About
I'm Erin DeCou, MPA, founder of Valley Commons. My background spans nonprofit leadership and mixed methods research, and my academic training includes anthropology, public administration, and executive leadership.
Over the last 20 years, I have led nonprofit organizations, managed qualitative research projects, and worked to sustain college-community partnerships. I served as Executive Director to two Philadelphia-based nonprofit organizations, Neighborhood Bike Works and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, leading their transformation into thriving, sustainable organizations.
Since 2018, my professional focus has been on qualitative and community-engaged research, working with scholars at Smith College and University of Massachusetts and a variety of community partners. My evaluation and research portfolio includes public health, education, and youth development topics; a sampling of my projects and publications are below.
When I'm not working, I'm most likely hanging out with my partner and two young children, Benny and Levi, gardening, or reading a good book.
Connect with me on LinkedIn
My Approach
I believe that the people most impacted by an issue have knowledge critical to the problem and should be core to its solution. This includes a variety of stakeholders, from the people an organization serves to the staff and volunteers who do the work. I bring a "participatory action" lens to my work, utilizing the values and methods of community-engaged research to inform an organizational development process. A participatory approach to organizational development can build bridges between staff and constituents and help organizations break out of a scarcity mindset and move toward a collective vision. The process usually involves:
-
Data collection -- through interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other methods, we gain a greater understanding of the issues and potential solutions.
-
Planning and engagement -- review preliminary findings and collaborate to identify shared values, visions, goals, and potential next steps.
-
Action planning and implementation -- develop work plans that include short and long term actions to move a project forward. Implementation support can also include ongoing project management and/or coaching for a small group or leadership team.
-
Reflection and evaluation -- set benchmarks for measuring progress toward stated goals and review both the process and outcomes. This step is not simply an end goal, but an ongoing process that helps refine, clarify, and improve the project as a whole.