I help nonprofit CEOs make decisions that they can't talk about with anyone else.
The board is busy. The team has their own horses in the race. Other CEOs are frying their own fish. Friends don't have the context. No one has outside perspective, and will tell you what they actually think.
That's what I bring: pattern recognition across 230 nonprofit CEO conversations, honest judgment with no agenda, and peer intelligence that doesn't exist anywhere else in the sector.
I've worked with nonprofit CEOs navigating the decisions that define years…and careers: the rebrands, restructures, leadership crises, board dynamics, executive team design, and revenue strategy. I know the patterns because I've walked through them with other CEOs.
My client organizations are typically $10M to $150M, including:
World Relief ($130M)
Advised the CEO and Board on organizational design for Development, Marketing, Communications, Advocacy, and Church Relations functions, leading to a new C-suite role to lead 50% revenue growth.
"I trust Adam as a measured, insightful advisor to CEOs navigating complexity and change."
Fellowship of Christian Athletes ($230M)
Designed an alignment system for 3,000 employees globally.
“Adam is such a strategic thinker. He saw the opportunity and put words to it.”
Christianity Today ($18M)
Advised the CEO and team on positioning strategy for their $32M campaign public launch.
"Adam was pleasant, passionate, and efficient, and I would highly recommend him."
Chalmers Center ($4M)
Advised the CEO on redefining organizational strategy and building the case for a new direction.
“Adam was curious and engaging. He was able to quickly get up to speed and bring insights. Adam helped to sharpen our thinking. He's great to work with.”
InterVarsityUrbana ($125M)
Advised the Executive Director on stakeholder engagement strategy with CCCU presidents.
“Adam's talent for spotting opportunities and devising effective strategies makes him exceptional.”
TEAM ($27M)
Advised the CEO on organizational redesign and defining the organization's core story for stakeholders.
"What I appreciated most was how fast Adam got up to speed, how directly he delivered value, and how he understood and cared about our mission. Adam is smart, trustworthy, and effective."
Other organizations I've advised include:
American Bible Society
Center for Christianity and Public Life
Lausanne Movement
MAP International
Mission Aviation Fellowship
Operation Mobilization
Partners Worldwide
World Concern
World Hope
Young Life
What other nonprofit CEOs have said:
“Adam exceeded my expectations for our engagement.”
"Speaking with you gives me a lot of peace and excitement about the future.”
"I would gladly call on Adam again for guidance on high-stakes decisions."
"Wow, thank God Adam is helping me."
"Adam’s partnership has been priceless.”
What I provide
I build long-term relationships with the CEOs shaping the nonprofit sector.
Executive Advisory: For decisions where the cost of getting it wrong is measured in years.
When a nonprofit CEO is facing a decision that will define their year or their tenure, they hire me to help them see what they're missing. I've been inside 230+ other situations. I know what questions to ask.
I diagnose the need, then size the engagement to the decision, from a few weeks to several months. This is not coaching, not consulting, and not implementation. It's independent judgment from someone with outside perspective and range that no one else has.
The Nonprofit CEO Circle: A curated, cross-sector peer intelligence network for nonprofit CEOs, the only offering of its kind in the sector. Most nonprofit CEOs carry their hardest decisions alone. The Circle changes that. I curate the invitations, facilitate the conversations, and surface patterns from working with 230+ CEOs. The result is collective intelligence you can't get anywhere else.
The Nonprofit CEO Briefing: Weekly pattern recognition and peer intelligence from 230+ CEO conversations, delivered to your inbox. The simplest way to stay close to what nonprofit CEOs are navigating across the sector.
The Nonprofit CEO Podcast: Conversations with nonprofit CEOs leading some of the most consequential organizations in the sector about the decisions they carry. Guests include leaders from the National Council on Aging, ECFA, Hope International, Murdock Trust, Bread for the World, Wheaton College, The Gathering, and the Center for Effective Philanthropy. Each episode surfaces patterns that help other leaders see their own situations more clearly.
How I work
I work with CEOs who are ready to decide and move forward.
I take on a small number of CEOs at a time—typically 3-5 active engagements. This ensures I can give each situation the attention it deserves.
My expertise centers on CEO-level judgment, org design, executive team leadership, board dynamics, fundraising strategy, and communication. I'm the person CEOs call when the decision could define their year or even their tenure.
The bigger picture
I've spent 25 years in the nonprofit sector, including as a board member and donor myself.
Your mission is too important for the person leading it to make critical decisions alone.
When nonprofit CEOs make better decisions, their organizations produce better results for the people and causes that need change. That's the long game. One decision, one CEO, one conversation at a time.
When CEOs make better decisions, organizational performance improves. And when hundreds of CEOs make better decisions, we see dramatically better outcomes.
If you're facing a decision that could define your tenure, tell me about it.
Here's what happens next: Share your situation in the form below. I'll review it and reply within 48 hours with one of the following:
1. An invitation to schedule a diagnostic conversation
2. A referral to someone better suited
3. Pass if it's not the right fit
I take on a small number of new engagements each year. You can keep carrying it alone, or you can talk to someone who gets it.