Is Outsourcing Work to a Consultant Right for You?

Are you skeptical of consultants? We get it. The term "consultant" feels stuffy or like corporate lingo. You spend every day helping people, protecting the environment, and building community. It's hard to imagine spending your limited resources on some plan that no one will ever use.

That's not what we do.

We’ve worked inside nonprofits, government, and social enterprises. We understand the pressure, the pace, and the responsibility leaders carry. Everything we do is grounded in transparency, authenticity, and practical action so you can do more good.

If you're looking for support for your organization, we recommend starting with a capacity assessment. It helps you reflect and gives us both clarity on opportunities to strengthen your leadership, programs, finances, personnel, fundraising, and operations. From there, we can co-create a realistic action plan that's focused on your most urgent needs.

Don't worry, our capacity assessment does not take hours upon hours to complete. We just need an hour and 2-3 key stakeholders to provide realistic feedback. From there, we can recommend a few priorities to tackle in a timeframe that works with your busy schedule.

Client WIN! How Family Promise of Brevard Won the Sapphire Award

Last week at the Florida Blue Community Health Symposium, Family Promise of Brevard was honored with the 2025 Sapphire Award from the Florida Blue Foundation and received a $100,000 investment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjwnOXNe1fw

Their recognition is a reminder of the power of combining impactful programming + strong leadership + clear success metrics + compelling storytelling.

The secret to a winning proposal?

We often get asked: “What makes a proposal stand out?” 

Measurable outcomes.

Innovation in programming.

A clear, human-centered story that connects the dots between the problem, your solution, and real lives impacted.

Family Promise of Brevard’s pitch did just that. They didn’t just present numbers—they illustrated how housing is healthcare, and how their model brings together housing stability, healthcare access, childcare, education, and financial literacy under one roof to break the cycle of poverty for families.

What this means for nonprofits seeking funding

If you’re applying for a major award or grant, here are a few lessons from this win:

✅ Your outcomes matter—but so does the way you frame them. Funders want to see results, but they also want to understand why your work matters and how it changes lives.

✅ Tell a cohesive story. Every piece of your application should reinforce your mission, vision, and impact. From your budget to your program description to your letters of support, it’s all part of the narrative.

✅ Connect your work to broader systems change. Family Promise’s framing of housing as healthcare helped reviewers see their work in the larger context of community health and social determinants of health.

✅ Strong leadership counts. Funders invest in leaders as much as they invest in programs. Highlighting your leadership’s expertise, track record, and vision adds credibility.

Congratulations again to Family Promise of Brevard on this statewide recognition. It’s an honor to be a small part of their journey, supporting the strategy, storytelling, and grant writing behind their work.

If your organization already has proven programs and outcomes but is ready to scale, sustain, and deepen your impact, let’s talk. At SDC Strategies, we specialize in helping mission-driven organizations refine their story, strengthen their strategy, and secure the next level of funding to expand their reach and influence!

Why I Started SDC Strategies

There are a lot of challenges impacting our communities - economic inequality, lack of affordable housing, systemic racism, limited access to quality healthcare, food insecurity, climate change... the list goes on. The organizations tackling these challenges are often underfunded, short-staffed, and are constantly putting out fires. Yet, they are innovative, passionate, and provide real solutions. They offer hope.

I spent thirteen years working in nonprofits. I experienced the ups and downs of nonprofit life. The high of helping a family move from their car into an apartment. The low of spending hours filling out grant reports. From the thrill of being awarded a large contract to launch a new program to the taxing task of preparing for an audit. It is tough to do it all.

In July 2022, I went through a major life transition by moving from Hawaii to Florida. As I prepared for the move, I thought about what was next for me professionally. As an experienced nonprofit executive and social worker with an entrepreneurial spirit, I knew I wanted to do more to help communities address some of their most complex issues while also making a living to support my family. How could I find a balance between meaningful work and spending more time with my family? Consulting?!

Over the years I have worked with a handful of consultants - some good and some bad. A good consultant can help drive an idea/program/plan forward. A good consultant can help grassroots organizations do more good in their communities. I decided to start SDC Strategies so that I can support the leaders and organizations who are tackling our most important community issues. I want to alleviate some of the stress nonprofit leaders face - by helping the helpers. By building capacity. By raising funds.