Traditional site visits can often feel like one-way evaluations—stressful for organizations doing complex, community-rooted work. At Saint Luke’s Foundation, we reimagined this process to improve efficiency and reduce burden on our partners while creating a space for meaningful dialogue. What began as a new approach to streamline our grantmaking process revealed something deeper: a format that fosters connection, insight, and collaboration among everyone in the room.
We call it a Joint Strategy Partner Learning Session.
This blog is written especially for our current and future strategy partners—to answer your questions, share firsthand reflections, and help ease any uncertainty. But it also offers a window into the purpose and value of these sessions for anyone interested in how we’re shifting philanthropy toward deeper, more relational practices.
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“I wasn’t sure what to expect…”
“Going into the Joint Strategy Learning Session, I felt nervous about the perception of how we are accomplishing our goals set by philanthropic institutions.” – Cleveland VOTES
These feelings are normal. Many strategy partners share that stepping into a Joint Strategy Partner Learning Session can feel uncertain, especially when the audience includes board members, staff, and fellow strategy partners. It’s okay to be nervous, but we want to reassure you: the purpose of these sessions is not to critique or judge your work. We genuinely want to foster and create a space for strategy partners to share their work and its impact. We are here to learn from you, because you are the experts and practitioners. Our questions come not from interrogation, but from curiosity. We hope to structure these sessions less formal and collaborative — not about pitching or reporting, but about sharing knowledge together.
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“Once we dove in…the nerves settled…”
“Once we dove into our presentations, and sharing the impact of our programming permeated the room. The board and partner organizations asked questions that offered insight on how to better engage one another and the Saint Luke’s community.” – Cleveland VOTES
Our goal is to shift the dynamic from reporting to relating and shared learning. The Joint Strategy Partner Learning Session is designed with the aim for strategy partners to:
- Share their work in their own voice
- Provide deeper understanding of their strategy alignment and the impact of their work
- Connect across sectors and issues areas
- Explore shared challenges and opportunities
- Foster organic, meaningful collaboration
- Offer feedback that helps us become a better partner
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What Strategy Partners are Talking About in the Session
Recently, we hosted a Joint Strategy Partner Learning Session with four strategy partners working across policy and advocacy. During the session, strategy partners, board members, and staff had the opportunity to engage in conversation over food while each strategy partner casually presented their work and impact. Typically, each strategy partner shares their work, and once that’s complete, we facilitate a conversation that allows everyone in the room to ask questions about any of the presentations.
These sessions aren’t just about sharing with the Foundation, but instead a space where strategy partners often discover shared values, overlapping goals, and new possibilities for collaborations. It’s not uncommon to see partners exchanging contact information or scheduling follow-ups to continue the conversations sparked in the room.
Their insights highlighted how interconnected these efforts are and how each contributes to a stronger, healthier Cleveland. Here is what we’ve learned:
- Policy Matters Ohio is advocating for a more equitable future through research and policy change, including their rapid-response sessions on Medicaid work requirements, which generated over 400 public comments. Their efforts contributed to the passage of HB 106, which ensures workers receive pay stubs to prevent wage theft, and HB 29, which eliminates debt-related driver’s license suspensions that hinder financial stability. These actions amplify community voices and support greater financial stability for individuals and families.
- YWCA Greater Cleveland’s wraparound model prevents homelessness through trauma-informed education and long-term housing support. Their Early Learning Center serves 64 children and 54 families, while the Independence Place provides housing and assistance for young adults aging out of foster care. They also offer stable housing at Cogswell Hall that supports older adults with job stability, mental health, and educational opportunities, all while building relationships with policymakers to strengthen their impact.
- Cleveland VOTES focuses on equitable civic engagement through community investment and regranting to local organizations. In 2024, through their Equitable Civic Engagement Fund they granted $118,000 to local nonprofits support initiatives like Greater Cleveland Congregations’ voter campaign and the Ohio Voter Fund’s Community Health Workers Vote project. They also launched their Democracy Collective incubator to foster grassroots leadership and build a more inclusive democracy.
- LegalWorks discussed how expungement and legal aid can transform lives by removing systemic barriers to housing, employment, and wellbeing. For example, in 2024 alone, LegalWorks successfully sealed or expunged over 2,000 criminal records and removed more than 500 arrest warrants in Northeast Ohio. Their legal support enables individuals to remove barriers that can hinder them from pursuing and seizing new life opportunities, and have helped residents alleviate stress, secure employment, improve mental health and social-emotional development, obtain housing, and more.
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Advice for Future Participants
“Thank you for hosting this convening to share our stories with one another. Come ready to tell your story – not just your stats. Be open to learning from others in the room. It’s not about being perfect, but it’s about being real and authentic.” – Policy Matters Ohio
We want you to feel comfortable and confident during Joint Strategy Partner Learning Session, so here’s what you should know ahead of time:
- It’s okay to feel nervous: Many strategy partners share that they feel unsure going into these sessions, but remember, this is a space for sharing and learning together, not a critique. We’re here to actively listen, not judge, and we genuinely want to hear about the impact of your work because you are the experts and practitioners.
- Be authentic and share your stories: We’re interested in the real story behind your work that can be married to the numbers and stats. We encourage you to speak from the heart, celebrate your successes, and be open about the challenges you face. This is a learning space for all of us, as we are collectively working toward the same mission to improve our neighborhoods.
- Know that we value your expertise and experience: You are the expert in your work, and we want to learn from your experience. This isn’t about presenting a perfect pitch; it’s about engaging in honest, meaningful conversations that help us understand the inner workings of your work so we can better support your efforts.
- Engage with others in the room: These sessions aren’t just for you to conduct a presentation. They are an opportunity to connect with fellow strategy partners, share insights, and explore potential collaborations. We encourage you to actively listen, ask questions, and consider how your work might intersect with others. We encourage you to connect with fellow strategy partners, exchange contact information, and continue the conversation.
- It’s a collaborative experience: This is not a one-way presentation; it’s an opportunity to explore ideas, challenges, and possibilities together. Your feedback is invaluable, and we aim to create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.
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Why This Matters
We first piloted Joint Strategy Partner Learning Sessions as an opportunity to bring multiple partners together in a shared space. What began as a new format quickly revealed even deeper value: partners learning from each other, exchanging ideas, and forming relationships that extended beyond the session itself. These unplanned outcomes such as peer connection, authentic dialogue, and shared insight have since become core to how we define the success of these sessions, both for our strategy partners and for our board and staff.
The work and stories of our strategy partners is powerful, but the true takeaway from our our session is the importance of going beyond simply providing financial support. These sessions represent our shift from traditional grantmaking to intentional, collaborative partnerships where funders and strategy partners work together to co-create meaningful, lasting change.
We believe by intentionally shifting power dynamics and fostering a culture of knowledge sharing, we are not just funding programs; we are investing in sustainable, interconnected solutions that can transform our neighborhoods and strengthen our collective impact. These partnerships are rooted in trust and shared responsibility, where each voice contributes to a unified vision for a healthier, more prosperous community.
As we refine this approach, we recognize that these sessions are as much about us learning from our strategy partners as they are about exploring solutions together. This reciprocal process helps us evolve our support to better meet the needs of the organizations we work alongside and ultimately, the people they serve.
Call to Action
We’re excited about the continued evolution of our Joint Strategy Partner Learning Session and look forward to hearing and learning your story as strategy partners. If you’re invited to an upcoming session or are curious about what it’s like, we are here to connect and support you every step of the way. Our Program Team at Saint Luke’s is here if you have any questions, need more information, or how we can make this experience more meaningful for you.