Partners for an society
VIVA is a social impact consulting firm that helps inspired organizations turn their bold visions for change into reality.
The VIVA difference
We believe that effective partnership is essential to achieving impact and creating stronger communities. We work closely with our clients and their partners as they focus on impacting social issues, leveraging a unique and highly effective integrated approach to strategy, communications, and data & analytics.
Here at VIVA, we believe in
What is your impact journey?
About our work
We facilitate thought-provoking conversations that reinvigorate the same old processes and catalyze innovative results. We analyze data and measure impact to reveal new insights and lead to breakthrough decisions. And, we use storytelling and visual design to simplify complex ideas and capture imaginations.
High Quality Early Learning System Building
Quality Start Los Angeles
Early Intervention System Building
Help Me Grow
What our say
We work side by side with our clients to help them achieve meaningful, lasting social change.
“I have worked with VIVA on a variety of projects over the past five years including policy development, coalition building, facilitation, and organizational development. Christina and her team are consistently deeply informed, impeccably prepared, professional, and not only pleasant but fun. During facilitation, they excel at providing a strong backbone that pushes groups toward decision – with a gift for leadership in the service of the group.”
Malia Ramler
Program Officer, Heising-Simons Foundation
“VIVA is a foundational part of the successful development of a cohesive quality rating and improvement system in Los Angeles County. Over the past three years, the focused systems building approach resulted in a strong foundation for First 5 LA and its county partners to serve children 0-5 in quality early learning settings. The VIVA team is able to elevate and navigate the tough but strategic conversations in a facilitation style that supports group cohesion. In addition to VIVA being able to bring our early learning partners together for systems building, their communications team is able to artfully capture and communicate to critical audiences such as parents, providers, and decision-makers.”
Becca Patton, ECE Director, First 5 Los Angeles
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with VIVA on two separate projects and have been impressed both times. The team is extraordinarily thoughtful, digs into the details but knows how to communicate to a broad audience and offers clear choices and options when needed. They do not shy away from elevating tough conversations and will be the one to find a pathway out. In addition, the VIVA team is fun and collaborative, making sometimes difficult work easier and rewarding – as it should be!”
Stacy Lee
Managing Director, Children Now
“Working with VIVA was refreshing and very different than typical strategic planning efforts. Their energy and sense of fun served to engage our contributors, and yet the process was highly focused and effective.”
Iliana Rodriguez
Director, San Mateo County Human Services Agency
“The best part of VIVA is, without a doubt, the people – their energy, ideas, and talent. I have worked with VIVA on projects both big and small, and our interactions always leave me with a renewed sense of excitement and possibilities, which comes from the VIVA team, and what they do for their clients, the project, and the process. In my opinion, VIVA is the strongest thought partner you’ll ever work with.”
Jonathan Rubinsky
Communications Officer, First 5 San Francisco
“VIVA Social Impact Partners have been a thought partner and driver in the development and execution of the Funders’ Group on Parent Organizing, Family Engagement, and Leadership Development. VIVA’s administrative support and guidance have been key to our efforts as we strive to elevate parent voice and improve the way that foundations authentically connect, engage, and partner with community.”
Anita Black, Program Officer, The Greater Rochester Health Foundation
“We really enjoyed working with VIVA on the development of our Impact Report. This work is a critical step to gaining continued funding and support for our pilot initiative. VIVA’s ability to conduct interviews to collect provider quotes, and then use those quotes as well as data to highlight successes, effectively told the story of our pilot’s impact in a very compelling way. We are very happy with the results!”
Jill Kowalski,
First 5 Riverside, Dental Transformation Initiative Program Manager
“We needed to implement a strategic plan and process in the middle of COVID-19. I initially felt anxious about virtual working sessions with partners that would still foster an authentic and creative process. The VIVA team planned and facilitated these sessions, and they exceeded my expectations! VIVA’s facilitation expertise, technology mastery, and strategy were a resounding success. All community partners were able to engage, innovate and provide useful strategic thinking — all virtually!”
Michelle Blakely
Managing Director, Program and Planning, First 5 San Mateo County
“I have worked with VIVA on numerous efforts since the firm’s inception in 2011. I continue to partner with VIVA because of their impressive ability to develop actionable plans for systems change and to effectively communicate to key stakeholders. Christina and Nicole are truly experts in early childhood systems building consultation and they have built an incredibly intelligent and effective team. VIVA is able to facilitate complex discussions to drive systems thinking and partnership across sectors to continue to improve early childhood systems. Their ability to draw insights from research, interviews, and discussions and focus on the human-centric component of our work is truly unique. I know that whenever I am able to work with VIVA, we will be working as true partners, and the output will be of excellent quality that I can put into action.”
Moira Kenney, Executive Director, First 5 Association of California