Work in Progress Consulting | Work In Progress Consulting

A People-Centered Operations, Strategy, & Capacity Building Consulting Firm

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Your first consultation is free.

Who we are

We’re a non-profit & small business consulting firm that believes in centering equity in all that we do. We offer consultants with decades of experience, honest communication, meaningful client support, and excellence in accountability to our commitments.

At Work in Progress, we believe that:

1) Working toward building a culture of trust is a perpetual goal at the center of the work we engage clients in.

2) Equity is not a buzzword, sales pitch, or a marketing tool; it is a value we can put into action through our work.

Our
services

We assist start-ups, non-profits, small businesses, & entrepreneurs with business plans, HR, people operations, strategic planning, business coaching, bookkeeping, budgeting, tax prep, systems management & more.

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What are our values?

Work in Progress values communication, collaboration, and creativity. Our practices are holistic, equity-centered, and trauma-informed. Read more about what’s important to our team here:

Our values statement

Community care & support

Running a small business or working in the non-profit space (especially in social justice related work) is incredibly stressful. We’re here to support you and build your capacity at your speed.

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Our clients

"I am in total awe of how brilliantly we were guided through the hiring process, had all the documents and info we needed, were allowed plenty of space for conversation and debriefing, and were offered options and perspectives that helped us make decisions. Just the absolute best experience."

‒Molly De Aguiar, President, The Independence Public Media Foundation
"Rachel and her team have helped us build lasting infrastructure that grew our staff from 3 to 8 full time employees in 3 years. They have not only helped us hire amazing team members, they have helped us facilitate the creation of a Human Resources guidebook and a culture that embraces regularly scheduled staff evaluations. We cannot say enough positive things about working with such an experienced and values-aligned partner like Work In Progress."

‒ Erin Scott, Co-Executive Director, Ohio Women’s Alliance
"If you are looking for a responsive firm with a dedicated staff that centers equitable HR practices, look no further. We cannot recommend WIP enough!"

‒ Nikki Madsen, Co- Executive Director, Abortion Care Network
"Work In Progress has supported our state coalition through facilitation, project management, strategic planning, hiring, and operations support. Their team thinks creatively, executes at a high level, and conducts their work with an equity-centered, anti-oppression lens."

‒ Shaina Muñoz, Strategic Advisor, Anonymous Private Foundation
"Work in Progress has been a lifeline during a time of incredible transition and upheaval. We turned to Rachel & Samara to manage our ED transition as well as several other strategic initiatives, and WIP has consistently exceeded our expectations not only in the quality of the deliverables, but in the education they passed on to our staff."

‒ Maggie Scotece, Interim Executive Director, Abortion Fund of Ohio
“In the midst of a global pandemic, my organization was growing exponentially, and we needed some structural and strategic support. As a queer, Black womxn lead org, finding the right organizational development consultant was paramount to our short and long-term success. Through community relationships, we were introduced to WIP.
From our very first meeting, I was intrigued at their business acumen laced with equity-centered initiative, the ease of them being able to “say the hard things” while centering, not just the bottom line financially, but the bottom line as liberation for all oppressed people. WIP has supported our strategic planning efforts, hiring, onboarding and additional HR supports, helping us grow and glow up! Hiring them was one of the best decisions I’ve made as an organizational leader.”
-Dr. Shemariah Arki, Executive Director, Sankofa Circle International
“NACTO collaborated with Work In Progress Consulting to develop an Equitable Compensation & Performance Plan to bolster our organization's efforts to be clear, organized, and transparent about employee compensation and career path opportunities. I worked closely with Sara, who was patient, flexible, and presented us with thorough, well-researched options that our organization might pursue as we worked toward solidifying our plan.
After using the plan for about a year, it became evident that the work done to create the plan did so much more than simply outline our organization's compensation philosophy. Rather, the plan has clarified our decision-making structure around compensation, has helped our organization to welcome in new hires with a clear and organized process, and has also created a strong connection point between our compensation work and our performance management work and organizational principles. Overall, our collaboration with Work in Progress Consulting not only yielded a plan, but helped us to create a process that ultimately allowed us to strengthen our entire operational protocol as an organization.”
-Lauren Nixon, Director of People and Culture, NACTO