our approach
We do things a little differently because we’ve been on the other side of working with a consultant, coach, or trainer.
We know what it means to feel like your money was spent on generic advice or training that doesn’t apply to your specific organization and situation (or, worse, was actively harmful advice). We also know how hard it can be to convince yourself as an organization that investing in outside help will be worth it when your budget is tight already.
And we know what it’s like to get dated or off-putting advice or training from a consultant who has completely bought into the work and philosophy of a single person or book, only to find out they can’t adapt to the current moment, have never been in your shoes, or just feel like a franchise that doesn’t specifically have your back.
When we work together, we are in-it-to-win-it with you. You, your team, and your organization are treated like the unique, nuanced, real people that you are. We’re a thought partner and your biggest cheerleader, and you are not an ATM.
Our clients stick with us for a reason.
how we set our pricing
we will never upsell or inflate pricing
You have our promise that we will never try to sell you more than you need. We ask what your budget is, not so that we can max it out, but so that we can suggest options that will work best for your unique situation within your budget. In fact, we often under-sell, recommending a smaller investment, at least at first, so that we can work in stages, adjust as we go, and learn from the iterative process.
We don’t negotiate rates, but we do work with you to adjust project scale and scope to work within your budgetary needs.
we (usually) don’t work for free, and we always stay within your budget
It’s an inclusion issue. White, cis-hetero people, like we who own this small consulting firm, have extracted free labor from everyone else for all of history. Team building, leadership, strategic planning, and other soft skills have been especially undervalued. If we gave away our time, it would contribute to the continued devaluation of this work — not just for us — for the whole nonprofit-consultant ecosystem. It would also mean that anyone who could afford even less to forgo payment would likely never be hired, which means their voices wouldn’t be reaching the people in power, and the nonprofit sector would suffer as a result.
It’s also an equity issue. Our work is professional and valued fairly. Just as your board should not expect your staff to perform your job for free or for a cut rate, neither should we. Everyone should be paid their worth. Additionally, providing free or highly reduced services here-and-there to whomever got to us at the right place and time is not a transparent, equitable process.
It wouldn’t benefit your organization. You want to build a sustainable budget — expecting free labor for professional services won’t help with that. So we’d rather find a way to provide you services that sustainably fit within your budget. That way, you’re not always scrambling to piece together free help — you can use that time, instead, on your mission and plan for predictable help.
We do volunteer (and provide extra time and work to our clients)! None of this is to say that we don’t volunteer our time to various nonprofits, causes, mentees, etc. Of course we do! We also help anyone who reaches out — have a question? — we’ll find an answer, make a recommendation, and help you find the right person if we can’t help. And since we aren’t bean-counting billable hours with our clients, we also often provide more of our time, expertise, and resources than was accounted for in the contract.
our pricing is based on our time
Like most small-business nonprofit consultants, we determine how much time it will take to do the project, and set the price that way. There are no add-on costs for templates and other deliverables or other kinds of hidden costs. Our rates take into account how the time is being spent (at the desk, facilitating a group, 1:1 consultations, etc.). But the rates never change between clients — only the scope (and hence total price). And, again like most others, our rates include fair and equitable salary, minor overhead costs for running a business from home (Zoom subscription, etc.), and health insurance. That’s it.
we have great, affordable options for small nonprofits!
Not all nonprofits can afford full-scope services, but all nonprofits deserve professional support. That’s why we’ve developed a great suite of services that are truly affordable for actual, small nonprofits