Nancy Meyers Preston, Ltd.
Strategic Advancement Solutions for Nonprofits: Helping Organizations Work Toward Purposeful Change

I can help you:

  • Assess your strengths & weaknesses
  • Raise more money
  • Build a stronger board
  • Plan for the future
  • Implement best practices

What some of my clients say about me...


Nancy has been a great resource, teacher and coach for our organization. We have engaged her multiple times in the past three years. First, she designed and led a series of interactive training sessions for our Board and Executive Director with content and facilitated exercises specifically designed to meet our agreed upon board development training goals.  She then facilitated a highly successful Mission, Vision and Values development process which engaged our board and key stakeholders. Our third engagement focused on major gift training for our board and it was well received. We are seeing actual results from our work with Nancy.  Her guidance and expertise helped our leadership team understand our current position, see our potential, and gain the tools to transform our commitment, skills and actions into results.

Deb Balliet, Executive Director


I’ve had the pleasure of working with Nancy as both a board member of a nonprofit organization and as the executive director of a library. For Albany Public Library she took over a strategic planning process that had gotten lost in the weeds, and successfully pulled us out of it. She has a keen sense of the big picture, but kept us all focused on the work in front of us. She was responsive, engaged, and worked well with everyone. I appreciate her candor and honesty, as well her professionalism and experience.

Scott C. Jarzombek, MLS
Executive Director


Capital Roots worked with Nancy on an eight-month comprehensive strategic planning process.  Nancy was committed, open to new ideas and incredibly organized.  We had a very tight timeline and she keep the Committee on schedule and on task.  The process included surveys, focus groups and interviews.  The end result was a five year plan that is inclusive, creative and something we can all be proud of.  We were all so impressed by Nancy’s services that we chose to retain her as consultant on the next phase of our Capital Campaign.  She’s a gem!

Amy Klein, Executive Director


Nancy brings solid judgment, professionalism, and a positive spirit to everything she undertakes.  She is an engaging and talented leader who challenges her colleagues to aspire to greater levels of service and innovation.  I have relied on Nancy for her advice and strategic thinking on philanthropy and sector leadership, and continue to be delighted to work with her.

Jackie Mahoney, Vice President of Programs


After having the pleasure of briefly working with Nancy to finalize a strategic plan on another board, I reached out to her to help our organization execute our first strategic plan.  After a one hour consultation over the phone, Nancy was honest with me that our organization wasn't ready for a strategic plan.  We worked with Nancy over the course of eight months to complete a board matrix and structural assessment of our board, craft Vision, Mission, and Values statements, and finally complete a two year strategic plan.  While it was a lot of work Nancy kept us on track and focused on the issues that really mattered.  I have no doubt we will work with Nancy in the future.

 Sarah A. Shearer, Executive Director


Hiring Nancy Meyers Preston helped the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County set a course for our future in the ever-changing landscape for business advocacy and membership organizations.  Nancy helped us move beyond a less formal one-year operational plan, to thinking more long-term from a strategic planning standpoint.  She also assisted us with focus groups and member survey tools to better gauge the needs of our membership and opportunities for collaboration and affiliation with other like-minded organizations.  Her ability to communicate honestly, professionally and distinctly to our board and leadership helped us embrace change and look forward to the future with confidence that we are assisting our members and our regional economy prosper. 

Matt Grattan, Board Chair


Nancy Preston is a tactical expert in guiding non-profits through the development of strategic plans. She is a consummate listener that captures the leadership’s vision and aspirations for their organization and helps refine them into achievable and measureable goals. The Donate Life New York State Board of Directors and I are delighted with the outcome of our collaboration with Nancy.

Aisha Tator, Executive Director


After participating in the Donate Life New York State strategic planning process, I immediately recruited Nancy to help plan a strategic planning retreat for our organization. We truly appreciated Nancy’s expertise in facilitating our management team.  She provided each of us with the opportunity to share our thoughts and desires while keeping us focused on the results we hoped to achieve. We will be inviting Nancy back to facilitate our next planning session too!

Rob Kochik, Executive Director


We engaged Nancy to conduct a workshop on strategic planning for the Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development's Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator (ENLA) program. Nancy was prompt and professional in communications and preparation and presented a content-rich program that was highly-rated by the fifteen ENLA Fellows in attendance.  Nancy is a clear and concise communicator.  Her presentation was thorough and well-organized, and her feedback to the group, as they worked through her valuable exercises, was thoughtful, affirming, and effective. We are most appreciative of Nancy’s work with the Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development, and will hope to have her join us again in the future.

Pam Skripak, Executive Director
Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development
University at Albany -- State University of New York


 

Nancy is a wealth of knowledge, best practices and innovative ideas. We originally hired her to help prepare for a capital campaign and since utilized her skills to develop a comprehensive advancement plan, compile a policies and procedures manual,  reinvigorate our development committee and set up structures and strategies to implement all of these great ideas.  Nancy took the time to fully understand our organization, mission and culture and was committed to our vision. She brought a high level of attention, passion and experience to her consulting and provided valuable assistance and insight for our development team.

Christine Schudde, Executive Director

Nancy Preston helped us craft our 33-year old agency’s first strategic plan in anyone’s memory.  She skillfully diverted us from getting stuck in the weeds, and guided us into a realistic plan that has set us on our way to expand our vital progams’ services and capacity.

Kevin O'Connor, Executive Director


Nancy worked with our organization for several years, helping us prepare a detailed advancement plan, structure a grant development program, and establish a board training program.  Nancy also was invaluable to me personally in dealing with some of the day-to-day issues of executing our fund raising plans, particularly with regard to motivating executive staff and board member participation in the development process.   She always was responsive and willing to do whatever had to be done on a moment’s notice in order to meet deadlines. 

Barbara J. Wool, Director of Public Relations & Development


Nancy did an excellent job facilitating a messaging exercise to develop an elevator speech for our organization at our recent Board of Directors retreat.  She was great to work with, very professional and honest, from the proposal phase through to the follow-up after our session. Even though we had a tight time constraint, she managed to run the exercise in a manner in which we didn’t feel rushed, but still were able to accomplish the task. I was impressed that she was able to take charge of our large group, keep us on track, and capture our thoughts on paper in a clear and concise manner. Our board members were engaged in the exercise and were pleased with what we were able to accomplish in just a few hours.

Sarah Braymer, Program Coordinator


Nancy coached me in the area of fund development for six months.  I found fund development strategizing very challenging.  As the Executive Director of a new NPO, with no prior experience, Nancy helped me understand how to develop a funding plan, how to implement this plan with the Board, and how to interpret the plan to others in the organization.  This has created the basis for our overall fund development approach.  Nancy invested the time to become familiar with our mission and vision and to meet with our Board and fund development committee members. I found Nancy’s assistance to be timely and useful, plus she was easily accessible as a resource.

Sarah W. Goodrich, Executive Director


South End Improvement Corp.

Making the South End a great place to live, play and grow.

I engaged Nancy as our consultant after hearing her strategic planning presentation at a Community Foundation capacity-building event.  She impressed me then as a clear expert in the field and I particularly liked her recommendation of a one-page strategic plan summary that could become a marketing piece for organizations.  Working with Nancy was a pleasure.  She is a true collaborator and has an excellent sense for people and how to help a board achieve its full potential.

Monique Wahba, Former Executive Director


The Board of the Troy Public Library came to Nancy as group with an expired strategic plan and little experience in developing one. She patiently guided us through the process, educating us on the SMART approach for a well-designed plan. We will be able to use the skills that she taught us in updating the plan in the future. Best of all, she encouraged the Board to work together with the staff leaders of the library, resulting in a stronger plan and better relationship with the staff as the foundation to move the library forward. Nancy was always professional, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. We would not hesitate to recommend her or work with her again.

Marie Gavazzi, Chair Board of Trustees


We highly recommend Nancy Meyers Preston! She worked with our Board of Directors to develop a strategic plan that is clear, achievable and yet stretches our organization to be far-reaching. With insight, patience and skill, she helped our board rewrite our mission statement and write vision and values statements. At every stage in the process, she kept the board on track and engaged every member. It has been a joy to work with her, and we would wholeheartedly do so again.

Donna M. Elia, Executive Director

Terri Kersch, Immediate Past Board President


We had a great leadership retreat with Nancy Meyers Preston.  I think it was an eye-opener for some of my board members.  Our board consists of neophytes in regards to development - as our board chair pointed out, fundraising used to be the responsibility of the Foundation board, not the governing board.  Nancy brought it to their level.  They still have a long way to go, but they seem committed to taking steps in the right direction. Nancy led a very interactive session.  She kept the participants focused, on task, and on time.

Maureen Yee, Director of Development


Nancy led a highly productive and successful retreat with our Foundation Board.  From the initial planning, to the actual retreat and post follow-through, Nancy’s attention to detail was flawless and her ability and ease in working with our group proved to be a valuable experience for all. We found Nancy’s knowledge and professionalism to be a great motivating factor that will ultimately move our Board to a higher functioning level with new defined roles and responsibilities.

Lauren Roecker, Director of Wildwood Foundation, Inc.