My Approach
I work with mission-driven organizations to make sound strategic choices in periods of complexity and change. My practice sits at the intersection of strategy and implementation: helping organizations understand what is changing around them, clarify where they are particularly well positioned to contribute, make thoughtful choices about priorities and trade-offs, and translate those choices into a practical path forward.
I describe myself as a “stratitioner” — both a strategist and a practitioner. My approach is grounded in more than 20 years of executive and senior leadership experience inside nonprofit organizations, where I have led strategy development while also being responsible for translating strategy into organizational decisions, priorities, programs, partnerships, capabilities and change. I understand the difference between a strategy that looks compelling on paper and one that can actually guide decisions when resources are constrained, perspectives differ and circumstances continue to evolve.
My work combines strategic thinking, systems awareness and human-centred approaches to bring together different forms of evidence and experience. Rather than assuming an organization’s existing portfolio should define its next strategy, I help organizations examine the relationship between what they are distinctively positioned to contribute and what their changing context requires. From there, we diagnose the context, surface and test strategic possibilities, and create deliberate space to consider alternatives before making choices about what to sustain, strengthen, adapt or give comparatively less emphasis.
Implementation is built into this process rather than added at the end. Staff, leadership, Boards, partners and communities are engaged purposefully where their knowledge and experience can strengthen, challenge or test emerging choices. As those choices develop, we also examine what they require in practice, from capabilities and partnerships to ways of working, leadership, resources and investment.
Above all, my approach is practical and relational. Strategy should create greater clarity about where an organization is trying to contribute, the choices it is making about how, and what those choices require in practice.
- Strategic Diagnosis and Systems Awareness look beyond the immediate issues to understand the wider context, underlying dynamics and where an organization is particularly positioned to contribute.
- Strategic Possibilities and Choice create space to consider alternatives, test different directions and make deliberate choices about what to sustain, strengthen, adapt or give less emphasis.
- Purposeful Participation and Sensemaking bring the right perspectives into the process at the right moments, to inform, challenge and test emerging choices and build shared understanding of the reasoning behind them.
- Implementation by Design tests strategic choices against what they will require in practice, including capabilities, partnerships, leadership, ways of working, resources and investment before those choices become commitments.
About
Just as navigators use ephemerides to chart their course by the stars, Ephemeris Nonprofit Strategy equips nonprofits and social enterprises with precise, future-focused roadmaps. Ephemeris illuminates each organization’s trajectory—anchored by a North Star vision—so teams can navigate complexity, align around purpose, and reach new heights.
Lead Consultant : Rachel Logel Carmichael
As a former senior nonprofit leader with over two decades of experience driving transformative impact in child- and youth-focused organizations, Rachel now leverages her organizational effectiveness expertise as a consultant, supporting other nonprofits to design and deliver strategies that advance impact and growth. With lived experience across both the global south and global north, Rachel brings a unique, nuanced perspective to her work.
She has spent more than a decade working on the frontlines in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and the past 15 years shaping global policies and programs within some of the world’s largest NGOs. A certified change manager and human-centered design specialist, Rachel is adept at translating complex business challenges into inclusive, co-designed solutions that drive measurable change.
Her passion for strategy development and planning has resulted in advanced growth and transformation within organizations, leading to significant revenue increases and expanded partnerships. She is recognized for her ability to craft and execute institutional and private fundraising strategies that fuel both program and advocacy efforts.
Contact
I welcome starting a relationship with you, let’s get started!