The Carter Presidential Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The Carter Center’s (TCC) goal is to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering, including helping improve the quality of life for people in more than 80 countries.

Through an endowment of almost $1billion, TCC supports diverse projects that include election monitoring, supporting locally led state-building and democratic institution-building in various countries, mediating conflicts between warring states, and intervening with heads of states on behalf of victims of human rights abuses.

It also leads disease eradication efforts, spearheading the campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, as well as controlling and treating onchocerciasis, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria through awareness campaigns.

TCC wanted a better understanding of external factors and perceptions that would be necessary to update a long-term strategic plan.

Group Solutions was engaged to conduct a baseline assessment of these factors with special focus on identifying the perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Center from various perspectives. This process included

  • Facilitation of a Directors Offsite Meeting
  • Hosting and analysis of U.S. and International staff surveys in English, Spanish and French.
  • Personal Interviews with TCC Board of Trustees and key donorsPersonal interviews with visionary “star gazers” identified by TCC leadership
  • Presentation of preliminary findings to the Board of Trustees in July 2018.

Findings were presented, explored and validated in a series of listening sessions with U.S. staff and in virtual webinars with International staff.