My Services

Pragmatic

I deliver change, not reports. My approach is rooted in over a decade of experience managing nonprofit teams.

Relational

I embed in your organization to understand the unique interpersonal dynamics that can drive change.

Sustainable

I create structures, culture, and practices that will sustain change well after I leave.

Intersectional

I understand and center lived experiences of marginalization and the impact of trauma.

Change Management

I can help your organization create lasting change. Together, we can design an inclusive process specific to your context, without rigid frameworks. 

My approach comes from over a decade building and managing nonprofit teams. My experience as a community organizer and facilitator has taught me the importance of top-down enforcement and bottom-up buy-in. And my own marginalized experience as a trans woman allows me to have conversations that might not be possible for you.

Some common ways I support nonprofits include: 

• collaborating on strategic planning projects;

• rolling out a new vision from leadership to the entire organization;

• navigating organizational restructuring;

• addressing issues of conflict, accountability, or process; and

• helping to create new programs or departments

I tend to work with organizations for 3 months or more — true change takes time.

Step 1: Understand the Problem

Every engagement starts with the systems that are currently holding back change. I have conversations with people at all levels — constituents, staff, managers, and funders. I work to build trust and understand the underlying causes of resistance. 

Step 2: Bring Conflict to Light

I work to surface tensions and misunderstandings. My experiences and expertise help me: 

• make space for those without structural power;

• ensure people feel held and receptive to change; and

• provide those doing the work with an understanding of the larger system.

Step 3: Create Structures to support change over time

Once your organization has acknowledged the barriers we can work together to address them. Successful change requires hundreds of tiny decisions with significant trickle-down effects. Thinking about who’s in a meeting, how it’s facilitated, and the language and timing of emails can all have a profound impact. 

I provide one-on-one coaching, meeting facilitation, communication planning, and project management as needed. Together we’ll design new structures — committees, steering boards, recurring meetings — to sustain the change we've created.

Equity-First Organizational Design

I can help your organization become a place where people with marginalized experiences thrive and lead.

Most DEI consultants have a one-size-fits-all approach that prioritizes template-based policy changes and implicit bias training. My approach goes much deeper. 

I will help you implement a multifaceted program to create sustained change, based on a deep understanding of your organization, including:

• structural changes that center equity in decision-making processes, meeting practices, and program design;

• implementing accountability structures (including DEI Committees and Community Boards) that can create change without member burn-out;

• one-on-one support for leadership to understand nuanced ways of speaking, writing, and facilitating to create more space for marginalized people; and

• support for marginalized folks in your organization to build power, heal, and work towards trust.

You can read more about my vision for an equitable nonprofit sector in my recent Generocity.org guest column.

Structural Approach

It can take years to develop the nuanced understanding necessary to be active allies in areas of our own privilege. But you don’t have to wait for understanding in order to create change.

I help nonprofit organizations build structures that actively empower those with lived experiences. Together we will examine the many processes that can perpetuate inequity: how you design programs, hire staff, review performance, run meetings, etc. We will strengthen your organization by shifting power to those with the knowledge of lived experience.

Systemic Vision

Inequity in nonprofit organizations reflects larger systems like racism and sexism that rely on the oppression of many to build the wealth and power of a few. Effective equity work goes beyond addressing these dynamics solely within our organizations. We must apply the same practices to our programs. Together we can design trauma-informed and culturally appropriate ways to build power with your constituents.

Management Realities

I have 10 years of experience as a nonprofit leader and manager. I understand the power dynamics of management and the realities of hierarchical nonprofit reporting structures. I will work with your organization to understand the present reality and identify changes that are transformative, sometimes uncomfortable, but always achievable. Together we will find ways to help your board and your staff embrace an equity-first approach.

Technology Consulting

Before starting Reclaim the Sector, I spent 12 years at Tech Impact, where I built and managed a 10-person technology team. We provided services to nonprofits in the areas of strategy, impact measurement, and digital security.

I was successful because of my hands-on technical expertise. But technology consulting for nonprofits also helped me build skills in equity and cultural change. I recognized that people on the ground know what will make an impact. And I saw that when done well, technology projects can lift up the expertise of direct service staff, who are closest to the work.

Today, I use those same skills to provide direct support to nonprofits seeking greater impact through technology. Unlike most consultants, I will deliver meaningful change and not (just) slide decks. 

Most of my clients are large national and international NGOs. However, I offer sliding scale rates to smaller nonprofits and activist organizations.

Implementation Management

I can support your organization in navigating complex technology implementations. Common projects include:

• managing collaborative and user-centered RFP and implementation processes;

• holding implementation vendors accountable through technical project management; and

• maturing your technology team and better integrating them within your organization.

Data Strategy

Better data collection, storage, and analysis makes information more accessible to your organization. My change management expertise can help you shift your culture towards a more data-informed approach. I can help you:

• select and implement new databases and data analytic tools;

• create or evolve central reporting and analytics departments; and

• determine your readiness for advanced statistical evaluation and machine learning.

Digital Security

I am an expert in organizational digital security. I have supported grass-roots organizers and multinational NGOs against nation-state and activist hackers. I understand both the technical aspects of digital attacks and the realities of nonprofit life that make safety a challenge. I can help you:

• audit your organization’s digital security;

• select new security tools and vendors; and

• build training programs for your constituents and staff.

Cloud Strategy

I can help your organization create a strategy to move your infrastructure to the cloud. I am an expert in the Microsoft 365 and Azure stacks and have helped hundreds of organizations (from dozens to thousands of employees) seamlessly migrate to the cloud.