2024 in Review: Reflecting & Refocusing

Fenris has celebrated growth and opportunities in recent months, and collaborated with clients working on climate change, waste management, and food justice. As 2024 winds down, though, we are taking time to reflect not just on what we’ve accomplished, but on our mission.

Revisiting Our Foundations

At our core, we’re driven by a commitment to civil society, anchored in values of equity, justice, and independence. We aim to be humble enablers, informed by principles of systems change and design justice, and championing responsible data practices.

Fenris is a flexible, growing network, bringing together multidisciplinary expertise to meet the needs of each engagement. We must continually be learning and holding ourselves accountable in order to ensure that our team’s knowledge and practices grows collectively and endures beyond projects and individual team members.

Evolving Our Engagement Model

This year, we refined and trialed a three-phase engagement model to guide our clients through a structured yet flexible journey:

• Laying the Foundation: First, a 3 to 6-month retainer to establish clarity and direction.
• Building Together: A deep collaboration to develop data strategies and frameworks for the organization.
• Sustained Support: Lightweight support of a key leader for one year, to help ensure lasting outcomes.

This model reflects our belief in the value of sustained work and the empowerment of team leaders within supporting organizations.

Strengthening Our Network and Internal Systems

Internally, we’ve been developing knowledge management systems to improve quality and consistency in our workflows. These tools enhance our logistics, streamline deliverables, and ensure that our team’s collective knowledge grows over time.

Looking Ahead Amid Uncertainty

This post comes early, in November, for a couple reasons. I, Aman, will be reducing workload for personal time this month and in December. (This won’t interrupt Fenris’ ongoing engagements). Second, the results of the U.S. election push us to take stock and reflect on the importance of our work in the coming years.

As we prepare for 2025, Fenris is preparing to double down on our mission to support civil society, and amplify our support of organizations working on vision of equity and justice. We aim to enhance our capabilities, strengthen our partnerships, and continue to evolve as a network. We are motivated to deepen our commitment to building a better, more equitable world.

Thank you to our clients, partners, and network for making 2024 a year of growth and impact. Stay tuned to hear more, and thank you for being part of our journey.