Solutions

More than ‘expert-driven’ consulting, Cicero first seeks to understand what our clients want to achieve. Then we work with them to collect data and conduct rigorous analysis to develop, refine, and implement strategies that maximize beneficiary impact, donor engagement, and organizational alignment.

Measurable, lasting impact requires much more than a compelling plan, a rigorous evaluation, or effective project management. At Cicero, we bring world-class expertise, research, analysis, and experience to every client we serve. As we do, our end-to-end approach means we’re not just experts in each of our solution areas. Our strategies are designed to ensure good implementation; our M&E works hand-in-glove with (and often clarifies) each client’s strategy.

But we’re more than just consultants. In addition to our skillsets, we always commit our passion, partnership, and compassion to everyone we work with—both our clients’ teams and the people they serve. We ensure that our solutions build on and reflect their values, paradigms, strengths, and aspirations.

Strategy & Program Design

Unfortunately, good intentions and passionate effort are not enough to make a difference in an increasingly complex world. Clarity and specificity about the intended impact an organization desires to achieve and how it intends to accomplish that impact is essential. To do this, we combine values, data, and differentiation to not just create a plan, but to ensure it will be understood, lived, and refined by the entire organization.

Sample Services:

Long-term organizational planning
Scaling and growth strategies
Transformation and change management strategies
Donor and beneficiary research and segmentation
Prioritizing target populations, issue areas, or locations
Partner, grantee, or investee due diligence
Philanthropic or impact investment portfolio design

Monitoring & Evaluation

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) is crucial to both proving and improving impact. But getting M&E right is hard. We balance strategy, rigor, and efficiency to ensure clients’ have the data they need to exceed stakeholders’ expectations and to drive constant learning and improvement.

Sample Services:

Outcome and metric frameworks
Assessment and learning strategies
Evaluation and methodology design
Long-term and/or rigorous impact evaluations
Ongoing performance monitoring
Data collection, analysis, and reporting

Implementation Support

Solving complex societal problems requires more than just developing a plan; doing the work to create change is often the hardest part. No matter the challenge, our team helps our clients—and their partners—change the world by applying the best of implementation science, effective management, and a collaborative, nimble approach to the work.

Sample Services:

Initiative launch, management, and scaling
Partner and grantee management
Ongoing performance monitoring and evaluation
Transformation and change management
Family or corporate philanthropy (e.g. grant-making, reporting, operations, etc.)

HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY

Like many others, our hope is for homelessness to be rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Unlike many others, we approach this objective strategically, clearly delineating what success looks like in order to reach our goals efficiently and instill long-lasting solutions.

We believe it starts with a re-framing of the issue. Rather than labeling ‘lack of housing’ as the problem, we recognize that there are deeper underlying issues perpetuating one’s homelessness – substance abuse, mental illness, domestic abuse and more. Accurately identifying, assessing, and targeting these issues on a case-by-case basis initiates an all-encompassing recovery process directed towards long-term stability. Our aim is to provide a cure – not a “band aid” solution.