For established institutions
with complex, high-stakes programs.
Your programs are visible, layered, and loaded with expectation—board, donors, press, and the public.
Organizations like this need a dedicated creative partner of record: consistent counsel, continuity across seasons, and decision velocity across stakeholders.
↳ First, we start with a blueprint month. (Read more. ↴ ) Then…
“Creative counsel” that safeguards creative vision.
A retainer is the core model for landmark programs: executive creative partnership—or to use the legal parallel, a “creative counsel of record.”
- A single accountable partner for narrative, aesthetics, and communications operations
- Dedicated weekly time with standing meetings and documented decisions
- Leadership support: review, recommendations, and second-brain counsel
- Stewardship of high-stakes moments: board or donor narratives, major launches, and public-facing campaigns
- Governance and quality assurance to create internal coherence, and public reputation
Or, we can design a tailored project or season engagement to build a contained scope to begin.
- Program and season planning for a defined window
- Campaign asset direction for a major initiative
- Exhibition and launch stewardship for a specific show or series
Recent results
Communications, Content & Program Direction (Center for Christogenesis)
37% annual revenue growth.
Highest-performing fundraiser in a decade.
40%+ open rates to a 10k list. 20%+ follower growth on priority platforms. Multiple campaigns reaching 20k+ non-followers organically→ all while shrinking paid budget by 70%.
Acting communications and creative content leadership: increased cadence while improving quality. Editorial oversight, messaging translation, and cross-channel publishing operations. Multi-stakeholder alignment around approvals, priorities, and what accurately captures the vision.
Multi-Venue Programming (with Burkholder Agency)
Quarterly exhibitions in an innovative real estate/ hospitality-centric gallery model. Plus 2–3 multi-medium fine-art experiences in secondary venues.
60%+ email opens to a high-intent list. 30–50 attendees at packed, community-led talks. <2 day installation turnover.
Cross-format content planning and production schedules. Promotional timelines and asset coordination across venues. Stakeholder alignment on scope, approvals, and release cadence. Follow-up coordination after launches to keep momentum and documentation intact.
Month one ↴
Every engagement begins with a blueprint month ($10,500)—a diagnostic and engagement-design phase built for complex environments where quality must hold across leadership, programs, comms, and advancement.
Includes (7 sessions):
- Ideation: align leadership on intent, stakes, and non-negotiables
- Stakeholder listening: 3 clusters to map decision flow across departments and pressure points
- Design presentation and revisions: a proposed governance rhythm, system design, and engagement shape with two revision passes after internal circulation
Additional stakeholder sessions beyond the included package: $950 each
By the end of the month:
- Intent & non-negotiables outline
- Stakeholder, decision-rights and friction map
- Operating rhythm and system outline (cadence, approvals, standards, assets, channels)
- Roadmap, scope and sequence for a flagship program or season, or an executive retainer partnership
How to start a partnership.
Retainers establish continuity and institutional memory. Projects are tightly scoped with clear milestones and check-ins.
Either will begin with blueprint month so the work is properly framed and aligned with all stakeholders before any execution begins.