Explore every episode of the podcast Fracture

Before Jocelyn Helland was a fractional consultant, she was Cindy's client. In 2018, as an executive director in Toronto, she brought Cindy's team in to shore up a fundraising department in crisis - and watched, up close, what "done for you" fundraising could look like.

Years later, Jocelyn left the ED chair and built her own fractional practice. She refuses to niche into one function, running fundraising and interim leadership engagements at once, and she's learned to tell the difference between a genuine red flag and a client who simply doesn't understand fractional support yet. She also talks candidly about walking away from a relationship that had good bones but the wrong fit - and why protecting that decision protected her reputation.

Key Takeaways

• Fractional doesn't require a niche - Jocelyn runs fundraising and interim ED engagements side by side because the range keeps her sharp.
• Fit matters more than budget. Anxiety before every meeting is a clearer red flag than a mismatched invoice.
• A red flag and an uninformed client aren't the same thing - coachable organizations just need the model explained.
• Trust is the deliverable. The best fractional clients let go of oversight and let the expertise work.
• Reputation outlasts any single contract. Ending a mismatched engagement well protects future referrals.

Guest Bio

Jocelyn Helland is the founder of Jocelyn Helland Consulting, offering fractional fundraising and interim executive leadership to small and mid-sized nonprofits. She spent over two decades in-house, including as an executive director, before building a fractional practice on her own terms.

Resources + Links

Jocelyn Helland Consulting

Connect with Jocelyn

Website | LinkedIn

Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

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In early 2025, one of Holly Rustick's students lost $100,000 in contracts in a single week. Holly has been writing grants for more than 20 years and has run Grant Writing & Funding through five US administrations, the 2008 recession, COVID, and 2025.

In this conversation with Cindy, Holly breaks down what her students' experience shows about how the sector is buying right now, how to reposition your services when the market tightens, and why the consultants who are thriving got serious about the business side.

• Grant funding dropped in Holly's programs in 2025, but her students' business revenue went up. Nonprofits are still buying - the form has changed, not the demand.
• Repositioning from "grant writer" to "grant strategist" changes what you offer, how you price it, and what results you can promise.
• The Minimum Valuable Product framework: what is the minimum scope of work that gets the client the result they actually need? Cut the extras.
• Credit-based retainer systems give clients flexibility without costing you recurring revenue.
• Before every sales call, write down every objection you think might come up - then write how you'd respond.

Holly Rustick is a grant writing strategist with more than 20 years of experience and founder of Grant Writing & Funding. Her students have collectively won over $225 million in grants and generated $4+ million in business revenue. She hosts the #1 ranked grant writing podcast in the world.

• Grant Writing & Funding
• Grant Writing & Funding Podcast
• NFN OS Program

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Your clients are starting to ask about AI - and some have policies banning contractor use. Valerie Ehrlich, PhD has spent her career at the intersection of learning, evaluation, and organisational strategy, and now focuses on what responsible AI adoption actually looks like in the social sector.

In this conversation, she and Cindy get into the questions nonprofit consultants are actually facing: what to say when a client asks whether you use AI, how to think about data privacy, and why the most effective AI users are critical thinkers - not early adopters.

• Consultants need to decide whether they'll be proactive or reactive about AI disclosure. Getting caught off guard when a client asks is not an option.
• Separate client-facing AI use from backend use. Both are acceptable - but they require different levels of disclosure.
• Pay for AI tools rather than using free versions. Free tools often monetise your data. Read the terms of service.
• Never record a client conversation without consent. Even if it's technically legal, it's a trust issue.
• A consultant's deep sector knowledge produces better AI output than someone without it. That's an argument for your value, not against it.

Valerie Ehrlich, PhD is the founder of Mission Bloom, supporting mission-driven organisations in learning, evaluation, and AI adoption. She also writes The Bloom Shift, a Substack newsletter on responsible AI in the nonprofit sector.

• Mission Bloom
• The Bloom Shift on Substack
• NFN OS Program

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Kelsi Kriitmaa spent 25 years across the UN, global NGOs, and private sector consulting before building what she calls a portfolio career - multiple revenue streams, multiple professional identities.

In this conversation, Kelsi and Cindy map out how the portfolio model actually works: relationship-first business development, why generalists are undervalued, and why seasons of life matter more than long-term plans.

• A portfolio career means multiple revenue streams and professional identities - not just one consulting client.
• Business development in the social impact sector is relationship-first. Mass marketing tactics won't get you clients here.
• Generalists are undervalued and essential. Niching too early means missing the market.
• Build for now, not forever. What you need from your business in year one is different from year three.
• No in-house role is as safe as it used to be. Portfolio careers give you more options, not fewer.

Kelsi Kriitmaa, PhD is a social impact coach and consultant with 25 years of experience across the UN, global NGOs, and private sector consulting. She founded Kriitmaa Coaching & Consulting, holds an ICF accreditation, and has a PhD in Epidemiology.

• Kriitmaa Coaching & Consulting
• Portfolio Career Playbook on Maven - search "Kriitmaa Portfolio Career Playbook"
• BridgeSpan Group article on generalists: [URL to confirm with guest]
• NFN OS Program

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Greg Harrell-Edge ran CoachArt, a nonprofit matching kids with serious illness to volunteers who teach arts and athletics. When he arrived, every new match took over seven hours of staff time. They built an app. That time dropped to under seven minutes. They quintupled matches made and went national during COVID.

But Greg's most useful story isn't the win - it's the mistake. Month two, they hired a full-time CTO. A year in, the development agency said the CTO didn't need to attend meetings anymore. Greg realised in real time: what they'd needed was a fractional.

Key Takeaways

• The nonprofit sector is in evolution, not crisis. Organizations doing things differently right now have real advantages - the fractional model is one of them.
• EDs are drowning in silver bullets. Position yourself as the person who helps them put it all together, not as another fix.
• The EDs most ready for fractional work think long-term, focus on impact metrics, and show up with cautious optimism.

Guest Bio

Greg Harrell-Edge is the Founder and Executive Director of the Proimpact Project, a free nonprofit community helping EDs lead future-ready organizations. A second-generation nonprofit leader, he previously served as ED of CoachArt and hosts the Proimpact Podcast.

Resources + Links

• Proimpact Project
• Proimpact ED Hive
• Proimpact Podcast
• CoachArt
• Nonprofit Fractionals Network
• NFN OS Program

Connect with Greg

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Tracey van Marcke didn't set out to build a fractional COO business. During COVID, her network kept asking "while you're looking, could you help with X?" After the third conversation, something clicked.

Five years later, TvM Impact Consulting supports nonprofit CEOs and executive directors as their "right-hand executive" - an operational partner who's been on the other side of that desk and can carry some of the weight.

Key Takeaways

• Your client is always the person - the CEO or ED - not the nonprofit itself. Serve the human and the organisation follows.
• A prospective client who bad-mouths a previous consultant is a clear red flag. If they'll say it about them, they'll say it about you.
• Project work is a legitimate entry point into long-term retainer relationships. Use it strategically.
• Three to four clients is a sustainable sweet spot - the right number depends on the type of work, not just hours.
• The timing of fractional work always finds a way to work out. Build your pipeline and trust the process.

Guest Bio

Tracey van Marcke is the Founder and Principal of TvM Impact Consulting, LLC, a fractional COO practice serving nonprofit CEOs and EDs. A former nonprofit CEO herself, she's been doing this work for five years and was a 2023 NAWBO Richmond Women of Excellence Award Finalist.

Resources + Links

• TvM Impact Consulting
• Nonprofit Fractionals Network
• NFN OS Program

Connect with Tracey

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Most fractionals get stuck on branding two ways: ignore it entirely, or lose weeks in a logo spiral before landing a client. Christine Lieu-Guzauskas, founder of CL Designs, has a sharper framework.

Key Takeaways

• Branding has three layers: internal (positioning), external (visuals), and experiential (client journey). Most consultants skip the first and underfund the third.
• Start visual brand research on Pinterest. Set a timer, collect without judgment, and let patterns emerge.
• Your brand evolves with you - five iterations in ten years isn't inconsistency, it's a growing business.
• Client experience isn't just onboarding gifts. It's frictionless booking, transparent pricing, and asking how clients like to celebrate before you send a goodbye present.

Guest Bio

Christine Lieu-Guzauskas is the founder of CL Designs, an award-winning Toronto design boutique specialising in the nonprofit sector. She helps consultants build cohesive brands - from visual identity to client experience - and hosts the Brand Party podcast.

Resources + Links

• CL Designs: https://www.christineldesigns.com
• Brand Party Podcast
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Christine on Instagram
• Handwrytten
• SugarWish

Connect with Christine: Website | LinkedIn

Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Kayla Meyers built Bridgepoint Evaluation around one insight: her expertise didn't need 40 hours a week. After going in-house to build a nonprofit evaluation system from scratch, she turned that role into her first fractional client.

This episode covers how fractional evaluation works month-to-month, how she pitched the transition to her employer, and how to position evaluation as strategy rather than compliance.

• Fractional consulting works in specialised fields - the model applies wherever organisations need senior expertise without a full-time hire
• Turning an in-house role into your first fractional client is possible - frame it around what's best for the organisation
• The cost of a person is different from their salary - framing pricing that way creates a genuine win-win
• When you do good fractional work, the ED stops thinking about your function - so you have to proactively communicate your value
• One-time evaluation projects can convert to ongoing fractional clients when clients experience what an evaluative learning culture feels like

Kayla Meyers is the founder of Bridgepoint Evaluation in Minneapolis, providing fractional evaluation management, coaching, and impact reporting to nonprofits. She teaches program evaluation at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

• bridgepointevaluation.com
• linkedin.com/in/bridgepointkayla
• https://buildingbettertogether.co/ [URL to confirm]
• consultants4good.com
• eval.org
• Minnesota Evaluation Association [URL to confirm]
• Rising Tide Society [URL to confirm]
• Strengthen the Strong [URL to confirm]

Website | LinkedIn

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Molly Terbovich-Ridenhour spent 15+ years in nonprofit arts organisations holding all the pieces - creative, human, operational, financial. When she left, she didn't just change jobs. She redesigned how she leads.

In this episode, she's honest about what she learned the hard way: the skills that made her excellent in-house become a trap in consulting if you don't actively work against them.

Key Takeaways

• The overfunctioning pattern from nonprofit leadership follows you into consulting unless you name it and actively work against it
• Boundaries are a practice, not a policy - especially for people who said they had them but didn't hold them
• Structure your calendar before other people fill it - time is the most important boundary of all
• The story you're telling yourself about client urgency is usually wrong - clients have more patience than you think
• Organisations often ask for X but actually need Y - naming that clearly is part of your job as a fractional consultant

Guest Bio

Molly Terbovich-Ridenhour is a fractional consultant with 15+ years in nonprofit arts leadership. She runs AMR, supporting small and mid-sized nonprofits through strategy, fundraising, and organisational complexity, from San Diego, California.

Resources + Links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-terbovich-ridenhour/
• https://nonprofitfractionals.com/

Connect with Molly

Website: mollyterbovich.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/molly-terbovich-ridenhour

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Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe: https://www.nonprofitfractionals.com/subscribe | Join the OS: https://www.nonprofitfractionals.com/os-join

Tanya Frey spent 21 years in employment law before founding Terra Firma Consulting LLC - a firm that helps nonprofits recruit, retain, and make the hard calls on people. She now works across executive search, HR strategy, and the fractional model, placing fractional executives into nonprofits while also advising them.

That position on both sides of the table makes her a useful witness. She's seen organisations that think they want fractional but really want a discount full-time hire. Candidates who claim the title but can't articulate what they actually do. This episode covers when to pitch fractional, how to spot red flags on both sides, and why your references should work like referrals.

Key Takeaways

• Don't apply for a full-time posting and ask them to consider you fractionally. The appetite has to exist before the conversation, not during it.
• If you can't describe your practice area and what your first two weeks look like at a new client, you're not ready to call yourself a fractional executive.
• Three to four anchor clients is a sustainable load. Seven or eight is a signal you're not working at the right level.
• Treat references as evergreen relationships. Ask upfront: "Would you serve as a testimonial and refer me to peers?" They become champions, not checkboxes.
• The rate cap conversation tells you everything. An organisation that won't pay more than $X for fractional executive services wants a discount employee, not a business partner.

Guest Bio

Tanya Frey, J.D. is Founder and CEO of Terra Firma Consulting LLC in Memphis, Tennessee. With 21 years of employment law experience rooted in the nonprofit sector, she helps organisations make the calls nobody else wants to touch - from executive hiring to leadership transitions. She also hosts The Reset, a podcast about leading organisations built on people.

Resources + Links

• Terra Firma Consulting: https://terrafirmallc.com/
• Tanya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyacfrey
• The Reset Podcast: Search "The Reset" by Tanya Frey on Spotify

Connect with Tanya

https://terrafirmallc.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyacfrey

Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe: https://www.nonprofitfractionals.com/subscribe | Join the OS: https://www.nonprofitfractionals.com/os-join

Tanya Wall joined the Nonprofit Fractionals Network not really knowing what came next. She'd spent her entire career in nonprofits - on the direct service side, leading small organizations, and building fundraising programs - and she was at a crossroads. Then she heard the term "fractional fundraising" and spent the next few days listening to every episode she could find. By the end, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

What she didn't expect was how fast it would happen. Within 30 days of joining NFN, she had her first client. Within a few months, she was fully booked. And within her first year, she had a team.

Tanya and Cindy talk about what it takes to grow a fractional consulting practice beyond just yourself - the mindset work, the structural decisions, the fear of niching, and the kind of business culture Tanya is building. If you're curious what it looks like to scale a fractional practice without recreating the nonprofit grind, this episode is for you.

• Getting to fully booked can happen faster than you think - but you need to decide in advance what comes next
• Bringing on subcontractors or account managers requires more intentional structure than most consultants plan for
• Niching feels scary because it means saying no to work that doesn't fit - but it positions you as the expert your ideal clients are looking for
• The hustle mindset from in-house nonprofit work doesn't have to follow you into consulting
• Documenting systems, onboarding well, and respecting each team member's working style is what separates a real team from a pile of contractors
• Clear geographic and service niching can generate better-fit inquiries faster than casting a wide net

Tanya Wall, CFRE, is the founder and principal consultant of Collaborative Cause Consulting, based in Nova Scotia. With over 20 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, she specializes in individual giving programs and fractional fundraising leadership for small nonprofits in Atlantic Canada. She and her team work with organizations across the country, with a growing focus on the East Coast.

• Collaborative Cause Consulting
• Motion Project Manager
• Nonprofit Fractionals Network

• Website: collaborativecause.ca
• LinkedIn: Tanya Wall, CFRE

Fracture is the podcast for nonprofit professionals who are done with the self-sacrific. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, each episode delivers real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually works.

Join the Nonprofit Fractional Operating System

This is Episode 1 of Fracture - and it's the one most listeners will wish they found years ago.

Fracture ran as a private podcast for a while. If you've been in the NFN community, you know it. Real conversations about building a fractional consulting business in the nonprofit sector, behind a door most people didn't know existed. Now the door is open.

In this episode, Cindy names the thing she sees keeping more nonprofit professionals stuck than anything else: the belief that impact and income are opposites. That if your work matters, you earn less. That the earning less is proof you care. She traces where that belief came from, why it's not a sector value - it's a deal that runs in one direction - and what happens when you stop accepting it.

This isn't a tips episode. It's a reframe. For anyone who's been excellent at nonprofit work while watching the system extract everything in exchange for barely enough - this one lands somewhere real.

Cindy also tells her own story: a women's shelter where she was the first and only fundraiser, watching board members suggest coin boxes at liquor stores and holiday card sales while she tried to run a real development program. A first consulting contract in 2015 that paid more than her in-house salary, alone. Building what eventually became the Nonprofit Fractionals Network - now 100+ people trained to run their own fractional practices.

Fractional consulting isn't freelancing. It's a model that lets you keep everything that brought you to the sector - the relationships, the work, the proximity to mission - and build a business that pays you what you're actually worth, and gives you back your time.

• The real reason nonprofit compensation is low (and why calling it mission alignment is a cover story)
• What fractional consulting is, in plain language, and why it's not freelancing
• How Cindy went from in-house fundraiser to NFN founder and what that path actually looked like
• The "both and" philosophy behind Fracture - impact + income, not impact or income
• What to expect from the show going forward

• Nonprofit Fractionals Network
• NFN OS Program
• Subscribe to Fracture + weekly email: nonprofitfractionals.com/subscribe

Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS

Something is shifting in the nonprofit sector - and fractional is more than a buzzword. This is Fracture. The podcast about the business of nonprofit fractional consulting - for consultants, and the people who are about to become one.