WORK WITH US

Every partnership is different.

How we work isn’t.

There’s no pre-packaged process here. The questions, people, and challenges are always unique. What stays consistent is our commitment to helping you notice change, make meaning together, and respond with intention.

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WHO WE WORK WITH

Foundations, nonprofits, networks, & collaboratives

WHAT WE BUILD

Your capacity to learn, adapt, & navigate complexity.

HOW WE WORK

Long-term partnerships, not one-time reports

PARTNERSHIP

What working together looks like

We work with a small number of organizations at a time - by design. Deep context, trusted relationships, and sustained engagement are what make this work possible.

  • Most engagements unfold over time, allowing us to understand context deeply and support learning as it happens, not after the fact.

  • We don’t arrive with a predetermined framework. We begin by understanding your system, your relationships, and your questions.

  • Genuine learning requires psychological safety. We invest in relationships before we ask hard questions.

  • The goal is always to leave you more capable of learning and adapting on your own, not to make you reliant on an outside evaluator.

OUR PRACTICE

Five stages.

One continuous loop.

These aren’t discrete phases you move through once. They’re capacities you strengthen over time and revisit as conditions change.

  • 01 - Orient

    Begin with purpose, context, and questions

    Before collecting any data, we explore your history, relationships, goals, and underlying assumptions. We surface the questions that actually matter, not just the ones that are easy to answer. This ensures evaluation serves your learning rather than forcing your work into someone else’s framework.

  • 02 - Attend

    Notice what others miss

    We gather evidence, listen across perspectives, and create space for experiences and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed. We’re not only looking for outcomes; we’re looking for patterns, tensions, relationships, and signals that reveal how change is actually unfolding.

    Builds: Capacity to Notice

  • 03 - Make Sense

    Make meaning together

    Information alone rarely leads to better decisions. We facilitate sensemaking with the people closest to the work, not for them. Together, we reflect on what we’re learning, explore different interpretations, and develop shared understanding through dialogue.

    Builds: Capacity to Make Meaning

  • 04 - Adapt

    Use learning in real time

    As insights emerge, we help teams explore implications, test assumptions, and refine strategies without waiting for a final report. Learning becomes part of how the work evolves, not a retrospective exercise after the moment has passed.

    Builds: Capacity to Respond

  • 05 - Embed

    Make learning last

    The ultimate goal isn’t dependence on an external evaluator. We build the habits, structures, and relationships that allow learning to continue long after our engagement ends. The strongest learning cultures don’t need someone from outside to tell them what they know.

    Builds: Sustained Learning Culture

WAYS WE CAN HELP

The methods vary. The purpose doesn’t.

Depending on your context and needs, partnership might include any combination of these approaches.

These aren’t separate services as much as different ways of supporting the same goal: helping your organization become better at noticing, making meaning, and responding.

  • Evaluation design and facilitation

  • Strategic learning partnerships

  • Sensemaking and reflection facilitation

  • Theory of change development

  • Learning system design

  • Capacity building and coaching

  • Case studies and contribution analysis

THIS WORKS BEST WHEN…

You might be a good fit if:

  • You’re navigating complexity and need to learn as you go, not follow a fixed plan

  • You’re working toward systems change, culture change, or network building

  • You want evaluation to support real-time decisions, not just end-of-project reporting

  • You believe the people closest to the work should shape how evidence is interpreted

  • You want a long-term thought partner, not a one-time deliverable

WE MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT IF…

We’re probably not for you if:

  • You need a highly standardized or compliance-focused evaluation process

  • You’re looking for a rapid turnaround assessment with predetermined outputs

  • You prefer a consultant who works entirely at a distance from your team and decisions

  • The primary goal is reporting to funders rather than strengthening internal learning

Not sure if we’re a match? Let’s talk. Even if we’re not the right fit, I’m happy to help you think through what you actually need.

Let’s explore what’s possible.

Start a conversation

Whether you’re launching something new, strengthening a learning culture, or simply wrestling with questions that don’t have easy answers, I’d love to connect!

Current & Past Partners