Project Development & Management
Project development and management services help local organizations develop, fund, and implement projects. These services include team coordination, timeline and budget development, community engagement, issue resolution, and financial management.
Example: North San Joaquin Water Conservation District
Consero Solutions helped the the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, a special district responsible for delivering surface water to growers and helping achieve groundwater sustainability in the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin, with development of a strategic plan and passage of a district-wide groundwater charge. Consero has also helped the District secure over $11 million in grants for surface water system improvements and supports all of the District's community engagement efforts, including town hall meetings and newsletters.
Read more about Consero's work in Project Development & Management here.
Community Engagement
Consero Solutions develops and implements community engagement strategies to help raise awareness and increase community involvement in your project or program. This work also may include public meeting facilitation, newsletters or other publications, website design, and social media marketing.
Example: Paradise Cut Community Engagement
Consero Solutions worked with the San Joaquin County Resource Conservation District, the South Delta Water Agency, and American Rivers to host multiple public outreach meetings over two years to secure feedback on a proposed flood bypass expansion in San Joaquin County, known as Paradise Cut Expansion and South Delta Restoration Project. Consero helped facilitate an agreement with over a dozen reclamation districts to designate the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency as the project’s lead agency and support for over $13 million in state funding to advance the project. Consero facilitated large public and small private meetings with interested parties, edited key technical documents, and drafted the final Memorandum of Understanding. If constructed, the new flood bypass will add significant capacity to the State of California’s flood control system in this area, as well as restore habitat.
Read more about Consero's Community Engagement work here.
Funding Research and Strategy
Consero Solutions works with local organizations to prioritize projects, research funding opportunities, and develop multi-year strategies to match priority projects to funding, including grants. This work includes the development of project descriptions, community engagement to ensure competitiveness for funding opportunities, and partnership development. Funding strategies allow organizations to plan ahead for funding opportunities, including starting the process of developing competitive projects well in advance of funding deadlines. Consero also assists local organizations with grant applications consistent with funding strategies.
Example: Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency Grant Strategy & Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Grant Strategy
Consero Solutions worked with the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (YSGA), a 26-member agency charged with planning and implementing the Yolo Subbasin Sustainable Groundwater Management Plan, to develop a three-year grant strategy to help implement actions to achieve groundwater sustainability in the region, including groundwater recharge projects, water recycling, and feasibility studies to evaluate alternative water supplies. Consero worked with agency leaders and YSGA member agencies to prioritize projects, develop detailed project descriptions to ensure projects are competitive for grant opportunities, and matched projects to grants. Consero helped the YSGA implement the grant strategy, including assisting with with a successful $7.9 million state grant application to implement priority actions.
Read more about Consero's Funding Research and Strategy work here.
Policy Analysis
Consero Solutions helps develop policy options for consideration by decision-makers, including conducting research, drafting policy memos and comment letters, and assisting with advocacy as needed to further an organization’s mission and goals. Consero works closely with clients to develop a detailed research plan for development of policy options to address issues, including consulting with key partners and policy experts.
Example: Solano County Policy Analysis
Consero Solutions supports the work of Solano County to engage in state and federal policy decisions related to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta), including working to ensure multi-benefit habitat and flood protection projects proposed by the state and federal government, some of which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, advance important local priorities, such as agricultural production, local drinking water quality and supply, flood protection, and recreation opportunities. Solano County is one of five California counties that comprise the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a heavily modified area covering over 738,000 acres in which the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River join to create an important estuary for fish and wildlife. The Delta includes the Cache Slough region in Solano County, an extensive network of agricultural land, remnant and restored wetlands, and tidal channels and lakes. The Cache Slough region drains the 57,000-acre Yolo Bypass, connects directly to the Sacramento River, and is increasingly the focus of tidal and wetland habitat restoration efforts.
Read more about Consero's Policy Analysis work here.
Organization Evaluation & Improvement
Consero Solutions helps local agencies and non-profit organizations evaluate operations and identify opportunities to improve governance and management, including review of bylaws and policies, strategic plans, internal controls, budget processes, and other important elements of day-to-day operations. Consero uses a team of experts, including attorneys and human resource consultants, to help districts and nonprofit organizations develop and implement solutions.
Example: North San Joaquin Water Conservation District Organization Improvements
Consero Solutions is helping build the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District from a small, special district with limited resources to a leader in local efforts to achieve groundwater sustainability in the critically overdrafted Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin. In this role, Consero recommended and guided the development of the District's inaugural strategic plan and first-ever policy manual for the Board of Directors. Consero also supported the District as they initiated recruitment for their first District Manager.
Read more about Consero's Organization Evaluation & Improvement work here.
State and Federal Advocacy
Consero Solutions advises your organization on strategies to secure outside funding or achieve changes in state or federal laws, policies, regulations, or program guidelines. These strategies could include legislative proposals, funding research, public outreach, or advocacy at the state, regional, or federal level. We believe local communities and organizations are their own best advocates and strive to provide support for existing efforts.
Example: City of Davis Legislative Platform
Consero Solutions assisted the City of Davis with developing and implementing a state legislative platform and advocacy policy in 2019 and 2020. Over the course of eight months, Consero worked closely with City staff and the Legislative Subcommittee to solicit and review draft legislative proposals from department heads, prioritize the proposals, develop them into a legislative platform, and help the City implement its platform by preparing fact sheets, convening meetings with legislators and legislative staffers to discuss proposals and pending legislation, and engaging in community outreach to enlist supporters. The platform resulted in the ability to increase fees for a downtown parking structure, changes to grant guidelines to improve eligibility, and an increase in the cap on regional planning grants.
Read more about Consero's Advocacy work here.