Table of Contents

• Hello, and welcome to June

• Rethinking Talent in Times of Chaos: Creative Ways …

  • Traditional Exec Coaching Alone Isn’t Always Enoug …

  • Audits That Lead to Action

  • Strategic Sprints: Fast, Focused Progress

  • Fractional Support: The Right Fit, Right Now

  • A New Way to Think About External Support

• What I’m Working On

• 1% Solutions

• What I’m Reading/Listening To

Hello, and welcome to June 

I hope your June is starting off well Apparently, according to astrology, this is supposed to be the luckiest month of the year. I have no idea if this is true but I need to hold on to something right now. I’m not going to lie, business development is slow. And I completely understand- funding is questionable, uncertainty is high. But my normal sales cycles are so. much. longer. Which is what led me to today’s newsletter— but more on that in a bit.

I’m a little late in getting my newsletter out because I was at the Center for Urban Future Policy Forum on Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable Brooklyn (in case you’re new here, I’m a very proud, born-and-raised Brooklynite). The event- based on the report of the same name- kicked off with different leaders pitching three minute ideas on how they believe we should invtes in a stronger Brooklyn. Some of the ideas included:

• Address the rising cost of housing in Brooklyn by giving homeowners- not developers- tax credits to expand their brownstones and row houses if they add additional units

• Leverage. Prospect Park as a space to not just relax and connect with people but also with social services like flu shots and health insurance.

• Expand the wraparound supports provided by CUNY ASAP to vulnerable students pursuing job training through nonprofits.

Each idea was so powerful because it was clearly and simply explained and laser focused on solving a specific problem. Right now- whether in the world or in your organization- it can be easy to be overwhelmed with all of the challenges. Instead of waiting for one perfect solution, this morning reminded me of the power of many focused solutions- related in vales- working in tandem. I can see this working in organizations facing headwinds in a few different ways: empowering team leads to own their piece of the mission, invest their teams in creating solutions, and potentially pilot ways to engage their teams. But more importantly, how can we leverage the creativity AND proximity to the issue that those in organizations have? The question gives me some hope!

Rethinking Talent in Times of Chaos: Creative Ways to Use Contingent Support

So, yeah, back to the uncertain landscape….it’s completely understandable why social impact organizations are reticent to commit to contracts. Time an dmoney both are constraints paralyzing leaders. Between budget cuts, hiring freezes, rising expectations, and shrinking teams, many social impact leaders are asking the same question: How do we keep moving forward without burning out our people or compromising the mission?

In moments like this, we often reach for familiar tools—executive coaching, strategic planning retreats, long consulting engagements. These can be useful, but they don’t always meet the moment. Especially when what’s needed isn’t visioning exactly, but a mix of strategic support and execution.

Like an engineer, we have to look at the current landscape and our old tools and reimagine how we work. That’s where contingent talent comes in—not six-figure, six-month projects, but short-term, high-impact support like fractional leadership, onboarding coaches, strategic sprints, and targeted audits. These nimble solutions can unlock momentum right when you need it most. I’ve laid out a few ways that this could look—not just for talent but any vertical. I think now is the time to take a step back to think creatively on how we diagnose issues and address creatively.

Traditional Exec Coaching Alone Isn’t Always Enough

Leadership coaching has become a staple in the nonprofit and social impact space, and with good reason. When done well, it gives leaders the space to reflect, grow, and strengthen their leadership muscles.

But what about when a new VP steps into a role and doesn’t just need mindset shifts—they need to understand the business, navigate organizational landmines, and build trust quickly? Or what about when your senior team is over capacity and your managers are quietly floundering under the weight of change?

In these cases, coaching alone often isn’t enough. What’s needed is a blend of thought partnership and operational support. A coach who can help your new leader make meaning of what they’re walking into, interpret the org chart (and the shadow org chart), and make confident decisions in the first 90 days. Or a thought partner who can help a mid-level leader think through how to lead through change without spinning their wheels.

This is where strategic onboarding coaches or embedded advisors can be game-changing. Think a few days to develop an onboarding plan, a three week contract to help you through the first 90 days, or a midlevel leader cohort that equips and empowers with the tools of leading an managing.Not to lead the work for them, but to help accelerate their readiness, give them a sounding board, and offer concrete scaffolds they can actually use.

Audits That Lead to Action

Sometimes, the most powerful support is a fresh, outside perspective.  A well-executed audit—on hiring, performance management, or org design—can offer clear insights and a roadmap for change. A short engagement can surface priorities and lay out concrete next steps when you need to move quickly and thoughtfully..

Examples include:

• Spotting equity gaps in hiring

• Identifying friction in performance systems

• Clarifying roles and decision making rights to reduce confusion

• Pinpointing organizational gaps while scaling

These can be completed in a few weeks and spark meaningful action without waiting for next year’s budget.

Strategic Sprints: Fast, Focused Progress

Between “we know something’s off” and “we’re ready to hire,” there’s a messy middle—and that’s where strategic sprints shine.

These short, structured engagements (anywhere from a one day session to a 4-week engagement) help teams align, make decisions, and move forward on a focused challenge. Whether redesigning a role, refreshing a training arc, or clarifying a performance rubric, sprints create traction without the weight of a traditional engagement.

They’re ideal when you need to move—but can’t afford to stall.They’r particularly helpful when you have internal capacity to execute but need some space to think about where and how to focus your energy. I think these are also helpful for neurodivergent leaders who need some space for verbal processing and body doubling.

Fractional Support: The Right Fit, Right Now

Not ready for a full-time hire? Fractional leaders can fill that gap—bringing senior-level strategy and execution on a flexible, scalable basis. This model has been more of a staple in the tech world- and I hope to see more of it in the social impact space beyond leave coverages (though these are great too!) 

This might look like:

• Supporting a RIF with thoughtful comms and equitable decision-making

• Designing compensation bands or role frameworks

• Co-leading hiring for exec roles or building internal capacity

• Coaching senior leaders while improving performance systems

The beauty of fractional work is how customizable it is—it meets you where you are and scales as needed. And when you hire a fractional executive, they can hit the ground running, blend strategic and operational support, and create infrastructure so that someone a bit more junior can come in later and thrive.

A New Way to Think About External Support

In moments of chaos, it’s easy to freeze or fall back on what’s familiar. But now more than ever (especially in the social impact space, we need to get creative about how we build capacity and move forward—without overloading our teams or waiting for the stars to align.

Contingent talent isn’t a temporary fix. It’s a smart, strategic lever. Used well, it can create clarity, build momentum, and move your people strategy from “someday” to in motion.To get the most from contingent talent, we need a mindset shift:

• From “consultant” to “collaborator” – Not a distant expert, but a partner in problem-solving

• From “project” to “possibility” – You don’t need to wait for a perfect moment to start

• From “either/or” to “both/and” – Strategy and execution, insight and implementation

If you’re facing a thorny challenge and wondering what kind of support could actually move the needle—feel free to hit reply. I know plenty of amazing fractionals and advisors across verticals- if I can’t support I’m happy to connect you to someone who can.

What I’m Working On

A few projects I’ve been working on:

• Designing a day of leadership training for a College Advising Corp

• Redesigning performance evaluations for a small agency

• Leading an all-hands training on clear and effective communication for a global nonprofit

• Supporting a director in hiring a key role with targeted, strategic coaching at a small nonprofit

• Leading an internal pilot training for managers at a mid-sized nonprofit

If you or someone you know is looking for strategic supports or facilitations, I have space opening in July.

1% Solutions

• Audit and design key policies- Whether it’s designing new policies or reviewing the ones on file, it’s important to evaluate them based on key criteria to ensure they embody your values and are clear. This EdFuel checklist can be very helpful here, particularly if you want to delegate initial review to someone with a less experience in policy design.

• Where are your policies and processes? You know that policy or process that you want everyone to follow? How easy is it for them to find it? How readable is it for someone who is not a subject matter expert? How user friendly is it? We spend time crafting policies and processes that can sometimes be buried in a google drive or Box folder- let’s simplify people’s lives, especially if our goal is to have them do something specifically.

What I’m Reading/Listening To

Pitfalls that Damage Organizational Trust- This HBR article highlight 10 mistakes that destroy organization trust. Look, if you are reading this newsletter I already know you are someone who cares deeply about trust. But that doesn’t mean we don’t do things that inadvertently undermine it. This could be a great self-check for yourself, or a read for a leadership retreat to see where cracks might be in your organization.

Managing Up, One Conversation at A Time- This Women at Work podcast showcases Melody Wilding, an executive coach who wrote “Managing Up: How Do You Get What You Want From the People In Charge.” So often when I coach and support mid-level leaders, it’s clear that many are frustrated or not getting the support they need because they do not know how to talk to their boss. This episode provides super helpful and concrete advice on how to communicate to your boss, whether you are trying to drive outcomes or get a promotion. And if you are a boss? Listen in because it gives helpful frameworks to share with your direct reports on how to communicate together.