Translating mission into action
Nonprofit leaders are superheroes - but they shouldn't have to be.
You became an Executive Director to lead your mission, not to spend your days triaging staff decisions, chasing down project updates, and answering the same questions over and over. But when you’re the leader of a small nonprofit, that’s exactly what happens.
You hold the strategy and the operations. The board relationships and the budget forecast. The fundraising vision and the staffing question that landed in your inbox at 9pm. Your team is talented and committed - but somehow, almost everything still runs through you.
When there’s no one helping translate strategy into clear priorities, manage workstreams, and keep the team aligned, leaders absorb the gap themselves. And that’s not sustainable. A recent survey found that 70% of U.S. nonprofit workers are looking - or considering looking - for a new job. The top reason: too much responsibility.*
I help nonprofit leaders get out of the weeds - for good.
As a Fractional Chief of Staff, I partner with Executive Directors to build the clarity, systems, and team rhythms that let organizations function at the level they’re capable of. That might mean establishing a decision-making framework that stops bottlenecks at the top, creating visibility into staff workstreams so nothing falls through the cracks, or designing a planning process that keeps your team focused on what matters most.
The result: a team that runs with more autonomy, a leader who’s back to leading - and a mission that moves forward.
If any of this sounds familiar, I'd love to chat about how I can help.
Services
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We start with a discovery period.
Together, we assess what’s working, what’s not, and where the right shifts will have the greatest impact on you and your team.
We build your Operating Plan.
The Operating Plan translates that assessment into specific goals, outcomes, and a clear path forward - designed around your priorities and your organization’s pain points.
We execute together.
I become part of your team: attending meetings, managing projects, driving strategic initiatives, and getting things done alongside you. I own the Operating Plan - tracking progress, implementing new processes and systems, and adjusting as we learn what’s working.
The specific work depends on what we mutually decide will be most valuable to your situation. It might include things like:
Building practical metrics and KPIs so your team has shared goals and you have something meaningful to report to your board and funders
Designing simple project management and tracking systems so nothing falls through the cracks
Clarifying roles and decision-making processes to remove bottlenecks and create accountability at every level
Leading cross-functional projects and strategic initiatives that keep stalling without dedicated ownership
Examining your budget and resource allocation so you know exactly where time and money are going - and can make better decisions about both
Developing staffing plans and onboarding processes so you can bring on new talent without it falling entirely on you
Streamlining or automating manual processes that are eating your team’s time
Planning and facilitating key meetings - and making sure they lead to real follow through
Throughout out work together, I also serve as your strategic thought partner: a sounding board for decisions, a second voice in the room, and a coach as challenges come up.
The goal is simple: your team has the clarity and systems to do their best work, and you have the space to lead.
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Not every organization needs a Fractional Chief of Staff — but every organization needs to make good decisions.
As nonprofits grow, decision-making gets harder. More stakeholders. More complexity. More chances for priorities to get misaligned, conversations to stall, or the wrong people to be left out of the room. The organizations that scale well aren't necessarily the ones with the best strategies — they're the ones that know how to surface the right ideas, navigate disagreement, and move to action without leaving people behind.
For leaders who need targeted support rather than a long-term engagement, I offer facilitation and coaching designed to create clarity, alignment, and momentum.
Facilitation
Sometimes you just need the right conversation — well-designed, well-run, and built to actually lead somewhere.
I facilitate meetings and working sessions to help your team get aligned and move forward. That might look like:
Metrics and KPI development — Working with your team to identify what success actually looks like, agree on a practical set of measures, and design a simple tracking system you'll realistically use
Operational gap assessment — A focused working session with you and/or your team to surface what's getting in the way, identify the highest-leverage opportunities, and walk away with a concrete set of next steps
Every session is designed with your stakeholders in mind — who needs to be in the room, what perspectives need to be heard, and how to structure the conversation so you get the best ideas on the table and leave with real decisions made.
Coaching & Advisory
Sometimes what an Executive Director needs most is a thought partner — someone outside the organization who understands operational complexity and can help you think through what you're facing.
I work with EDs on a retainer or as-needed basis to help you identify operational gaps, work through decisions, and build your own capacity as a leader and manager. This isn't therapy and it isn't consulting — it's a structured, ongoing conversation with someone who's focused entirely on helping you lead well.
Get in Touch
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Book a free discovery call and let's talk about where you are, where you want to be, and whether I'm the right person to help you get there.