What’s Happening at The Ops Collective
A Fresh Look
After more than three years, we decided to step into 2026 with a new look! Thanks to Studio Junk and their collaborators (Taylor Smith Studio and Standard Operations), The Ops Collective has rebranded with new colors, fonts, and a visual identity that better reflects who we are today. Visit bit.ly/TOCnewlook for more information.
Theory of Change
It’s more than a framework, it’s our North Star. Developed with AORTA, our Theory of Change clarifies the world we’re committed to building and the role we play in the broader movement ecosystem. It names problems we’re working to address, the liberatory traditions we draw from (including inspiration from “Everything for Everyone”), and the outcomes we aim to create with our partners. It affirms what we’ve believed all along, that values aligned operations are essential infrastructure for sustainable social change. Read our theory of change here: www.opscollective.co/theory-of-change
Come Nerd Out With Us!
We’re creating a new space built by and for liberatory ops nerds. A community to gather with fellow change makers, rethink how we work, and build the future of values-driven operations together. With a sliding scale starting at $200, this year long membership includes quarterly gatherings, Slack and Signal groups, and access to The Ops Collective coaching. Visit www.opscollective.co/the-ops-lab to learn more and register today!
The Ops Shop
Check out our new Resource Template Library at www.opscollective.co/shop! Practical, ready-to-use tools built from the same frameworks we use with consulting clients. These sliding scale templates (starting at $25), an Operations Team Responsibilities Matrix, Spin Workbook, and Nonprofit Compliance and Policy Checklist, are designed to help mission-driven teams move from vision to implementation with clarity and confidence.
What We’ve Been Up To
Rapid Response Technical Support
The Ops Collective has dedicated significant time to providing rapid-response technical operations support to nonprofits that are doing work on the frontlines of immigration, Palestine, and birth justice. We have been able to offer this much needed technical assistance through our relationships with Donors, who are subsidizing this support for their grantees. This work has included providing workshops, cohort based learnings, 1:1 operations coaching, and supporting with specific projects like policy development, security trainings, etc. We are so proud to support organizations doing critical, impactful work in this moment.
Launching and Supporting Small Businesses
We recently expanded our work beyond nonprofits to supporting and helping launch small businesses. This has included helping to determine and develop their billing rates, setting up capacity management systems, and evaluate client portfolios. We have also helped establish for-profit businesses from the-ground-up, supporting with entity formation, payroll and benefits infrastructure and design, setting up tax and accounting systems and structures, hiring and onboarding, and more!
Trends & Topics
The Future We Want Starts With Who Gets To Imagine It
Lately, we’ve been inspired by insights from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s The Futures We Create report. A reminder that the future isn’t a distant destination, but a practice we actively shape together. After seven years of intentional grantmaking, the report calls for expanding who gets to envision what’s possible, whose lived experiences inform strategy, and whose visions shape the systems we build. It challenges us not only to dismantle structures rooted in oppression, but to actively design futures grounded in justice, shared power, and collective care. As The Ops Collective looks ahead, we remain committed to partnering with clients to co-create resilient strategies and build infrastructure that is equally efficient as it is equitable, life giving and affirming, and transformative for all of us.
“Remember to imagine and craft the worlds you cannot live without,
just as you dismantle the ones you cannot live within.”
- Ruha Benjamin, Imagination: A Manifesto