Client Testimonials
“Michael took the time and effort to understand our organization and the context of our project in implementing a new revenue strategy.”
–Patrick Woodie, Executive Director, North Carolina Rural Center
Galvanizing Plans & Trust-Building
“We could not have worked with a better consultant. Michael brought rich experience to our strategy work and subsequent strategic business planning phase. Michael has a keen capacity to listen carefully while facilitating, and integrate what he is hearing to challenge us to work it harder, and to adjust focus and direction along the way. His capacity to encourage, fine-tune, and help us to create useful and galvanizing plans is unmatched in my professional experience. The trust he builds in this way was experienced by a diverse range of stakeholders, from managers, frontline staff, board members, and people with lived experience of homelessness. Our planning capacity is greatly enhanced and subsequently our ability to have impact is measurably stronger each day. Michael’s genuine excitement about our outcomes motivates us still, and we feel he’s part of our community.”
Jennifer L. Metzler, Chief Executive Officer, Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, Inc.
A Trusted Partner During Critical Junctures
“Faced with the most challenging decision in its 20-year history, The Donaldson Adoption Institute had the good fortune of engaging a thoughtful, thorough, and trusted partner. Michael Anderson helped our leadership team create possible plans for the future as well as construct a plan for dissolution. In the end, it wasn't simply that Michael had the expertise to guide us, he also had the spirit to truly stand with us at such a difficult and critical juncture.”
April Dinwoodie, Executive Director, Donaldson Adoption Institute
"Your planning and scenario tool was so immensely helpful for me and thus to Pollen. It helped me see the options on the table and what we'd need to change/implement. Because of thoughtful planning we're really thriving. I'm so grateful for your support, guidance, and camaraderie. AND I've been able to sleep at night — every ED's biggest goal.”
— Jamie Millard, Executive Director, Pollen
Valuable Alternative Models
“MCN worked with Michael Anderson to reexamine our overall organizational strategy, and to develop a new approach to focus our efforts going forward while keeping our ability to adapt to the changing situation for nonprofits. The thinking process, tools and support we took from our work with Michael have proved to be exactly what we were looking for — leaving us with a flexible but concentrated method to drive decision making. Michael brings a breadth of analysis and appreciation of alternative models that can be quite valuable (and rare) in this field — greatly appreciated by groups starting out with diverse perspectives on what their actual opportunities might be.”
Jon Pratt, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Steady Guidance Through Critical Decision Making
“Michael was the consultant we needed through the merger of Nonprofits Assistance Fund and MAP for Nonprofits that created Propel. He was the partner and advisor we needed through the entire process, from exploration through due diligence and decision. He helped us stay on track, understood how to sequence all of the questions and tasks, and stepped in with a steady hand and wise words. We couldn’t have completed the merger so quickly if it hadn’t been for Michael’s experience and guidance.”
Kate Barr, President, Propel Nonprofits
“Michael has the ability to take a vast amount of information and opinion and synthesize it down into clear objective ideas and statements. He helps create focus.”
— Nichol Beckstrand, Chief Growth Officer, Urban FT
Thoughtful & Calm Approach
“Way Finders. Inc. and Common Capital Inc.’s successful affiliation in 2017 was the result of Michael’s professional and direct leadership through partnership exploration and a negotiation process that thoroughly considers issues and concerns. His thoughtful and calm approach during what could have been overwhelming and intensive discussions led to confident decision making.”
Peter Gagliardi, President & CEO, Way Finders, Inc.
Quick Grasp of Complexities
"Michael is uniquely skilled at quickly grasping the financial and operating complexities of nonprofits. He digs into the details to understand the full picture. Then, he shares and communicates his analysis with others in a very approachable way, enabling leaders to understand organizational capacities, challenges, and opportunities and ultimately make better decisions."
Hamse Warfa, Assistant Commissioner for Economic Opportunity, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; former Program Officer at Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
Professionalism & Sustainable Paths Forward
“Camp Fire National Headquarters engaged Michael Anderson as part of a 15-month strategic planning initiative. Working closely with our finance team and Board, he assessed HQ and our affiliate system's multi-year financial performance to understand the current situation and sustainable paths forward. A project this size was complex, required almost daily interaction with our staff and sometimes required him to challenge us to look at financial planning and performance in new ways. He consistently demonstrated utmost professionalism, respect for our staff's efforts, and found ways to present the "complex" in practical ways everyone could understand. If similar projects were again to be required, Michael would be our first call!”
Cathy Tisdale, President and CEO, Camp Fire National Headquarters
Collaborative & Extremely Capable
“I have known Michael Anderson for more than a decade and during that time he has become one of my most trusted and skilled professional colleagues. Michael is insightful, strategic, collaborative, and extremely capable. I have sought Michael's advice and support on a wide range of things, but specifically recall that when I needed to train my staff on non-profit financial analysis in a global context, he was my first call; he proved to be an outstanding and supportive partner and one of our most effective trainers. His new consulting practice is a gift to our field, and I look forward to many opportunities to collaborate in the future!”
Amy Morris, Director, Amplify Fund at Neighborhood Funders Group