Start Here: How Insight and Alignment Create Better Projects
Before jumping into solutions, ask this: have we truly listened?
At OneNature, we believe the first step to creating meaningful, lasting impact isn’t about financial resources, timelines, or even innovation. It’s about insight. It’s about alignment. It’s about starting where the community is—not where we think they should be.
Whether you’re a foundation, NGO, ESG team, or government agency, the most resilient and successful projects all begin the same way: by understanding what people value, what they need, and how they define success.
This is the foundation of our Insight & Alignment process—Step 2 of our proven Wild Happiness Approach.
Why Insight and Alignment Matter
Too many well-meaning projects falter because community voices are brought in too late—or not at all. That’s why we center every engagement on a participatory, values-led process. Before jumping into problem-solving, we ask communities what well-being means to them.
Then, we bring everyone—community members, NGOs, donors, and local governments—together to reflect on outcomes, behaviors, and power dynamics.
“The approach gave us valuable insights and helped us design better programs.”
— Jimmiel Mandima, (Former) Vice President, IFAW, Kenya
In Kenya, our process helped to reveal deep community values for ecosystem-based sustainable villages, culturally respectful conservation practices, and spiritual and cultural connections to land and wildlife. Underpining project goals with these values can make the intervention more relevant—and ultimately, more successful.
That’s the power of alignment: when communities help shape the goals, they also help sustain the outcomes.
What the Process Looks Like
The Insight & Alignment phase is more than a meeting or consultation. It’s an intentional, inclusive process that creates space for reflection and clarity across stakeholders.
It follows our 360° Community Wellbeing Assessment, which offers rich, localized data about how people experience well-being—across economic, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions.
We then facilitate workshops where partners and communities unpack these findings together. We explore:
-
What are the gaps?
-
What shared goals emerge?
-
What behaviors or systems must shift?
This phase is often where breakthrough moments happen—where long-held assumptions are challenged and unexpected solutions emerge.
“The Wild Happiness Survey revealed both the challenges and the strength of our communities—deep roots in nature, strong culture, and resilience.”
— Greg Bakunzi, Executive Director, Red Rocks Initiative, Rwanda
In Rwanda, these insights helped Red Rocks Initiative identify ways that well-being wasn’t just about income—it was also about cultural identity, nature-based spirituality, and family and social cohesion. Aligning their conservation and development strategy with these values can improve both social and ecological outcomes.
Services That Support You
At OneNature, our role is to make these insights actionable. We offer:
✅ 360° Community Wellbeing Assessment™ – a stand-alone or integrated tool to surface baseline data, values, and priorities.
✅ Insight & Alignment Workshops – co-facilitated sessions that build trust and guide strategy based on real community voices.
✅ Toolkits & Training Programs – practical guides and templates to build internal capacity for values-aligned development.
✅ Certification – demonstrate alignment with ESG standards, SDGs, and stakeholder accountability through our Wellbeing Certification.
✅ Peer Learning Networks – join a growing community of practitioners putting well-being at the center of their work.
Each of these offerings is grounded in science, designed for scalability, and built around people—not assumptions.
A Better Starting Point
When funders and partners align with what communities actually value, they set the stage for measurable, meaningful, and lasting impact.
It’s not just good practice. It’s the smartest investment you can make.
We invite you to start with insight. To align around shared values. To design with—not for—communities.
Because when people feel heard, supported, and involved, they become the most powerful agents of change. And when communities thrive, nature thrives too.
Let’s make it happen—together.
Visit OneNatureInstitute.org or contact us at allgood@onenatureinstitute.org to explore how we can support your mission through insight, alignment, and impact.
Warm wishes
Beth & OneNature Team
