Mission is the easy part. Focus is the work.
Mission-driven organizations rarely lack purpose. What’s scarce is capacity: a board and staff aligned on a few priorities, a plan sized to real resources, and the discipline to say no to everything else. That’s the work we do with you.
Your mission is specific. So is our partnership.
Nonprofit planning isn’t generic strategy work. A working board, a lean staff, and funders with their own priorities are particular to mission-driven organizations. So is the way we help you meet them.
A plan sized to your actual capacity, not an aspirational wish list.
A board and staff who share one set of priorities.
Engagement that includes the people you serve, not only the people who fund you.
Senior consultants in the room, never junior staff sent to run your most important process.
A case for support your funders and your team both believe.
Strategy that outlasts an executive transition.
Depth across the mission.
Strategic planning
A focused plan with named priorities, real trade-offs, and a horizon your board can hold.
Board development & governance
Role clarity, committee structure, and the working relationship between board and executive.
Theory of change & impact
An outcomes story that holds up to a funder, a board, and the community you serve.
Executive transition
Succession planning and the transition work that keeps momentum through a leadership change.
Organizational assessment
A clear read on capacity, structure, and where the organization is quietly stretched.
Partnership & mergers
Shared services, formal partnership, or merger, assessed honestly before anyone commits.
We turn a long list into a few real priorities.
Every engagement starts with a leader carrying more mission than capacity. Here’s the shift our mission-driven partners describe.
“Everything is a priority, so nothing is.”
“We know what we’re saying no to, and why.”
Where we work across the mission economy.
A conservation coalition, a symphony, and a human-services agency face different pressures on the same thin margin. Each of these has its own page.
Human services
Plans sized to real capacity for organizations carrying essential community services.
Albertina Kerr · Meals on Wheels · Family Building BlocksHealth & healthcare
Strategy for systems, foundations, and provider associations under margin pressure.
Samaritan Health · OHSU Foundation · Alliance of Community Health PlansArts, culture & zoos
Audience, earned revenue, and mission alignment for cultural institutions.
Oregon Symphony · Regional Arts & Culture Council · Oregon ZooEnvironment & conservation
Theory of change and coalition strategy for land, water, and climate work.
The Conservation Alliance · Oregon Tilth · EarthShare OregonFoundations & philanthropy
Grantmaking strategy, board development, and the case for a focused portfolio.
NW Area Foundation · Oregon Jewish Community Foundation · United WayAssociations & professional societies
Member value, governance, and advocacy platforms for member-funded organizations.
Oregon Nurses Association · Oregon Library Association · Built OregonDon’t see your organization type? The work underneath is the same: focus, capacity, and a plan your board will carry. Tell us what you’re facing.
Trusted by organizations doing the work.
We work with working boards and lean staffs, and we scope to your capacity rather than our template. Senior consultants lead every engagement, from the staff retreat to the board vote.
Let’s build a plan your board will carry.
Tell us about your mission and the moment you’re in. We’ll bring a focused process, honest trade-offs, and a plan sized to what you can actually do.