“Thoughtful, community-respectful, and highly articulate”
Thank you for the amazing work you are doing... and for the wonderful benefit OSI enjoys through your thoughtful, community-respectful, and highly articulate representation of this body of work.... From process to documentation, I know we could not have carried this project without you and am deeply grateful.
- Deb Bryant, US Policy Director and Board Member Emeritus, Open Source Initiative (2024)
“I wanted to thank you for the amazing way you were able to facilitate yesterday’s meeting. You were able to direct the group to exactly the right discussion area that really challenged my “outcome focused” philosophy. ”
“Shared governance is incredibly difficult, and Mer is exceptional at it”
Getting Ayra's governance model right was critical. That model had to be co-designed by our members, not handed down.
Mer guided that co-design — rallying a global membership to shape the rules they'd live by, running our elections, facilitating our Board and Advisory Council, and carrying it through a complex move from Canada to Switzerland.
What set her apart was her willingness to push back. She created healthy tension that made the co-design sharper, and she did it while nurturing the community, never fracturing it. Coordinating people toward a shared and owned governance model is incredibly difficult, and Mer is exceptional at it.
- Darrell O’Donnell, Executive Director, Ayra Association (2026)
“I think you guys are probably the most qualified people any of us have talked to.... It’s actually refreshing to feel so heard.””
“Thank you for the work you and everyone else has been doing to develop this model ”
Just wanted to thank you for the work you and everyone else has been doing to develop this model [for youth-centered substance use treatment]. It looks fantastic, and I am both impressed and surprised by the accuracy and length it has gone. Excited to see what kind of policy changes are implemented.
- Kielan Wilson-Premo, Youth Buddies (2022)
“I want to sincerely thank you... for such a lovely workshop. It was super engaging, fun and thoughtful. Everything I could ask for in a workshop! It was truly a great experience. Continue to do incredible, impactful work.”
“Your process has been really impressive — the organization, the team you put in place, the work you were able to accomplish in a short amount of time. ”
“Our audience was very engaged in deep discussions”
On behalf of all of us at Outreach, I’d like to THANK you for your powerful, thoughtful presentation today on Building Trust through Inclusive Decision Making!
Our audience was very engaged in deep discussions about inclusion, a topic that is so vital to our culture.
The timing and pace of the breakouts were spot on, and we truly appreciated how you customized the presentation to fit our organization’s culture to make it more relatable….
We look forward to discovering additional ways to partner with Do Big Good. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us!
- Anita Kelley, Outreach.io (2022)
““Thank you for coming all the way out to Kitsap, for prioritizing immigrant youth and getting a bilingual facilitator/interpreter, and for making the process of this project development so youth-centered!” ”
“Commitment to effective communication, making their work accessible and impactful”
It's commendable how Do Big Good is staffed with professionals who not only grasp youth perspectives but also adapt seamlessly to youth language and preferences. Their ability to accommodate diverse ways in which young people engage is impressive. They produced a report style for both youth and adults that reflects their commitment to effective communication, making their work accessible and impactful.
- Monserrat Jauregui, Washington State Office of the Attorney General (2024)
“The conversation was incredible, and I think remaining flexible in the agenda was important to this.”
“The listening session report was a delight to look at. It was impactful and easy to digest.”
“I've been on 20+ webinars in the past year and yours was truly the best structured”
Thank you so much for today's webinar. I am not exaggerating when I say I've been on 20+ webinars in the past year and yours was truly the best structured and most informative.
So many consultants and people in this field can rattle off beautiful words and examples but they're horrible at explaining how to actually do something. You did fantastically. Thank you!
- Jonathan Goldman, The Right to Immigration Institute (2020)
“I think you are doing something important. I’ve met a lot of... consultants.... They are expensive, long-term, top-down, and intimidating.... You, on the other hand, started building a model after only one slide. [Y]our focus on immediate value and community involvement feels unique.... I don’t meet too many consultants who have a low BS approach and are also grounded in real community needs. ”
“A great experience, and I learned a lot from the process.”
In spring of 2019, my organization worked with Mer and Do Big Good… It was a great experience, and I learned a lot from the process. I was really impressed with how much time and brain power Mer invested in order to deeply understand the project and all its nuances (which were many). Ultimately, Do Big Good… provided us with valuable data, insights, and recommendations that we’ll be using to improve the project so that it will be more likely to meet our audience’s needs and achieve our goals.
- Kurt Sampsel, Center for Tech and Civic Life (2019)