We collaborate with our clients to transform the community.
ignite.
We spark transformation in the community by creating comprehensive strategies from a fresh perspective. We are bold, contemporary, and ambitious – and infuse this passion in all that we do.
inspire.
We are creative thought-leaders, who don't subscribe to the traditional ways of doing things. While our strategies are grounded in research and experience, we are forward-thinkers who always look to "what's next."
integrate.
We are community-oriented professionals, who foster collaboration. We work alongside our clients to create an inclusive community that shares, exchanges ideas, and creates transformational change.
Why work with us
About Us
Our mission is to collaborate with our clients to build healthy, strong communities by approaching our work with creative, comprehensive strategies that combine research and experience with a fresh perspective.
ckSYNERGY was co-founded in 2014 by Colleen Conley (the “c”) and Amanda Kaye (the “k”). Following careers in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, they met while pursuing their Masters’ Degrees in Nonprofit Leadership and Management (NMLM). After graduating, Amanda called Colleen one afternoon to float a “crazy idea” by her: consulting for organizations. Colleen’s response? “I just started a company to do that myself. Let’s partner up!”
The most daunting task was brainstorming a business name and designing a website (we love doing the work, we hate selling ourselves). Everything else fell into place. While we have evolved over the years, our passion for collaborating with our clients has remain a constant.
We specialize in meeting facilitation, strategic planning, organizational assessments, conflict management, Board development and training, executive coaching, leadership transitions, sustained collaborations, and the design and delivery of workshop and training programs.
OUR Approach
ckSYNERGY utilizes a variety of proven frameworks, ensuring that each is used to build and complement the others so that participants seamlessly experience activities to effectively advance decisions.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI).
Utilizes a 5D cycle (define, discover, dream, design, and deliver) to enable groups to use a strength-based exploration process to discover what’s working, dream up “what could be,” and keep the collective conversation hopeful, aspirational, and positive.
Boundary, Authority, Role and Task (BART).
Helps the participants learn about the facets of group dynamics in order to inform the creation of systems that support teamwork and the achievement of organizational goals.
Consensus Decision-Making.
Drives finding solutions supported by every participant and is beneficial because it emphasizes power sharing, community building and collaboration, investment in the chosen decision, accountability for the chosen outcome, and valuing the needs and opinions of the minority (to the same degree as the majority).
Emergent Learning (EL).
Helps individuals collaboratively think, learn, and adapt to accomplish important social change goals and embed continuous learning into organizational practices.
Lifecycle Framework.
Asserts that the stronger the nonprofits, the stronger the communities (since organizations can better accomplish their mission with robust capacity) and assists in identifying and committing to capacity improvements that strengthen operations and community impact.
How can we work together?
Who we are
Our Team
Colleen Conley, MNLM
The Highlights.
Colleen Conley, MNLM has a reputation for doing the work behind the work. Within and across sectors, she embraces hard conversations, managing diverse – and at times competing – agendas to build alignment, shared understanding, and cohesive, actionable plans. She works from her home office/gym in Phoenix, Arizona. Always on the move, if Colleen’s not on a video call, chances are, she’s talking to you from her walking desk (a.k.a. treadmill) where she does her best thinking.
The Whole Story.
Anyone who knows Colleen will tell you that if she’s not working, she’s either on a trip, or planning a trip. And sometimes those trips turn into something more permanent. In fact, Colleen moved to Arizona 15 years ago, after adventuring in Auckland, New Zealand for about two years. But it wasn’t all vacation and fun; while she loved working for law firms, what she learned she liked most was giving away their money (when managing their foundation). So, when she moved back to the states, Colleen decided to make a career change and entered the Master’s program at Arizona State University (ASU), where she met Amanda. The rest is history.
Unlike Amanda, Colleen is succinct. She doesn’t like lots of words and prefers to get right to the point, so let’s move on to the boring stuff: In additional to her Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management (MNLM) from ASU, Colleen is a Lifecycle Capacity Consultant and member of the Nonprofit Lifecycle Institute. She has received training from the American Management Association in Facilitation. Additionally, Colleen was recognized by Vitalyst Health Foundation as an exemplary facilitator, was invited to join the Alliance Fellowship, and trained as an Interim Executive Director and Merger’s & Acquisition consultant. She is the former chair of the community impact committee for the Junior League of Phoenix.
Amanda Kaye, MNLM
The Highlights.
Amanda Kaye, MNLM has a knack for reading a room. While she believes in planning, she is always ready to throw those plans out the figurative window when the energy shifts to ensure that everyone feels included, while while still nailing the goals of the engagement. Amanda can be found in her Phoenix, Arizona workspace, accompanied by Luna the chatty canine co-worker (bark if you agree!), and her resilient desk plants on their wild survival journey (fingers crossed!).
The Whole Story.
Amanda’s family has a long history in the nonprofit sector, and she grew up believing in the power of community and need for systems change. From a young age, she was inspired by her grandparents who started a school to break down barriers and make learning accessible to every child. This has always motivated her to not accept the status quo and align her job and purpose. After graduating from the University of Arizona (UA) and moving to Portland, Amanda (drawn to her love of building community and pursuing purpose-driven work) moved back to Phoenix, pursued a Master’s Degree at Arizona State University, (ASU) and began a career in the nonprofit sector.
Although practically an Arizona native, she moved from the East Coast when she was almost two. She loves vibrant cities and towering skyscrapers, as well as the tranquility of mountains and nature. It’s all about balance. As an avid traveler, she’s either exploring cities around the world, or hiking mountains and swimming in lakes. On her days off, you can find her searching for a body of water with an inflatable kayak plus her dog, spouse, and two kids in tow.
Now the boring stuff: As mentioned, Amanda has a Bachelors Degree from the UA and a Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management from ASU (where she met Colleen!). She is a Certified Lifecycle Capacity Consultant; was selected to participate in Vitalyst Health Foundation trainings, including Professional Interim Executive Director and Mergers & Acquisitions; is one of Vitalyst’s TAP Team of Consultants; and is a member of Local First Arizona. In addition to her work, Amanda serves on one national and one local board.
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