Non-profit Consulting, Built from the Inside

I'm Stacy Segal, a non-profit consultant based in Seattle, WA.

I've worked across arts, education, housing, human services, and public spaces, as well as plenty of organizations that don't fit neatly into any category. I'm honest about what's realistic, I stay involved through implementation, and I establish processes that will continue to help your organization after our engagement ends.

My Background

I've spent more than two decades working in and alongside non-profits, mostly in the Pacific Northwest. I have significant expertise working with small to mid-size shops, including volunteer and community-led organizations.

As Executive Director of the Seattle Architecture Foundation, I led the organization through a major staffing transition, built infrastructure from the ground up and repositioned the organization to access federal and county arts funding for the first time. I also co-led a $2.5M campaign to create the Center for Architecture and Design — Seattle's first shared home for the design community. I also worked closely with professional volunteers to deliver a wide range of educational programs.

Before serving as an Executive Director, I directed a $5.25M capital campaign for the YMCA of Greater Seattle. In partnership with the board and executive leadership, I helped shape the fundraising strategy, engage community donors and partners, and successfully complete the campaign to open a long-awaited community facility.

I’ve also stepped in to cover development directors on leave, and supported boards and volunteers ranging from newly formed groups to long-established teams, including organizations navigating full board turnover. These experiences have shown me the gap between what organizations think they need and what actually works, as well as the difference between plans that look good on paper and those that hold up in practice.

Read more about past projects.

My Approach

Every organization is unique, so my approach is tailored to that reality. I work alongside your team to understand where you are today and where you want to go next, so we can build a clear path forward. Whether it's running day-to-day operations, providing a vision to a new board stepping into leadership for the first time, or moving a major campaign forward - I’m here to help implement a plan to make it happen.

I value empowering my clients to take ownership of your processes by helping you learn as we go so that the work can continue. I see this as part of helping you move forward.

Everything I build is designed to be used by your team after our engagement ends. The templates, timelines, tools, and plans are built for your independence, not my continued involvement. Some clients stay in my orbit long after a contract ends. Not because they're dependent on me, but because the relationship is solid and the work keeps evolving.

I started consulting to bring that range of experience directly to organizations that needed it. Most of the people I work with are doing real work with real constraints. They need someone who will look honestly at where they are, define what's realistic, and stand by them in their work until they achieve the result they want.