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Nonprofit leaders aren’t failing — the system was never built to support them.

If you’ve landed here, chances are you’re carrying a lot. Let me be clear: you’re not failing. The system is.

Think about it:

➡Boards recruited for prestige, but rarely prepared for accountability.
➡ Fundraising measured only by dollars, not relationships.
➡ Strategic plans written for funders, left on shelves.
➡Leaders expected to ‘do it all’ — with no time, no roadmap, and no real support.

You don’t need another playbook. You need a pathway that’s real for you.

Forget typical consultants. Choose a real Renegade partner.

Most consultants hand you a playbook and walk away. You don’t have time for that.
I don’t believe in binders on shelves or one-size-fits-all fixes. Every nonprofit has its own mix of resources, constraints, and opportunities — and your path has to be built from what’s real for you.

Instead, I bring questions, curiosity, and commitment. I work alongside you to uncover what’s real for your organization — and then I stay with you through the hard conversations and into implementation.

Because real change isn’t about the plan. It’s about the momentum you create and the confidence to keep moving forward.

Let's Start Building What's Real

The Renegade approach isn’t about cookie-cutter services. It’s about building on five pillars that create clarity, confidence, and momentum.
(You may know these as strategic planning, coaching, board development, and fundraising — but we know them as much more.)

Using your time as a mission tool, not a source of overwhelm.

• Carving roadmaps that focus your time on what matters most.

• Turning endless priorities into a clear path forward.

• Creating accountability that fuels momentum.
  
  (What others call strategic planning.)

Transforming leadership from lonely to shared.

• Building leaders who guide with clarity and confidence.

• Coaching teams to step up, not wait to be told.

• Shifting the weight from one leader’s shoulders to many.
  
  (What others call leadership coaching.)

Clarity and accountability that unlock partnership.

• Turning disengaged boards into decisive partners.

• Resetting expectations so responsibility is shared.

• Strengthening alliances that move the mission forward.
  
  (What others call board development & training.)

 

 

Aligning resources with mission and margin for long-term thriving.

• Moving fundraising from burnout to sustainability.

• Designing strategies that fuel programs, not drain staff.

• Creating confidence that the mission can grow.
  
  (What others call fundraising strategy.)

Learning as a way of leading change, not reacting to it.

• Testing new approaches without fear of failure.

• Embedding a culture of reflection and adaptation.

• Turning challenges into opportunities for growth.
  
  (What others call capacity building or continuous improvement.)

 

 

Meet Tom — the Renegade behind Advancement Designs

For more than 30 years, I’ve worked alongside nonprofit leaders and organizations to cut through the noise, create clarity, and turn obstacles into opportunities. I’m not your typical consultant with binders and best practices. I’m a Renegade partner who coaches, questions, and walks with you into implementation — because real change happens in action, not in theory.

➡ Learn More About Tom

 

Pre-Order Now — “The Renegade Nonprofit”
(Coming 2025 — Be the first to get your copy.)

The philosophy that drives my work is also the heart of my new book, The Renegade Nonprofit. It doesn’t hand you another playbook. It tells the story of Maya — a leader like you — and the five pillars she discovers to build a thriving, people-first nonprofit.

Pre-order today and be among the first to get early access and exclusive Renegade resources.

 

 "His ability to help me focus on the most important tasks really helped to increase my efficiency"

"Tom was great to work with. To have someone with his knowledge and expertise in my corner to discuss and bounce things off was invaluable. I highly recommend Tom. His ability to help me identify and focus on the most important tasks really helped to increase my efficiency."

Mary Anne R.
Elevations