You're a new Executive Director
You stepped into the role and suddenly everything is your problem. You don't need motivation. You need clarity.
When your mission is outgrowing your systems, we help you build what's next.
Blue Heron Nonprofit Consulting partners with nonprofit leaders across Vermont, New Hampshire, and the Upper Valley during moments of growth, transition, and complexity. We help strengthen the systems and structures organizations need to move forward with clarity and stability.
Focused. Practical. Yours to keep.
Your moment
Who this is for
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Your executive director just gave notice
The board is carrying the weight until the next leader arrives, and the day-to-day can't wait.
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A funder looks interested
Someone just asked whether the organization is ready to pursue a real grant. You want the answer to be yes.
I am so thankful for all Margot has done for us. I've worked with so many consultants over the years that often lead to nothing. What Margot has accomplished in her role has been transformative for our organization.
Services
How we can help
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Leadership support
A Strategic Leadership Partnership for steady, one-on-one thought partnership, or an Interim Executive Director when the seat is empty.
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Structure and systems
Understand where you stand, design what comes next, and plan for leadership continuity.
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Grant strategy
Strategy, prospecting, readiness, and project-based writing for a defined project.
Partnership in practice
What a Strategic Leadership Partnership looks like
Abigail runs Acorns to Oaks, a therapeutic riding program. Early on, we recommended she build out her board before she did anything else. She did the work, and later she came back ready to pursue a grant.
The part that says the most about this work happened in between. Abigail connected with a Bogs Boots representative and texted unsure what to say. We gave her language to use in the moment, then a follow-up script when he replied. The barn staff got free boots for the whole crew, plus a spare pair for a raffle fundraiser.
That is what steady partnership looks like day to day. Real problems, practical answers, and progress that doesn't always look the way you expect but still gets you where you're going.
The Founder
The person you'd be working with
Margot Holmes founded Blue Heron Nonprofit Consulting after 15+ years across direct service, program management, and executive leadership. That includes time in the executive director's seat, so she knows the weight of the decisions you're carrying.
Recent work
Recent work includes a Northern Border Regional Commission federal grant win for the Orange County Parent Child Center to open a new 44-slot childcare center in Randolph, VT.
Grant readiness
Not sure where to start? Begin with the checklist.
The grant-readiness checklist covers 35 items across five categories. Fill it in online and Margot reviews it personally, or download the PDF and work through it at your own pace.
Start a conversation
We work with a small number of organizations at a time. If you're in a moment of growth or transition and want an experienced partner in your corner, we'd like to hear from you. We respond within one business day.