Our Approach: Using the PRISMS Six-Step Method
What is the PRISMS method?
PRISMS is our structured, flexible approach to supporting mission-driven organizations. Whether you’re applying for funding, scaling a program, or aligning your team around a strategy, we use PRISMS to help you clarify what’s working, where you're headed, and how to get there.
What does PRISMS stand for?
PRISMS stands for the six key phases we guide clients through: Position, Resonance, Interpretation, Structure, Mobilization, and Sustainment. It’s a practical way to move from complexity to clarity and build systems that work. Each answers a specific question.
Not every project requires every step. Some clients come to shape a compelling grant narrative (Interpretation), clarify their program strategy (Structure), or align internal teams around shared goals (Mobilization). PRISMS adapts to meet your most pressing priorities.
Whether you need a one-time proposal or a systems-level engagement, the PRISMS framework gives us the tools to support you with clarity and precision.
Position
Clarify where you stand so your work can move forward with intention.
We help you: ecosystem maps, stakeholder lists, funding landscape scans, organizational assessments, current-state diagnostics.
Resonance
Uncover what matters most to your team, partners, and community.
We help you: listening sessions, survey design, team alignment scans, stakeholder feedback synthesis, values framing workshops.
Interpretation
Translate insights into actionable data & fundable narratives.
We help you: qualitative & quantitative data analysis, logic model refinement, grant framing, narrative development, sensemaking facilitation, proposal strategy sessions.
Structure
Design clear, funder-aligned strategies and scalable program models.
We help you: strategic operations plans, action roadmaps, program blueprints, outcome frameworks, capacity alignment sessions.
Mobilization
Activate your plans with clarity, confidence, and shared direction.
We help you: impact & data reports, launch & implementation action plans, campaign framing, internal communication support.
Sustainment
Build systems to track impact, learn as you grow, and adapt over time.
We help you: evaluation & data collection plans, impact frameworks, long-term strategic planning, learning and improvement cycles.
"Life is like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass." — Jonathan Kellerman
Step 1: Map the external systems and structures shaping your work. Where am I?
Identify the people, processes, and institutions that influence your outcomes.
Clarify your role in the ecosystem — who you serve, who funds you, and who your stakeholders are.
Create a clear map of how your program fits into the larger system so you can plan with precision.
Step 2: See blind spots, power dynamics, and deeper root causes. What feels right?
Assess how your work is experienced by staff, participants, and partners.
Identify gaps between what your organization does and how it’s perceived.
Understand how race, history, and trust affect your impact in real time.
Step 3: Break down big problems into actionable pieces. What does this mean?
Simplify complex challenges into smaller, solvable parts.
Collect & analyze data to name the specific drivers behind program or funding issues.
Get clear on what’s working, what's not, and how to best measure program performance.
Step 4: Build in strategy with strong internal structures and support systems.What holds me?
Align your goals, programs, and evaluation tools so everything works together.
Design a simple roadmap that connects your vision to day-to-day work.
Ensure your plans are consistent across leadership, staff, and funders.
Step 5: Activate teams and funders around shared insight. What will I do?
Create shared language so everyone’s on the same page.
Use your data and messaging to build buy-in from partners and funders.
Turn insight into next steps your team can actually use.
Step 6: Design with the future in mind — build for scale, tension, and change. What will continue?
Set up systems and monitoring processes that work beyond one person or one grant cycle.
Plan for scale and sustainability from the start — not as an afterthought.
Build strategies that stay effective even when staff, funding, or conditions shift.
How our model can help you.
The PRISMS Method
What is the PRISMS method?
PRISMS is our practical, adaptable framework for supporting mission-driven organizations. Whether you're designing a new program, securing funding, or refining your strategy, PRISMS helps you focus, align, and act with clarity.
What does PRISMS stand for?
PRISMS represents six key phases:
Position (your context),
Resonance (your values),
Infrastructure (your systems),
Solution Delivery (your implementation),
Monitoring & Learning (your data), and
Sustainment (your long-term strategy).
Not every project requires every phase — we tailor the approach to your needs, whether it's crafting a fundable proposal or aligning your team around growth.
For a high-level summary of the PRISMS approach, please read our blog.
The PRISMS Matrix Diagram
"Life is like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass." — Jonathan Kellerman
How our model can help you.
Position
Understand where you are so you can plan where to go.
Sample Tools & Deliverables:
Resonance
Align your work with the values of your team, partners, and community.
Sample Tools & Deliverables:
Track impact, learn from data, and improve over time.
Sample Tools & Deliverables:
Infrastructure
Solution Delivery
Build the internal systems to support and scale your work
Sample Tools & Deliverables:
Monitoring & Learning
Design clear, funder-aligned strategies and strong program models.
Sample Tools & Deliverables:
Sustainment
Ensure your work lasts by embedding what works.
Sample Tool & Deliverables:
Stakeholder engagement mapping
Team alignment workshops
Values clarification sessions
Voice-of-community feedback synthesis
Grant readiness assessment
Roles & operations planning
Strategic fundraising case development
Partnership & ecosystem mapping
SWOT & PESTLE analysis
Organizational capacity scan
Program or service landscape review
Strategic listening sessions
Theory of Change & logic model design
Program blueprint & launch planning
Narrative strategy for grant proposals
SMART goals & outcome alignment
Data collection tools & dashboards
Evaluation framework development
Internal learning loop design
Visual storytelling from mixed methods data
Sustainability and donor strategy
Succession & knowledge transfer planning
Institutionalization toolkits
Long-term coaching & documentation systems
What is the PRISMS method?
PRISMS is our structured, flexible approach to supporting mission-driven organizations. Whether you’re applying for funding, scaling a program, or aligning your team around a strategy, we use PRISMS to help you clarify what’s working, where you're headed, and how to get there.
What does PRISMS stand for?
PRISMS stands for the six key phases we guide clients through: Position, Resonance, Interpretation, Structure, Mobilization, and Sustainment. It’s a practical way to move from complexity to clarity and build systems that work. Each answers a unique question.
Not every project requires every step. Some clients come to shape a compelling grant narrative (Interpretation), clarify their program strategy (Structure), or align internal teams around shared goals (Mobilization). PRISMS adapts to meet your most pressing priorities.
Whether you need a one-time proposal or a systems-level engagement, the PRISMS framework gives us the tools to support you with clarity and precision.
"Life is like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass." — Jonathan Kellerman
P
Position
Step 1: Map the external systems and structures shaping your work. Where am I?
Identify the people, processes, and institutions that influence your outcomes.
Clarify your role in the ecosystem — who you serve, who funds you, and who your stakeholders are.
Create a clear map of how your program fits into the larger system so you can plan with precision.
R
I
S
M
S
Resonance
Interpretation
Structure
Mobilization
Sustainment
Step 2: See blind spots, power dynamics, and deeper root causes. What feels right?
Step 3: Break down big problems into actionable pieces. What does this mean?
Step 4: Build in strategy with strong internal structures and support systems.What holds me?
Step 5: Activate teams and funders around shared insight. What will I do?
Step 6: Design with the future in mind — build for scale, tension, and change. What will continue?
Assess how your work is experienced by staff, participants, and partners.
Identify gaps between what your organization does and how it’s perceived.
Understand how race, history, and trust affect your impact in real time.
Simplify complex challenges into smaller, solvable parts.
Collect & analyze data to name the specific drivers behind program or funding issues.
Get clear on what’s working, what’s not, and how to best measure program performance.
Align your goals, programs, and evaluation tools so everything works together.
Design a simple roadmap that connects your vision to day-to-day work.
Ensure your plans are consistent across leadership, staff, and funders.
Create shared language so everyone’s on the same page.
Use your data and messaging to build buy-in from partners and funders.
Turn insight into next steps your team can actually use.
Set up systems & monitoring processes that work beyond one person or one grant cycle.
Plan for scale and sustainability from the start — not as an afterthought.
Build strategies that stay effective even when staff, funding, or conditions shift.
How our model can help you.
Position
Clarify where you stand so your work can move forward with intention.
We help you: ecosystem maps, stakeholder lists, funding landscape scans, organizational assessments, current-state diagnostics.
Resonance
Uncover what matters most to your team, partners, and community.
We help you: listening sessions, survey design, team alignment scans, stakeholder feedback synthesis, values framing workshops.
Translate insights into actionable data & fundable narratives.
We help you: qualitative & quantitative data analysis, logic model refinement, grant framing, narrative development, sensemaking facilitation, proposal strategy sessions.
Interpretation
Structure
Design clear, funder-aligned strategies and scalable program models.
We help you: strategic operations plans, action roadmaps, program blueprints, outcome frameworks, capacity alignment sessions.
Mobilization
Activate your plans with clarity, confidence, and shared direction.
We help you: impact & data reports, launch & implementation action plans, campaign framing, internal communication support.
Sustainment
Build systems to track impact, learn as you grow, and adapt over time.
We help you: evaluation & data collection plans, impact frameworks, long-term strategic planning, learning and improvement cycles.
Get in touch
Reach out to us today and discover how we can help you.
1. Light & Structure – Seeing systems with precision
We start with the visible. The structures, frameworks, and forms that define your ecosystem. Through strategic analysis and systems thinking, we illuminate the machinery of the moment—what holds power, where energy flows, and what forces shape your outcomes. This is the Newtonian angle: pattern recognition, mapping, measurement. Learn more.
2. Shadow & Context – Honoring complexity and culture
The prism does not function in a vacuum, and neither do programs. We must understand not just structures but surroundings. Shadow reveals complexity: community dynamics, cultural meaning, trauma, resistance. This is where objectivity meets experience. Our methodology embraces both what is measurable and what is felt. Learn more.
3. Breaking the Beam – Disaggregating the problem
We call it breaking the beam. It’s the moment where you stop looking at the whole and start studying the spectrum. What are the real levers of change? What is signal, and what is noise? This is where we disaggregate, intelligently, humbly, and start to reveal the moving pieces. Learn more.
4. Refracting Insight – Making meaning from the parts
Breaking apart is only half the story. Once the beam is split, we begin to notice patterns, relationships between parts, unexpected alignments, colors hidden in plain sight. This is the act of refracting insight: turning raw data, stories, and disassembled truths into usable clarity. Learn more.
5. Integrating Spectrums – From data to dialogue
Prism thinking isn’t just for insight—it’s for alignment. Once the spectrum is understood, we bring the pieces back together through collaborative interpretation. We build shared language, translate findings across teams, and activate people around clear, co-owned meaning. This is integration: insight becomes strategy. Learn more.
6. Designing in Full Color – Applying the prism to real-world strategy
To design in full color means to build with full spectrum awareness. It means launching initiatives that account for nuance, context, and systems constraints without losing integrity. Prism strategy is pragmatic without becoming mechanical. It is visionary without becoming vague. Learn more.
