land Trust Network. Her consultancy combined support in devising a strategic plan and fundraising strategy as well as advice on our approach to governance, membership and recruitment. As well as consultancy advice she also took a hands-on approach. For example, she ran a co-design workshop with our Network members, sat on our interview panels for important recruitment decisions and led our first Board workshop. Kerstin was always positive, clear, flexible and responsive, making her a joy to work with. In the periods we worked together most closely, she felt like part of the team.”

“Collective Mind provided critical support to our organization as we were simultaneously undergoing a strategic planning process. Through the team’s insightful and thoughtful approach to working with our organization, we were able to engage in critical conversations to clarify where there had previously been areas of misalignment and confusion. From the beginning of engagement to the very end, Collective Mind was responsive, supportive and attentive to our needs and requests. We are eager to apply the learnings from our network engagement survey to our work to enhance and strengthen the effectiveness of our networks. ”

“Kerstin and her team provided invaluable support to our network in developing its first strategic plan. In a very short period of only 8 months, they managed to understand the complexity of our network and its history, to support the working group in charge of the process and to guide an inclusive participatory process, in 3 languages, which allowed all members of the network to express themselves on several occasions on the proposed strategic plan. Kerstin’s knowledge of network dynamics has been very helpful too, not only to the process but also to our international network itself. We are all very satisfied with the work done with Collective Mind.”

“We were looking for a company or organization that could assist a migrant support network in Southeastern Europe. We interviewed three organizations for the role, and Collective Mind impressed us the most. Collective Mind was very reliable and professional - they were always organized for meetings, on time, and offered recommendations and solutions to challenges. The network we were working with in Southeastern Europe was made up of NGOs with leaders with strong personalities, but this did not deter Collective Mind - they have considerable experience in working through these kinds of challenges. I appreciated that Collective Mind’s consultants were patient, respectful, and firm. They encouraged our organization and network members to adhere to our organizational values and hold ourselves and the members accountable for the commitments that they had made to themselves and each other. I would recommend Collective Mind to anyone looking for network-strengthening technical assistance.”

“Kerstin and the Collective Mind team provided critical thought partnership and strategy guidance on Arcora Foundation’s Local Impact Networks. They helped the Foundation develop strategy briefs, a theory of change, an impact evaluation, and offered 1:1 technical assistance with our partners. Kerstin approaches her work with energy, positivity, thoroughness, and 100% follow through. I feel fortunate to have found Collective Mind – it has been a delight to work with the team.”

“It was a pleasure working with the Collective Mind team. They engaged network members in a participatory process to collaboratively define the needs and parameters and co-create the design of a network in Tripoli, Lebanon. Kerstin and the team were extremely punctual and organized in terms of reporting and activity implementation. The experience was delightful.”

“Kerstin (Collective Mind Founder) has proven to be a very experienced consultant in the field of network strategizing and optimization. Her excellent coordination skills, multi-tasking mindset and tactful communication have contributed to high-quality deliverables. Last but not least, Kerstin was really fun and inspiring to work with. Always positive and full of energy and good ideas.”

“Kerstin and the Collective Mind team were a pleasure to work with. They understood the network landscape and provided a clear framework for us to work with our network to shape a shared vision and membership model which has gone on to influence our organizational Theory of Change. Kerstin and the team were extremely organized and added a lot of value to our network-strengthening journey. I highly recommend Collective Mind and can’t wait to engage them again.”

“The wonderful team at Collective Mind led by Kerstin supported TJNA in reviewing its network practices and structures at a critical point of the network’s journey that focused on shifting power from the secretariat. Through a co-created and highly participatory process that involved network members, partners, and the secretariat team, they facilitated the development of the network’s maiden network development strategy, 15 years after its inception. Kerstin and the team’s in-depth understanding and expertise in networks was very instrumental in effectively guiding the network in the collective identification and definition of priority areas to focus on while using its comprehensive diagnostics tools and approaches. Our partnership in the development of this project was only the beginning as we hope to continue engaging Collective Mind through its advisory services throughout the implementation phase and beyond. We highly recommend Collective Mind, as a trusted partner and infinitely value their work that bridges significant gaps in shaping how we understand and activate networks to solve complex challenges.”

“ Networks are not new, but drilling down the specific ways we can intentionally design to strengthen and leverage the power of networks is an ongoing practice. Working with Kerstin and her team allowed us to leverage her vast knowledge of networks and facilitate a conversation around how to apply it to our specific context. I highly recommend the experience to others.”

“We had a wonderful experience working with Kerstin and Collective Mind. She was incredibly organised, understood well the challenges that organisations can face with network approaches and in general, was a friendly and approachable person to work with. She helped us fine tune our thinking with regards to our network approach, as well as consider how our staff roles and skills fit into our network needs. We’d highly recommend working with Kerstin and her team to think through all that comes with networks!”

“The insights from the Collective+Mind network diagnostic gave us important tools to assess where our network was strong, and the areas we needed to attend to in our network weaving over the coming years.”

“It was a pleasure working with Collective Mind, who acted as critical thought-partners during the early stages of the initiative, and were always flexible and partnership-oriented in their approach. The diagnostics were a great resource to deepen our understanding of partners’ needs, and the cross-cohort report has been formative in informing longer-term cohort-building efforts.”

“We engaged Collective Mind at a critical juncture in our organization’s journey, an inflection point where we made the decision to refocus our work, shift our structure, and attack our mission of digital inclusion in a new way. COVID-19 struck mid-project, adding even more importance to the success of the landscape mapping effort and more urgency to our work. Collective Mind not only provided us with great counsel, fantastic landscape insights, and actionable recommendations, they did so in an extraordinarily challenging environment. And they continued to support our learning on networks thereafter, through their trainings and resources. The talent, professionalism, positive attitude, and unique skills of the entire Collective Mind team is impressive, and we remain grateful for their work.”