Sections:
1. Working Together 2. Strategy 3. Governance 4. Leadership Development 5. Change and Transition 6. Interim Leadership 7. Capacity+ 8. Fees, Logistics and Next Steps
Working Together
Who do you work with?
I work with charitable, nonprofit, and social impact organizations of all sizes, from emerging organizations to large national charities. My clients include boards of directors, CEOs, executive directors, executive teams, and leadership groups seeking strategic guidance or additional capacity. I work with organizations at every stage of the nonprofit lifecycle — start-up, growth, maturity, crisis, and turnaround.
Is there a minimum size or budget requirement to work together?
No. I work with small, medium, and larger organizations. The right fit is determined less by organizational size and more by the nature of the support required and whether we can create meaningful value together.
Can you work with organizations outside Ontario?
Yes. I have worked with organizations at the local, provincial, national, and international levels, and many consulting engagements can be delivered virtually or through a blended approach.
How does the consulting process begin?
Every engagement starts with a conversation. An initial consultation provides an opportunity to understand your organization’s goals, challenges, and priorities, and to determine the most appropriate path forward. From there, I confirm scope, timeline, and approach, first in a Quote for Services, and after feedback and adjustments, I create a clear Letter of Agreement before work begins.
How long does a typical engagement last?
Engagements vary depending on the project. Some organizations require a single workshop or short-term advisory support, while others engage for several months to up to a year, to guide strategic planning, governance renewal, special projects or interim leadership assignments.
When should a nonprofit hire an external consultant?
Bringing in an external consultant is often most valuable at moments of transition, growth, or complexity, when an organization needs additional capacity, specialized expertise, or a neutral, objective perspective that complements the knowledge of staff and board.
An outside consultant can move a stalled priority forward, facilitate a process that benefits from an impartial guide, and bring sector-wide insight and proven frameworks to the table.
Engaging a consultant also lets your team stay focused on day-to-day operations while a dedicated partner advances a key initiative. It tends to be the right choice when the work is important but time-limited, when internal capacity is stretched, or when independence and confidentiality strengthen the outcome.
What makes your approach different?
I bring more than 25 years of executive leadership experience with a collaborative, values-based approach grounded in strategy, governance excellence, and leadership development. As a seasoned consultant who also serves as a volunteer at Board tables and has been the paid professional in the senior executive seat, I can onboard quickly, assess situations from multiple perspectives, and deliver effective solutions seamlessly. I believe that strong organizations create lasting ripple effects for the people and communities they serve.
Strategy
How do I know if my organization needs strategy support?
If your organization is facing growth, changing community needs, leadership transitions, funding challenges, or simply hasn’t revisited its strategic direction in several years, it may be time to renew or refresh your strategy. A well-designed planning process helps align your board, staff, and stakeholders around a common vision.
Why is strategic planning important for nonprofits?
Strategy is what turns mission and aspiration into focused, achievable action. For nonprofits operating with finite resources and rising demand, a clear strategic plan or framework helps an organization concentrate its energy where it can have the greatest impact, align board and staff around shared priorities, and make confident decisions about where to invest and what to set aside. It creates a roadmap that guides day-to-day choices, strengthens the case for funding, and provides a meaningful way to measure progress.
Research consistently shows that organizations with a clear, well-facilitated strategy are better positioned for long-term effectiveness, and that an external, neutral facilitator helps surface honest input and keep the process moving.
What does a strategic planning process look like?
While every process is tailored to the unique circumstances of each client, strategic planning engagements typically move through phases: a strategic assessment that learns from the current plan and any environmental scan or research; engagement of board, staff, and stakeholders through retreats, focus groups, and interviews; the development of a draft strategic framework including vision, priorities, goals, and high-level success measures; and refinement leading to a final plan ready for board approval. I serve as a guide, collaborator, and facilitator alongside the CEO and steering committee throughout.
Governance
Do you work with Boards of Directors?
Yes. I regularly support boards through governance reviews, policy development, board education sessions, succession planning, committee effectiveness supports, and governance coaching for CEOs and Executive Directors. As a Board Director and Board Chair, I bring a relevant perspective on these issues to the table.
What does a governance review involve?
A governance review provides a structured, expert assessment of an organization’s current governance practices. It typically includes a review of the governance ‘stack’ (by-laws, board and committee terms of reference, policies, and recent board materials), confidential interviews with board directors to surface themes and insights, and an analysis against recognized sector standards such as the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) Governance Framework and the Imagine Canada Standards. The result is a set of clear, prioritized, and practical recommendations tailored to your organization’s size, context, and culture, often accompanied by governance learning sessions and draft governance materials.
Our interviews are sensitive. How do you handle confidentiality and neutrality?
Governance and review engagements are guided by clear principles. Individual interviews are confidential, with themes synthesized and reported without attribution. The consultant remains neutral and does not align with any faction or individual, and the process is forward-focused, designed to strengthen future functioning rather than adjudicate past grievances. This is not a forensic investigation, mediation, or legal review; should issues arise that require specialized support from a legal or HR expert, they are identified and referred appropriately.
Do you offer governance training or board education sessions?
Yes. I design and deliver interactive, customized governance learning sessions for boards and, where helpful, staff. Sessions cover fundamentals like board roles and responsibilities, the board–ED relationship, governance versus operations, committee structure, succession and renewal, and, in the case of member-based associations, accountability to members. Sessions are grounded in recognized standards and tailored to your context, with slide decks and resources provided for ongoing use.
Leadership Development
What types of leadership development do you offer?
Leadership development is tailored to the needs of the individual or organization. Programs can support emerging leaders, new executives, senior leadership teams, and experienced leaders navigating new challenges or responsibilities.
What is the benefit of leadership development support for nonprofit executives?
Nonprofit executives carry significant responsibility, often with limited support and few safe spaces to step back and reflect. Personalized leadership development focused on the specific situation and context gives executives a trusted, confidential thinking partner to strengthen vision, sharpen decision-making, and lead with greater clarity and confidence. Supporting leaders to navigate change and uncertainty, empower their teams, sustain their own wellbeing in demanding roles, and grow into new responsibilities are other benefits. For the organization, investing in leadership health is a retention and sustainability strategy — caring for leadership is caring for the mission.
Do you offer customized workshops or facilitation?
Yes. Workshops and facilitated sessions are designed around your organization’s unique context and objectives. This may include board retreats, strategic planning sessions, team-building workshops, or leadership development programs.
Change and Transition
Can you help during periods of organizational change?
Absolutely. Change and transition are often opportunities for renewal and growth. We help organizations navigate leadership changes, succession planning, restructuring, strategic initiatives, and other periods of uncertainty with clarity and confidence.
Do you support succession planning?
Yes. Succession planning is a core governance responsibility and Imagine Canada’s standards expect boards to have a plan for both expected and unexpected, short- and long-term CEO departures. I help boards and leaders develop succession policies and approaches, including proactive conversations about leadership sustainability, planned leaves or sabbaticals supported by interim leadership, and seamless transitions to incoming executives.
Interim Leadership
What is an interim leader?
An interim leader is an experienced executive who steps into a temporary leadership role during periods of transition, such as a CEO or Executive Director departure, organizational change, or a planned leave. The goal is to provide stability, continuity, and strategic leadership while preparing the organization for its next chapter.
What does an interim Executive Director do?
An interim Executive Director provides experienced, objective senior leadership during a transition, operating under a clear mandate set by the board. Far more than ‘keeping the lights on,’ effective interim leadership is strategic and intentional — a thoughtful bridge from the organization’s past to a future that is ready for its next permanent leader.
In practice, an interim ED stabilizes the organization and earns the trust of the team quickly, identifies risks and establishes a pragmatic action plan, maintains relationships with key external stakeholders, clears backlogs, and strengthens systems and governance. Done well, an interim leader leaves the organization stronger, more strategic, and more sustainable than they found it, and supports a seamless handover to the incoming Executive Director.
When should a board consider interim leadership?
Interim leadership is valuable whenever there is a gap or transition in executive leadership: a planned or unexpected departure, the search for a permanent successor, a leave of absence, or a period of significant change or instability. Increasingly, boards are also using interim leadership proactively: to support a sabbatical or planned break that allows a valued, stretched leader to return refreshed rather than leave entirely. Seen this way, interim leadership is a deliberate strategy to support leadership health and organizational capacity, not simply a response to crisis.
Is hiring an interim leader cost-effective?
In most cases, yes. Boards sometimes assume an interim leader is an added expense, but the more relevant comparison is the cost of losing a leader entirely — recruitment, lost momentum, onboarding time, and the risk of repeating the cycle if a new hire departs early.
An experienced interim executive stabilizes the organization, advances priorities, and prepares the ground for the next permanent leader, often delivering value that far exceeds the cost. With many nonprofits facing rising costs, interim and fractional support can be a cost-effective alternative to adding permanent staff.
What experience do you bring to interim assignments?
I am a former nonprofit CEO who has served on every side of the leadership transition equation: as a permanent CEO, as a trained interim executive supporting boards through transition, and as a board volunteer responsible for succession planning.
Recent interim assignments include Interim Executive Director and interim senior leadership support for Amref Health Africa in Canada, and interim governance and operations leadership for a newly created Indigenous health care nonprofit. I am a graduate of the Interim Executive Academy (Third Sector Company) and an active member of its alumni network.
Capacity+
What is Capacity+?
Capacity+ is a service that provides social impact organizations and their leaders with executive-level expertise to expand strategic capacity and deliver results when capacity is stretched. Every leader knows the moment: too many priorities, too few hands, and no time to onboard help. Capacity+ provides experienced, senior-level support that steps in quickly, understands the context, and moves high-priority work forward, seamlessly clearing to-do lists without adding to already full plates.
How is Capacity+ different from a typical consulting project?
Capacity+ is designed for organizations experiencing stretched capacity, including resource constraints, staff gaps, or workload surges, that need to keep priorities moving without launching a large, formal engagement. Rather than a fixed multi-phase project, it provides flexible, calm, and immediately productive senior support to fill critical gaps, advance stalled work, and deliver timely results. It is the kind of support experienced nonprofit leaders often wish they’d had when they were in the executive seat.
Fees, Logistics and Next Steps
How are your fees structured?
Fees are scoped to each project based on the nature and scale of the work and confirmed in a Letter of Agreement before the engagement begins. Depending on the project, fees may be quoted as a fixed project fee, a daily rate, or an hourly basis, and payment is typically spread across project phases or milestones. Returning clients may be eligible for a preferred-client adjustment. I am always open to discussing scope and approach to find the right fit for your organization’s budget and priorities.
Do you work with member-based associations?
Yes. I support member-based and membership associations and bring a membership governance lens to that work, including board accountability to members, member value and engagement, consultation practices, representative governance, and the considerations of balancing diverse member interests within strategic and governance decisions.
Do you collaborate with other consultants?
Yes. For larger or multidisciplinary projects, I collaborate with trusted associates and colleagues, drawing on complementary areas of expertise to deliver value seamlessly. Collaborators are introduced as part of scoping the right team for your project.
How do I get started?
The best place to begin is a conversation. Reach out to schedule an initial consultation, and we’ll discuss your organization’s goals, challenges, and priorities, and explore whether and how I can help.