nonprofit strategist & advisor
When the path forward isn't clear, I can help you find it.
I work with nonprofit leaders and boards at turning points--when strategy feels stuck, governance is strained, a campaign needs grounding, or the organization is facing a decision that really matters. My role is to bring an experienced outside perspective, ask the harder questions, and help you act on what you discover.
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How I Help
Six areas of practice rooted in one objective--an organization that works.
Board & Governance
Strong boards make better decisions. I work with executive directors and board leadership to clarify roles, strengthen working relationships, improve meeting structures, and build governance practices that hold up under pressure.
Strategic Planning & Directions
A useful strategic process produces clarity in function and operations. I help organizations assess where they are honestly, weigh their real options, and make grounded decisions about where to go next.
Some conversations need a skilled outside moderator. I design and lead board meetings, leadership retreats, and planning sessions that require candor, structure, and forward movement--particularly when the stakes are high or the dynamics are complicated.
Meeting & Retreat Facilitation
Fundraising & Campaign Readiness
Successful fundraising starts before the ask. I help organizations build the foundation--campaign planning and feasibility testing, case development, board engagement and fundraising strategy--so when it is time to ask, you will be ready.
Leadership change, financial pressure, a merger conversation, a shift in mission focus--transitions are where organizations are most vulnerable and most in need of steady outside counsel. I help you move through these phases with more structrue and better decision making processes on hand.
Organizational Transitions
Mission Clarity & Strategic Consolidation
The most important question a nonprofit can ask isn't "how do we grow?"--it's "what would actually serve our community best?" Sometime the answer is deeper investment in your own model. Sometimes it's a partnership, a merger, or a sharper focus. I help organizations ask the harder questions and act honestly on what they find.
An Experienced Outside Perspective
Sarah Tanner is a nonprofit strategist and advisor with more than 30 years of experience working with leaders, boards, and organizations at critical moments. She is most often brought in when an organization needs someone who has seen a lot, won't tell them they want to hear, but will help them move forward.
Her work is grounded in a simple belief: organizations that are honest about their purpose, clear about their capacity, and disciplined about their choices do more good--and last longer. That sometimes means growth, and sometimes it means focus, partnership, or consolidation. Sarah doesn't come in with an agenda. She comes in with questions to uncover clarity.
Sarah holds an MPA from University of Colorado-Denver, and is a proud alum of UMass-Amherst. Her career has revolved around community leadership and philanthropy, both as a practitioner in the field and an educator in the classroom. For over 12 years, Sarah was adjunct faculty at Bay Path University teaching in the Nonprofit Management program. She has also held executive leadership positions within the United Way network nationally and with human service organizations across Western Massachusetts.
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Let's talk
If your organization is facing an important decision, leadership challenge, or period of transition, I'd be glad to have a conversation.
413-330-3548