Helping Organizations go from Overwhelmed to Unstoppable.
With 25+ years’ experience, I guide you on the footpath. Together we turn vision into impact.
Unsure of what you need? See my Trail Guide Framework below to digest the landscape in bite-sized pieces.
No one goes to school to run a nonprofit! You learn only by doing. Still, leading a mission-driven enterprise is typically lonely, isolating, frustrating, and overwhelming.
I help mission-driven organizations get unstuck—financially, operationally, or strategically.
Gains made in Weeks not in Quarters
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An avid hiker, I often think in terms of the outdoors — for perspective in tackling vast complex problems.
My Trail Guide Framework below can help orient you and your organization. Four distinct stages in which organizations might find themselves.
1. Mapping the Route
Clarify direction (and how to fund it)
Sample menu of possible concrete services:
Strategic planning and roadmap development
Mission, Vision, Values
Development for Sustainable Financing
Fundraising strategy
Donor cultivation
Organizational pivots in new directions
Clear messages. Defining terms.
Whether you’re navigating a new direction, facing tough questions about sustainability, or simply feeling stuck—I help you reconnect to your mission and chart a realistic, compelling path forward.
You don’t need to know the exact destination to start moving. But let’s at least find your compass!
2. Making Camp.
Stabilize, regroup, & build internally.
Sample menu of possible concrete services:
Guiding CEO and others in leadership
Developing the Board of Directors and Evaluating Governance Structures
Restructuring
Clarifying roles, priorities, focus
Crisis management
Acting as Interim CEO if needed
Sometimes the smartest move is to pause! Reset expectations. Redistribute the weight you’re carrying. Are you doing too many much? I step in when organizations need to catch their breath and regain stability—without losing momentum.
Making camp is the leadership equivalent of putting your backpacks down and asking, “What’s really going on here?”
3. Building a Campfire. Complete one critical initiative—well.
Sample menu of possible concrete services:
Facilitating a key meeting
Writing a grant proposal
Designing and executing a big event such as a conference or fundraiser
Assessing Monitoring, Evaluation, and Metrics of your programs
Report writing
Briefing materials
Progress often comes from just visible performing. I help design and execute high-stakes initiatives where clarity, pacing, and trust are essential.
Whether it’s lighting a fire or keeping one burning, I help you make that next bold move count.
4. Traveling Together.
Gather allies. Build bridges. Grow!
Sample menu of possible concrete services:
Stakeholder mapping
Listening better to stakeholders
Building coalitions
Advocacy / public policy
Respecting and bringing communities more into the center of your work
Finding new partners
I help organizations listen better, convene more effectively, and grow coalitions that go beyond tokenism—toward shared power and aligned purpose. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together!
The trail is easier, better, safer, more fun, and more effective when walked with others. I help you listen, learn, engage, and collaborate.
Wherever you are on your journey, I help you find your footing
Meet Greg Smiley, MPH
CEO | Coalition Builder | Nonprofit Business Strategist
I started in U.S. national health policy leadership, then consolidated that leadership with nearly a decade in global health. Later I brought that experience back home to the U.S. as a health entrepreneur in nonprofits.
I've spent decades at the intersection of health, policy, and cross-sector collaboration. I understand and appreciate different points of view.
I marry strategic rigor with deep empathy. Lasting change has a chance when people are listened to and their contributions incorporated. Lived expertise is as valuable as career expertise.
Ready to Transform Your Organization's Impact?
Whether you’re just starting your journey or need help navigating the terrain, I'm here to guide you

