Emily Sterling Email & Phone Number

I have been an advisor, consultant and coach to philanthropists and nonprofit boards and CEOs for over 30 years. My clients are:• Passionate about advancing humanity and building a “vibrant and just society.”• Exceptionally curious and eager to challenge themselves.• Driven to expand their current perspectives of what is possible.• Clear that real change and paradigm shifts happen through informed risk and pushing conventional wisdom.• Excited about the power of leveraging diverse perspectives and working in collaboration to amplify great ideas.I work with:• Foundations• Donor circles• Individual and family philanthropists• Nonprofits• Social-benefit entrepreneurs• Board members• Executive leadership• Business owners who want to give backMy services:I work across every mission area, organization size, and stage of development. Generally, I provide value where the board and CEO are confronted with a complex situation, and don’t know how to best approach it. The most common “buckets” or names for my work include:Philanthropic Counsel• The earliest stages of thinking about “giving back”• Strategic giving• Grantee capacity building• Donor circles and funder collaborativesStrategic Counsel for Organizations• Vision and strategy development• Business model and org structure refinements• Growth planning and capacity building• Navigating critical inflection points and change management• Founder / CEO transitions and succession planning• Retreats, convenings, and team sessions• Collaborations, collective impact, and strategic alliances• Organizational design and restructuringAdvisory Services for Board Members, Founders and CEOs• Improved governance and governance redesign• Personalized coaching and resilience-building for leadersKeynote Speaking, Presentations, Education Sessions and Workshops

Redwood City, California, United States

Built a consulting firm of $2m+ annual sales, 15 staff and a national network of over 100 other consultants and firms. Leveraged the network to provide coordinated, flexible, on-demand client solutions across every functional area. Developed consultant communities of practice, consultant training and peer education, and other innovative network activities. Served hundreds of nonprofit and philanthropic clients (almost exclusively the boards and CEOs) nationally across various mission areas including: arts and culture, environment, youth services, education, advocacy, policy, mental health, direct social services, drug and alcohol recovery, hospice, community health, research, violence prevention, workforce development, senior programs, social enterprise, professional associations, coalitions, and collective impact.Conducted research, wrote white papers, developed workshops, facilitated panels, keynoted and delivered presentations, and provided thought leadership on a range of capacity building issues facing the sector.Areas of expertise:- Strategy- Navigating big growth or big change- Organization design and business planning- Turnarounds and responsible shut-downs- Governance redesign- Founder CEO transitions- Succession planning - Strategic giving- Capacity building- Alliances, donor circles, collaborations, and collective impact- Coaching for CEOs, Board Chairs (individually and/or together)- Facilitation and retreats- Convenings and workshopsClient segments:- Foundations- Nonprofits- Donor circles- Philanthropists- Social benefit entrepreneurs- Board members- Executive leadership- Women of influence- Business owners who want to give back

High performance must be the norm if we are to make meaningful progress in addressing society’s most challenging problems.The Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community believes that mission and performance are inextricably linked and advances this “performance matters” message every chance we get. We strive to shift mindsets by earning the respect of the field.Each ambassador brings depth of knowledge and experience, passion for inspiring others, and a commitment to increasing the expectation and adoption of high performance in the field.Our private community of leaders forms the nucleus of what we hope will be expanding concentric circles of nonprofit and civic leaders, funders, and public servants who share this core commitment to high performance.Our credibility defines who we are as a community. We come together out of a mutual respect for one another, and build trust by communicating honestly and working towards our shared goal. With this foundation, every member protects the credibility of the community as a whole.

Member of cohort CE589 in Silicon Valley

Member of an exceptional advisory team working with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in their re-granting partnership with the Community Leadership Project: www.communityleadershipproject.org

C - level executive recruiting for foundations and nonprofitsExecutive Vice President, Nonprofit Practice DHR, 2007-2009Director, Nonprofit Practice of Stratford Group, which was acquired by DHR International, 2000-2007From 2002-2009, conducted executive recruiting services through DHR, while simultaneously providing other consulting services through Olive Grove Consulting. Secured clients and conducted searches for nonprofit and foundation CEOs in a variety of mission areas.

* Completely revamped and significantly grew the Executive Search & Transitions practice of this nonprofit support center serving the Bay Area.

Provided a broad range of consulting and executive search services to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

Ba, English

Year Abroad

Coursework In Organizational Design, Culture, And Change Management