A theory of transformation
It is time for social impact organizations to become uncomfortable with incremental progress. Time to abandon the paradigm of “fixing” tactical pain points in one “department”—with remedies that can unwittingly create problems in others. It is time to quit defining progress as a zero-sum game, in which ratios of program vs overhead expenditures are the only way to measure success.
We have entered an era in which 10X thinking is not only possible, it is essential. A time when social impact organizations can make and measure progress in orders of magnitude—rather than fractions of each dollar “wasted.”
Transforming our organizations does not just mean taking advantage of the many opportunities to do new things. It requires living up to the obligation to think in new ways. To see our work—and the challenges we face—in a different light.
Reinvention means reinvestment
Success will not come through “random acts of disruption.” It will come through reigniting the heart and soul of our organizations. Empowering our people to ask the right questions—and giving them the freedom to find the right answers wherever they can be found. To do whatever must be done.
This is not a time to toss out our beliefs, and reinvent our missions. It is a time to reinvest in them. To admit that the constant pressures of fundraising and public opinion and business-like behavior have subtly, but surely, taken us off our path. This is a time—this is the time—to see our mission as both a goal, and a tool to drive every element of our organizations. So everyone and everything is oriented toward the only thing that matters.
A team of teams
The Matale Line was created to provide new thinking for a new era. Our small cadre of strategists and creatives works around the world to provide an unprecedented level of engagement to a small group of client partners, so they can create new pathways to success. Our “team of teams” works side-by-side with client leaders to develop comprehensive, integrated strategies for progress, then brings together the right team of specialists—looking first within our clients’ own organizations—that are tailored to deliver on that strategy.
We do not seek a codependent relationship—our goal is to help our client partners develop a new vision and strategy for achieving greater effectiveness and self-sufficiency.
Because our collective future depends on it.
Our founder: Bill Toliver
After two decades developing leadership, branding, and communications programs for Fortune 500 clients like Westin Hotels and Hewlett Packard, Bill founded The Matale Line to offer more innovative thinking to social impact organizations.
With a global reputation as a transformational change agent, his work has helped some of the world’s most consequential nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprise organizations reframe their approach to strategic decision-making, resource development, and advocacy communications. He is privileged to have worked with organizations across a broad spectrum of social issues, and is a widely sought-after speaker for his unique perspective and compelling approach to storytelling.
Bill grew up in the developing world, and his desire to effect change is deeply rooted in his childhood experiences. Coupled with a degree in systems engineering he has a unique ability to understand how issues are interconnected and tied to root causes. He has served on boards of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and currently serves as board chair of The Resource Alliance—a global nonprofit committed to transformational change in the social impact sector.
