Education is the lever that enables all people to achieve economic independence, fully participate in democracy, and pursue happiness as they define it.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is about deciding what an organization will and will not do to maximize impact, and then communicating those decisions in a clear, compelling external pitchbook and an internal playbook to ensure they are effectively implemented. I work with clients to clarify the decisions they want to make, identify what internal and external data will inform those decisions, determine which voices need to be heard and in what role, facilitate those dialogues, and capture the story of those decisions in a strategy. Finally, I work closely with organizations to develop implementation plans to ensure their strategy becomes a reality.

Strategic planning can include making decisions about how to:

• Grow or protect Scale (who they serve and how many), Success (the impact they are having), and/or Sustainability (both financial and organizational).
• Utilize any combination of Direct Impact, Widespread Impact, and Systemic Impact.
• Strengthen an organization’s ability to compete in existing or new markets, including how to position itself relative to peers and competitors, understand its true costs, and use that to set pricing.

“Working with Alex on strategic planning transformed the way the CARA team approaches our work. Alex has a deep understanding of what it means to create impact both on the ground and at the level of systems. He is skilled at guiding organizations and leaders through planning. He took the time to listen and learn about what CARA does and what we care about and provided ways to break complex choices down to a level we could act on. We were also fortunate to participate in a six-month community of practice on Systemic Impact where Alex expertly led a cohort of leaders to figure out what changes we wanted to make to systems, and then how do go about doing it. We often find ourselves quoting Alex when both reflecting on our work internally and talking about it with external audiences.”

“Alex has been a long-time partner to Saga and our team. His Direct, Widespread, and Systemic Impact framework has shaped our growth and how we articulate our value proposition to schools, districts, states, and funders. It has become the common language in our field. Alex is an exceptional thinker and communicator who is smart, wise, and kind.”

Measurement

All social initiatives are results-driven, but that is not the same as being measurement-driven. Organizations create the most impact when they have clarity on their financial performance, operational performance, and beneficiary performance, and can combine all three to make decisions.

I partner with clients to execute on each element of a measurement-driven cycle:

1. What: Defining the data they need, delivered in accessible, actionable dashboards.
2. So What: Developing insights from that data.
3. Now What: Generating options from those insights and then making decisions.
4. What Happens: Ensuring decisions are executed with implementation plans and clear expectations.

Based on a client’s specific needs, I can analyze their existing data, collect new data, and conduct external benchmarking (including analysis of public data systems). I bring a wealth of experience with which measures are the “usual suspects” for schools, workforce organizations, nonprofit intermediaries, nonprofits involved in tutoring or postsecondary advising, advocacy organizations, and philanthropies.

I also work with clients to measure and deploy a mix of six aspects of Return on Investment.

“InsideTrack has worked with Alex on several projects. Alex brought deep expertise to guide us in getting more value out of measurement, including significant content expertise on the measurement specifics of postsecondary pathway work – financially, operationally, and regarding learner outcomes. He has a real passion for helping organizations use measurement and an equal passion for ensuring that individuals and their coaches have access to the information they need to make decisions. We have also adopted his Direct, Widespread, and Systemic Impact framework and use it to organize our strategy and ensure we focus on all areas of impact. Alex always makes time to help me and my team – he cares about our success. Plus he makes working together fun!”

Partnerships

Many social initiatives are facing an increasingly competitive landscape as they work to sustain their existing impact and explore growth. Sometimes the answer is to work with others. I work with clients to explore a range of strategic partnerships, up to and including mergers, helping them identify:

• Their Strategic Whats (the value they are seeking to create).
• Potential organizations that might create that value as a partner.
• The range of Operational Hows (partnership structures) that can be considered to achieve that value.

I can lead or support due diligence, negotiations, and the development of implementation/integration plans that are critical to successfully executing partnerships.

“Alex started working with uAspire at a critical time in our history. He helped our leadership and board sharpen our strategic focus and prioritize our highest-impact work as we emerged from two tough budget years. Throughout the process, Alex guided our team in defining core elements for a more stable future, including exploring different partnership options. As part of that, he worked with us on pricing and how to position ourselves in negotiations with potential partners. Alex worked seamlessly across our board and leadership team to facilitate communication and alignment which led to deeper trust, optimism for the future, and joy for the work even during challenging times. Alex continues to be a true friend to uAspire, constantly keeping our organization top-of-mind and bringing us new opportunities and networking connections.”

Philanthropy

Philanthropy can be catalytic in driving change, but it is challenging to decide what that change is and who has what role in that decision. I have worked with individual donors and foundations across K-12, postsecondary, and workforce development to:

• Make decisions about their strategies, including what/who they fund and what direct actions they take.
• Develop the measurement mindsets, skills, and tools to execute those strategies.
• Determine how grantees will be evaluated and who has what role in those decisions.
• Design the organization required to effectively and efficiently execute on a strategy.

Philanthropy is also an act of power. I have worked extensively with philanthropies to reflect on the role power plays in their strategy and the relationships they want to have with the communities they serve. As part of this work, I have explored what it takes for philanthropy to earn a community’s trust, where they need to support a community in exercising its innate power, and what that means for where philanthropy needs to cede power. For more of my work in this area, please see Systems Change and Parent Power as well as The “Three Ds” of Education Philanthropy.

“Alex is one of those rare strategic partners who can see both the big picture and what it will actually take to get there. I’ve worked with him over many years and I’ve consistently valued his ability to sharpen thinking, challenge assumptions, and turn ideas into action. His deep understanding of both nonprofits and philanthropy – combined with his perspective on technology and growth – makes him an unusually versatile and trusted thought partner.”

Research and Writing

Sometimes the only thing separating truth from fiction is the power of the stories we tell. I partner with leaders and organizations to:

• Design, execute, and publish deep research projects (for example, on Systemic Impact or Postsecondary Pathways).
• Write impact reports and case studies (for example, on teacher apprenticeship degrees).
• Provide ghostwriting support to leaders with great stories to tell.

“Alex is one of the sharpest thinkers I have worked with. He led a research initiative for Reach University on the emerging field of teacher apprenticeship degrees. He immersed himself in our work. He conducted extensive research and interviews. He profiled five organizations in the teacher apprenticeship degree space. He also built a framework for what makes an apprenticeship degree marketplace healthy, what each stakeholder needs, and why market forces make apprenticeship degrees a compelling path into teaching. It was a no-brainer to then hire Alex to help with Reach University’s strategic plan and model for system change, which earned praise from funders and accreditors.”

Thought Partnership

Leading a social initiative can be lonely. Sometimes leaders need a neutral, confidential sounding board outside their own staff, board, and peers.

I work with leaders to be a thought partner on:

• A strategic decision.
• How to position their work to a critical stakeholder.
• An operational tension.
• An organizational change.
• Their thoughts on their leadership and career.

I am not a certified coach, but I know how to listen, ask questions, and serve as a critical friend and test audience for leaders through extended working sessions, regularly scheduled discussions, or an ongoing retainer.

“Alex brings a deeply community-grounded perspective to big-picture strategic thinking. That’s what makes me trust him with our values and our work, because I know he holds close the things that are vital to Family Engagement Lab. That values-based perspective is truly distinctive in how he partners with organizations. As a leader, I can open up to Alex because he is an honest and empathetic thought partner, and I know he is committed to helping us make strong strategic decisions and create a clear narrative.”