The Currency of Connection: Why Networks Are Our Most Valuable Asset

In the world of community and economic development, we often talk about assets. Physical infrastructure. Financial capital. Technical expertise. But at Perch Advisors, we've learned that our most valuable asset isn't something you can see on a balance sheet or measure in square footage. It's something far more dynamic and powerful: our networks.

This realization isn't theoretical—it's experiential. Recently, I was honored to be named Co-Chair of the Coro Alumni Advisory Board, joining a community of nearly 3,000 civic leaders across New York City who share a deep commitment to collaborative leadership and multi-sector problem-solving. Coro's philosophy—that lasting change requires understanding multiple perspectives and building authentic relationships across sectors—mirrors the very foundation upon which Perch Advisors was built.

Our success doesn't come from having all the answers. It comes from knowing the right people to ask, from maintaining relationships that create pathways for collaboration, and from building networks that amplify impact far beyond what any single organization could achieve alone. This isn't just consultant-speak or professional networking platitudes. Our commitment to valuing and activating networks is fundamental to how we approach every project, every challenge, and every opportunity. It's woven into our mission to help not-for-profits, businesses, and neighborhoods think bigger, bolder, and together. That last word—together—is where the real magic happens, and it's the principle that has driven Perch's growth and impact from day one.

Beyond the Rolodex: What We Really Mean by Networks

When we talk about networks, we're not talking about collecting business cards. We're talking about the deliberate cultivation of relationships that create pathways for collaboration, innovation, and collective impact.

Here's the truth about Perch's success: it's fundamentally people-centric. Every milestone traces back to relationships we've built and maintained over time. Our work isn't transactional; it's relational. We don't show up for projects and disappear. We invest in people, stay connected, follow up, and remain part of the communities we serve.

A network is a living ecosystem of knowledge, experience, trust, and mutual commitment. It's the small business owner connecting us to community voices, the nonprofit leader opening doors to funding, the municipal official navigating bureaucracy, the resident sharing historical context that transforms our understanding. It's the colleague from a leadership program introducing us to partners working on similar challenges, or the former client reaching out years later because they know we'll care.

Perch exists because of networks. Our founding was made possible by relationships. Our growth has been fueled by trust earned over time. Our reputation has been built through consistent delivery and genuine care. This is why we value networks so deeply: we've lived it, and we continue building our future on it every day.

The Multiplier Effect: How Networks Amplify Impact

One of our core values is the belief that the best outcomes are achieved by leveraging different perspectives and skill sets. This isn't just philosophy—it's strategic practice backed by results.

Consider Business Improvement District formation. On paper, it's technical: legal requirements, financial modeling, administrative procedures. In reality, it's deeply human, requiring consensus among diverse stakeholders with competing interests and justified skepticism about yet another improvement initiative.

This is where networks become invaluable. We don't just bring our expertise—we activate relationships with business owners who've successfully navigated the process, municipal officials who understand the regulatory landscape, community organizers who can authentically engage residents, and technical experts who address specific concerns.

The result? Solutions that are richer and more likely to succeed because they draw from collective intelligence that exceeds what any single consultant could provide. This multiplier effect transforms good work into exceptional outcomes.

Meeting People Where They Are

Our "people first" philosophy shapes how we build networks. We honor local knowledge by approaching every relationship with genuine curiosity, empathy, and respect. Networks are cultivated through authentic engagement, consistent follow-through, and reciprocity. When we enter a community, we listen, learn, and connect people and resources for mutual benefit.

This requires patience: understanding power structures, recognizing that valuable connections often lack fancy titles but hold deep community trust, and integrating into existing networks. When you build networks based on authentic relationships, you gain access to insights and collaborative possibilities unavailable through conventional channels.

Diversity as Network Strength

Our commitment to diversity recognizes that homogeneous networks produce homogeneous thinking, and homogeneous thinking produces inadequate solutions. In workforce development initiatives, we intentionally seek perspectives from employers, educators, job seekers, community organizations, and government agencies. Each brings different lenses, constraints, and ideas about success.

This diversity creates friction—people don't always agree, priorities conflict. But this creative tension, when navigated thoughtfully, pushes us beyond obvious solutions to innovative approaches that work. The breakthrough often comes from unexpected sources. The adopted solution usually synthesizes multiple perspectives into something better than any single stakeholder imagined.

Networks as Infrastructure for Collective Action

Networks are infrastructure—perhaps the most important kind. They're the social infrastructure enabling collective action, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving.

This became clear during the pandemic. Communities with strong networks responded more quickly and effectively, mobilizing resources, sharing information, and supporting struggling businesses and residents. BIDs pivoted to provide emergency grants through funder relationships. Neighborhood organizations deployed mutual aid through volunteer networks. Businesses survived because peers shared adaptation strategies.

These networks existed because people invested in building them over time—doing the unglamorous work of showing up, making introductions, and nurturing connections long before emergency struck. They're essential infrastructure for resilience and collective thriving.

Lessons from Coro: The Power of Cross-Sector Collaboration

My involvement with Coro New York—as a Neighborhood Leadership participant in 2012 and now as Co-Chair of the Alumni Advisory Board—has profoundly shaped how I understand network power. Coro's methodology builds on one transformative premise: our city's most complex challenges require leaders who can navigate across sectors, understand multiple perspectives, and build collaborative solutions.

What makes Coro powerful is its emphasis on experiential learning and authentic relationship-building. Leaders from business, government, nonprofits, and communities come together to genuinely learn from each other's experiences and worldviews. Connections aren't superficial—they're forged through shared challenges, vulnerable conversations, and collaborative problem-solving.

This resonates with how we operate at Perch. The best solutions emerge when we bring together diverse stakeholders who typically operate in silos. A workforce initiative succeeds when employers, educators, community organizations, and job seekers all have voice in designing it. Neighborhood revitalization gains traction when business owners, residents, nonprofits, and government work in genuine partnership.

The Alumni Advisory Board itself exemplifies this principle. We represent different programs, sectors, and lived experiences—and that diversity makes our collective guidance richer and more grounded in multiple realities. Being part of this work reinforces that network-building isn't just about expanding reach—it's about deepening understanding. Every connection is an opportunity to see through someone else's eyes and appreciate solutions you'd never have considered alone.

Transparency and Trust

Trust is the currency of networks. Without it, information doesn't flow, resources don't get shared, and opportunities don't materialize. Trust transforms contacts into a functioning network capable of collaborative action.

Building trust requires transparency about our motivations, limitations, and commitments—honesty when we don't know something, clarity about what we can deliver, and showing up consistently. This creates a virtuous cycle: when we approach networks with integrity, people make introductions, share insights, and collaborate on challenging initiatives.

Why This Matters

In our field, the tendency is to focus on tangible deliverables: plans, programs, buildings, funding. But sustainable change requires something more fundamental: strong networks capable of ongoing collaboration and collective action.

When we help form a Business Improvement District, we're facilitating a network of stakeholders who can work together on neighborhood challenges. When we design workforce programs, we're connecting employers, educators, and job seekers. When we engage communities in planning, we're strengthening social ties that will outlast any single initiative.

This network-building is central to creating lasting impact. The plans and programs we develop will only succeed if there's a network of committed stakeholders ready to implement, adapt, and sustain them.

Thinking Bigger, Bolder, and Together

Our mission is to help organizations think bigger, bolder, and together. That last word unlocks the first two. We can think bigger because networks give us access to more resources, ideas, and possibilities. We can think bolder because networks provide collective capacity and mutual support making ambitious goals achievable. We can only truly think together when we've built the relationships, trust, and collaborative infrastructure enabling genuine collective action.

Perch's success story is, at its heart, a story about people. It's about every relationship we've maintained, every introduction we've made, every time we've shown up when it mattered. Our growth hasn't been driven by aggressive marketing—it's been organic, relationship-based, and rooted in genuine commitment to the people and communities we serve.

When prospective clients ask what makes Perch different, the answer is simple: we're in it for the long haul. We don't parachute in with cookie-cutter solutions and disappear. We become part of your network. We connect you to others in ours. We stay engaged long after formal engagement ends. This people-centric approach isn't just good ethics—it's been the foundation of everything we've built.

As Co-Chair of the Coro Alumni Advisory Board, I'm reminded how much power exists in networks built on authentic relationships, shared values, and genuine commitment to collective impact. Nearly 3,000 Coro alumni aren't just names in a directory—they're a living network actively shaping New York City's future, supporting each other's growth, and collaborating across sectors to solve pressing challenges. This is the kind of network Perch aspires to build and maintain in every community we serve.

In our increasingly complex world, the ability to build, nurture, and activate networks is essential for meaningful change. At Perch Advisors, we're committed to this work of connection, collaboration, and collective impact. The challenges facing our communities are too complex for any single organization to solve alone, and the opportunities are too important not to pursue together.

Our networks are our foundation. Our relationships are our strength. Our commitment to maintaining those connections—through consistent presence, genuine care, and reciprocal support—is what will continue to drive our success.