The CoCreate Group

Organization Overview

The CoCreate Group is a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania that operates as a collaborative entity focused on bringing together diverse stakeholders to address community and organizational challenges. The organization functions within the broader landscape of facilitation and collaborative problem-solving services, working with groups that seek structured approaches to complex issues requiring input from multiple parties.

As a non-profit entity, The CoCreate Group distinguishes itself from commercial consulting firms through its mission-driven approach to collaborative work. The organization's structure allows it to serve a range of clients including other non-profit organizations, community groups, government agencies, and entities seeking neutral facilitation services without the profit-driven dynamics of traditional consulting arrangements.

Services and Approach

The CoCreate Group specializes in facilitation and collaborative design processes that bring together stakeholders who may have differing perspectives, interests, or expertise. This type of work typically involves creating structured environments where participants can engage in productive dialogue, develop shared understanding, and work toward mutually acceptable solutions or outcomes.

Collaborative facilitation of this nature serves numerous purposes across sectors. In community development contexts, such services help residents, local government officials, business owners, and advocacy groups find common ground on issues affecting their shared spaces. In organizational settings, facilitation assists leadership teams, department heads, and employees in navigating strategic decisions, operational changes, or internal conflicts that benefit from structured dialogue.

The methodology employed by organizations like The CoCreate Group generally draws from established practices in the fields of conflict resolution, organizational development, and participatory design. These approaches emphasize the importance of including all relevant voices in decision-making processes, creating psychological safety for participants to share honest perspectives, and building consensus through iterative discussion rather than top-down directives.

The Role of Non-Profit Facilitation Organizations

Non-profit facilitation organizations occupy a particular niche in the broader ecosystem of professional services. Their non-profit status often enables them to work with clients who may lack the budgets for commercial consulting services, including grassroots community organizations, small municipalities, and emerging non-profits still building their operational capacity.

Additionally, the non-profit structure can enhance perceptions of neutrality in facilitation work. When an organization facilitating dialogue between parties with competing interests operates without profit motivation, participants may feel greater confidence that the facilitator has no financial stake in particular outcomes. This perceived neutrality can be especially valuable in contentious situations where trust between parties is limited.

The Pennsylvania location positions The CoCreate Group within a state that contains significant urban centers, suburban communities, and rural regions, each with distinct collaborative needs. Pennsylvania's diverse economic base, which includes healthcare, education, manufacturing, agriculture, and technology sectors, creates varied contexts for collaborative work ranging from economic development initiatives to healthcare system coordination to educational partnerships.

Collaborative Process Design

Organizations engaged in collaborative facilitation typically offer services that span the full lifecycle of group processes. This begins with assessment and design phases where facilitators work with convening organizations to understand the context, identify stakeholders, clarify objectives, and design appropriate process structures.

The implementation phase involves the actual facilitation of meetings, workshops, retreats, or ongoing dialogue series. Skilled facilitators manage group dynamics, ensure equitable participation, maintain focus on objectives, and help groups navigate disagreements constructively. They employ various techniques including structured brainstorming, prioritization exercises, scenario planning, and consensus-building protocols.

Follow-through services often include documentation of outcomes, development of action plans, and sometimes ongoing support as groups implement decisions made during collaborative processes. Some facilitation organizations also provide training services, building the capacity of client organizations to conduct their own facilitated processes for routine matters.

Applications Across Sectors

The applications for collaborative facilitation services are extensive and span virtually every sector where groups of people must work together toward shared goals or navigate competing interests.

In the public sector, facilitation services support community planning processes, public engagement around policy decisions, interagency coordination, and strategic planning within government departments. Municipal governments often engage facilitators when developing comprehensive plans, addressing controversial zoning decisions, or seeking community input on budget priorities.

Healthcare organizations utilize facilitation for strategic planning, quality improvement initiatives, and coordination among providers serving shared patient populations. The complexity of healthcare delivery, involving multiple specialties, institutions, payers, and regulatory requirements, creates frequent need for structured collaborative processes.

Educational institutions engage facilitators for strategic planning, curriculum development involving multiple stakeholders, and community engagement around school policies. Higher education institutions may use facilitation for interdepartmental collaboration, research team coordination, or community-university partnership development.

Non-profit organizations themselves represent a significant client base for facilitation services. Board retreats, strategic planning processes, merger discussions, coalition building, and collaborative grant initiatives all benefit from skilled facilitation. Non-profit facilitators working with peer organizations bring understanding of the sector's particular dynamics, including volunteer governance, mission-driven cultures, and resource constraints.

Organizational Structure and Contact

The CoCreate Group maintains its operational base in Pennsylvania and can be reached through its website at thecocreategroup.org or by telephone at 866-376-1970. The toll-free telephone number suggests the organization serves clients beyond its immediate geographic area, as such numbers are typically established to facilitate contact from callers across broader regions without long-distance charges.

Non-profit organizations of this type typically operate with governance structures including boards of directors composed of community members, professionals in related fields, and individuals with expertise relevant to the organization's mission. Operational staff may include executive leadership, professional facilitators, and administrative support, with the specific composition varying based on organizational size and scope of services.

The Broader Field of Collaborative Practice

The CoCreate Group operates within a professional field that has developed substantially over recent decades. Collaborative practice draws from multiple disciplines including organizational psychology, conflict resolution, public participation, design thinking, and systems theory. Professional associations, academic programs, and certification bodies have emerged to support practitioners and establish standards of practice.

The field continues to evolve with changing social conditions and technological capabilities. Virtual facilitation has expanded significantly, enabling collaborative processes among geographically dispersed participants. Hybrid approaches combining in-person and virtual participation have become increasingly common. These developments expand the potential reach of facilitation organizations while also requiring ongoing adaptation of methods developed primarily for face-to-face contexts.

Organizations seeking collaborative facilitation services typically benefit from initial conversations with potential facilitators to assess fit between the organization's needs and the facilitator's experience, approach, and availability. Understanding a facilitator's background, methodology, and track record with similar projects helps organizations make informed selections for what are often significant investments of time and resources by multiple stakeholders.