Together West Michigan unites people to confront the challenges our families and communities face by building power to shape decisions made about our lives in the public arena.

We work to transcend lines of race, wealth and ethnicity in pursuit of the common good through collective power built on trusting relationships.

We continually foster conversations to build relational power by getting to know people, discovering the challenges they face, and nurturing new leaders.

We are an ever-refreshing organization that adapts to our communities’ challenges as they arise.

How We Work

Together West Michigan (TWM) is a democratic (with a small “d”) organization that values decision making through conversation and consensus.

Member institutions develop core teams to bring the work of TWM into the life of the institution, and the voice of the institution back into TWM. 1-2 institutional representatives from each member institution meet monthly to share the interests of their members, make proposals, discuss, affirm, and drive the work of TWM. 

TWM members and leaders build and run issue teams and other teams that advance TWM's work.

TWM holds large scale listening campaigns to hear from our members and neighbors and to identify and engage new leaders. We hold Issues Assemblies to clarify, prioritize, and develop consensus on an issues agenda with dozens of our members. 

We also hold a Delegates Assembly multiple times a year, where delegations from all of our member institutions publicly approve and commit to the business of the organization.