Our Process and Pricing
Get a clear understanding of how we work and the investment you can expect to make.
Fulcrum Planning Packages
We offer three types of planning engagements: Strategic Planning, Operations Planning, and Communications & Positioning. Each can be purchased individually or bundled together for comprehensive support.
How pricing works:
- Fixed-price engagements based on scope and complexity
- No hourly billing
- No invoice surprises
- Quote provided upfront before work begins
Below are the three planning types, typical investment ranges, and what impacts final pricing.
Strategy
For nonprofit leaders who need strategic clarity on priorities, leverage points, and where mission-aligned growth opportunities exist.
Strategic Planning Facilitation | $3,500
- Facilitated planning sessions to clarify priorities and identify leverage points
- 1-year plan with quarterly objectives and key tradeoffs
- Strategic framework document (3-5 pages)
- Timeline: 2-3 weeks
- Best for: Leaders who need strategic clarity but have internal capacity to execute
Comprehensive Strategic & Operational Planning | $5,000-7,500
- Everything in Strategic Planning Facilitation, plus:
- Ecosystem analysis — programs, partnerships, funding streams, and adjacent impact opportunities
- Revenue diversification assessment (identifying mission-aligned earned income opportunities)
- Operational planning and resource allocation recommendations
- Initiative prioritization framework
- Strategic partnership and leverage identification
- Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Best for: Leaders who need both strategic direction and an operational roadmap to execute it
These are one-time planning engagements. For ongoing execution support, see Fractional Partnership options below.
Operations
For nonprofit leaders whose operational systems haven't kept pace with their growth — and need to be redesigned to support execution at scale.
Operational Assessment | $3,500
- Current operations audit (workflows, tech stack, team structure)
- Process gap analysis and friction point identification
- Technology waste assessment (typical findings: 30-40% redundant spend)
- Prioritized optimization roadmap
- Timeline: 2-3 weeks
- Best for: Leaders who need clarity on operational inefficiencies before committing to a full redesign
Operational Systems Design & Installation | $5,000-7,500
- Everything in Operational Assessment, plus:
- Process documentation for 5-7 critical workflows
- Technology stack optimization and integration plan
- Team structure redesign with clear ownership and accountability frameworks
- Capacity planning — identifying where to use staff, contractors, or outsourced support to extend impact without adding overhead
- Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Best for: Leaders ready to build operational infrastructure but who need design expertise, not ongoing execution support
These are one-time design engagements. For ongoing operational execution support, see Fractional Partnership options below.
Communications
For nonprofit leaders who need to sharpen how they communicate their mission, reach funders and partners, and position their organization for growth — without building a marketing department.
Communications & Positioning Strategy | $3,500
- Organizational positioning analysis and differentiation framework
- Core messaging aligned to funders, partners, and community stakeholders
- Communications tech stack audit and optimization recommendations
- Website copy strategy (we provide framework, not copywriting)
- Timeline: 2-3 weeks
- Best for: Leaders who need strategic direction for communications but will execute internally or through agencies
Comprehensive Communications Systems Design | $7,500
- Everything in Communications & Positioning Strategy, plus:
- Ecosystem analysis identifying adjacent partnership and funding opportunities
- Stakeholder mapping — funders, board, community, and cross-border partners
- Communications process documentation (content workflows, funder outreach, partner engagement)
- Channel strategy and partnership identification
- 12-month communications roadmap with prioritized initiatives
- Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Best for: Leaders building communications infrastructure from scratch or redesigning what isn't working
We design communications systems and strategy — we don't execute campaigns, write content, or manage channels. For execution support, see Fractional Partnership options below.
Combined Planning Packages
Most organizations need more than one type of planning. We offer pre-set bundles with built-in discounts, or we can customize a package specific to your needs.
Foundation Package | $9,500
Strategic + Operations Planning (save $1,000)
Growth Package | $9,500
Strategic + Communications Planning (save $1,500)
Complete Foundation | $16,500
Strategic + Operations + Communications (save $2,500)
Note: Bundle pricing is based on Tier 1 services. Comprehensive tier upgrades available.
Ongoing Execution Engagement
Monthly retainers for nonprofit leaders ready to execute without adding to their headcount
Starting at $3,000/month | Minimum 6-month engagement
We don't just hand you a plan and disappear. Our execution partnerships provide ongoing strategic and operational support to ensure your plan actually gets implemented — through the grant cycles, board transitions, and organizational pressures that don't pause for implementation.
Our full operations team can execute plans, install technology systems, build custom automations, support revenue diversification initiatives, and manage whatever execution capacity your organization needs to maintain momentum.
Available for:
- Strategic Execution - We function as your fractional strategic leader
- Communications Execution - Content creation and ongoing communications management
- Operations Execution - Continuous systems optimization and support
What's included:
- Strategic leadership and decision support
- Operational execution support (40+ hours/month available)
- Regular accountability check-ins and quarterly planning sessions
- Continuous system refinement
- Real-time troubleshooting as changes are implemented and resistance shows up
Pricing scales based on your organization's requirements and the scope of support needed.