Consulting

I work with social change organizations that are committed to equity and justice and want to clarify their long-term strategy, put that strategy into practice through effective management, or both.

Any organization committed to promoting equity and justice must have: 1) a clear analysis about why equity matters to the organization’s mission and vision; 2) an equity mindset embodied and modeled by leadership; and 3) equity-based practices integrated across all of its work. This is especially true for strategy and management. Organizations must align their strategies and management practices with their values, and do so in ways that achieve impact.

Strategy Consulting

Strategy is having a clear picture of what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you believe it will result in. At the organizational level, this means four things: 

Mission: A simple, clear, and memorable reason for being

Vision: An aspirational future state that deeply motivates everyone in the organization to work toward a shared north star

Theory of Change: A logical framework that describes what must happen to achieve the mission in service of the vision

Long-Term Strategies: What the organization will actually do to carry out the Theory of Change

I partner with progressive organizations to develop strategies that work for them and advance racial equity.

What to Expect

  • Laying Groundwork

    • Identifying main strategic questions

    • Naming key stakeholders, including constituents and those most impacted by the work

    • Developing an engagement plan and process for work

  • Researching/Engaging Stakeholders

    • Identifying key themes through interviews/focus groups

    • Assessing landscape for opportunities and openings

    • Facilitating discussions to solicit input and test ideas

  • Drafting and Approval

    • Working with stakeholders to draft end products

    • Shepherding end products to final state

  • Operationalizing

    • Identifying capacities, structures, and systems to support new strategies

    • Translating long-term strategies into annual goals

Strategy engagements can last between 6-18 months, depending on an organization’s complexity, including size, age, nature of strategic questions, and scope of stakeholders

Management Consulting

Management makes strategy real in practice, and good management requires both “hard” and “soft” skills. I work with organizations to operationalize their strategies through best practices in both types of skills, including: 

  • Program development (translating long-term strategies into programmatic work)

  • Goal-setting (defining what success looks like at the organizational, team, and individual levels)

  • Organizational structure (individual and team roles and reporting lines)

  • Team building (norms, values, decision-making, practices)

  • People management (managing up and down, hiring, development, firing, delegating, and more)

What to Expect

  • Assessing & Scoping the Work

    A short (~4 weeks) in-depth assessment of the current state, including key findings and recommendations, and alignment on goals and a scope of work

  • Implementing Solutions

    Every solution is based on best practice, highly customized to meet an organization’s context, values aligned, and adjusted as needed to ensure success

Management engagements can range from 3 months to over one year, depending on an organization’s needs

“Rebecca was an incredible partner to me as we created the organization's first strategic plan. We began with one vision and then — based on feedback and learning — pivoted the entire engagement. Changing the plan in such a drastic way was not easy, and partnering with Becca made me feel like it was not only possible, but the right path to choose. We truly could not have done it without her. Becca’s ability to listen and reflect back key trends all while keeping an eye on the prize were valuable beyond words. I would not hesitate to recommend Becca for any strategy work at a social change organization.”

Abby Levine
Executive Director, Jewish Social Justice Roundtable

“Working with Becca enhances our process and deliverables, enriches my skills, and brings joy to this project in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Her deep expertise and consulting agility enable us to pivot with care and insight. Her partnership and energy reassure leaders at every level of the organization. Thank you, Becca!”

Wendy Rhodes
Officer of the Union for Reform Judaism