Community Lab Days

Community Lab Days are an immersive, one-day experience led by The Columbus Foundation's Community Well-Being team to help you better understand an issue your nonprofit organization is grappling with. Do you need better insight into the needs of new clients? Do you have a program near launch, but would like some feedback about the prototype you have developed?

In our work, we constantly meet community members with expertise that benefits our understanding of community challenges and improves the offerings we develop. Community Lab Days provide a unique experience to capture the wisdom of community members who are rarely asked to contribute. 

During Community Lab Days, we spend one day “on location” learning. The Columbus Foundation's Community Well-Being team leads interviews; pays interviewees; and, at the end of the day, packages learnings and hands them back to you. Your team can sit alongside us for the day or choose to receive the learnings at the end. 

Our hope is that this approach offers a responsive, quick way to engage with community members who have expertise to contribute. You get better insights and solutions, and community members get to share their knowledge and experience in ways that feel affirming.

Do you have a community challenge you'd like to explore? Is there a particular issue your organization is grappling with? Are there solutions you are working on that you would like community input on? Let us know what you have in mind, and our team will determine if your project is a good fit. We will get back to you to set up a conversation or to give you recommendations on next steps.

Complete this form to discuss how we can partner on a future Community Lab Day.