The Geography of Connection Consulting
Mission-driven organizations often outgrow the systems that once served them well.
Policies become outdated. Reporting processes evolve through workarounds. Responsibilities become unclear. Staff spend increasing amounts of time navigating administrative complexity rather than advancing the mission.
I help mission-driven organizations assess, build, and sustain their operational systems.
Drawing on more than twenty years of experience leading finance, grants, and research administration operations, I provide independent reviews of operational and administrative systems, including procurement, travel and expense management, grants administration, financial reporting, internal controls, and organizational documentation.
My work begins with understanding how an organization actually operates. Through document review, workflow analysis, and conversations with staff, I identify areas where processes create unnecessary burden, increase risk, or consume valuable time and resources.
The result is practical, actionable feedback that helps organizations improve clarity, strengthen accountability, and build systems that support sustainable growth.
As part of The Geography of Connection project, I will spend 2027 traveling across Africa while continuing to support a limited number of consulting clients remotely. Select opportunities for on-site operational reviews and staff development may also be available.
Operational Systems Assessment
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Operational Infrastructure
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Staff Development & Mentorship
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Operational Systems Assessment ✳︎ Operational Infrastructure ✳︎ Staff Development & Mentorship ✳︎
I review policies, procedures, workflows, reporting structures, and administrative systems to identify operational friction, compliance risks, and areas where staff time and resources are being unnecessarily spent.
Areas of review may include:
Procurement and purchasing
Travel and expense management
Grants administration
Financial reporting
Internal controls
Policy and procedure documentation
Onboarding and administrative workflows
Deliverables typically include a findings memo, recorded briefing, and prioritized recommendations.
Following an assessment—or as a standalone engagement—I help organizations develop the systems and documentation needed to support consistent operations.
Examples include:
Policies and procedures
Standard operating procedures
Training guides
Reporting calendars
Internal control documentation
Grants administration frameworks
Roles and responsibilities documentation
The goal is to create systems and documentation that staff can realistically maintain.
I provide targeted training and mentorship for operations, finance, grants, and administrative staff responsible for implementing and maintaining organizational systems.
Examples include:
New manager mentoring
Finance and grants administration training
Community of practice facilitation
Cross-functional operations training
Field office staff development
Training can be delivered remotely or on-site.
By the Numbers
300%
Increase in Grant Output via a newly designed centralized shared services model.
3 Years
Audit Backlog Remediated to bring overdue institutional compliance current.
$1M → $100K
Reduction in Unit Carry-Over Balances by overhauling legacy systems.