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Selected Work

Thoughtful strategy, grounded in context and community

Every engagement is different, but the goal is consistent: helping leaders understand what they are navigating, make thoughtful decisions, and move forward with greater clarity.

Featured Engagements

Evaluating and Strengthening an Established Funding Portfolio

My role

  • Designed and implemented a portfolio evaluation

  • Created and co-facilitated a grantee convening to deepen learning and incorporate partners’ perspectives

  • Analyzed the findings and developed a report with strategic recommendations

 

What it made possible

  • A clearer, more measurable vision of the portfolio’s goals and intended impact

  • A deeper understanding of grantees’ work and collective contributions

  • A stronger approach to assessing progress in a complex and evolving field

  • More informed funding decisions and recommended strategic pivots

The challenge

An established funding portfolio needed a clearer vision of its intended impact and a stronger approach to measuring progress over time. The foundation also wanted to understand the work of its grantees collectively and assess how its grantmaking was contributing to progress in the field.

Building a Funding Portfolio from the Ground Up

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My role

  • Conducted a landscape analysis and presented potential funding strategies

  • Recommended an approach aligned with the foundation’s goals and role

  • Created a portfolio framework with four focus areas

  • Researched and helped vet prospective grantee partners

  • Developed learning questions and synthesized emerging insights

  • Continued to support grantmaking decisions and portfolio learning

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What it made possible

  • A focused, research-informed funding portfolio

  • A clear framework for selecting and aligning grants

  • An adaptive approach shaped by ongoing learning

  • A multi-year strategic partnership that continues today

The challenge

A foundation wanted to begin investing in an issue area it was still working to understand. Its leaders needed a clearer picture of the landscape, guidance on where the foundation could contribute most effectively, and a framework for making thoughtful grantmaking decisions.

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Centering Community Voice in Strategic Planning

Studio photography of a woman with curly hair presenting in front of a whiteboard. She appears confident and friendly, suggesting a professional or educational setting.

My role

  • Designed the community and stakeholder input process

  • Developed and administered a community survey

  • Facilitated three focus groups and a board retreat

  • Synthesized key themes and recommended areas for consideration

  • Served as a thought partner to the team throughout the process

 

What it made possible   

  • Broader community participation in the planning process

  • A clearer understanding of shared priorities and differing perspectives

  • Practical insights to guide the organization’s strategic decisions

  • Stronger alignment between community input, board leadership, and the emerging plan

The challenge

A national nonprofit preparing for a new strategic plan wanted community perspectives to meaningfully inform its direction. The organization needed an inclusive process for gathering input, identifying common themes, and translating what it heard into considerations for the plan.

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Selected Clients

My work has included partnerships with nonprofit organizations, foundations, and philanthropic intermediaries, including:

  • APIA Health Forum 

  • Center for Arab American Philanthropy

  • Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

  • Democracy Fund

  • Michigan Nonprofit Association

  • National Network for Arab American Communities

  • RISE Together Fund

  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation

Testimonials

“Nadia is a fantastic partner for our team and the foundation. Her work has spanned research, interviews, strategy development, facilitation, program design, and report review. She is professional, kind, brilliant, and is someone I always trust in her connections with our portfolio partners.  Her work has helped us sharpen our grantmaking investments and our learning for ongoing partnerships.”

Andrew Brower

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

"Working with Nadia Tonova is like gaining a strategic partner who sees both your organization’s potential and its deeper purpose. She brings a rare blend of clarity, compassion, and rigor, guiding leaders through challenges and helping them imagine bold futures, by supporting them to make thoughtful, strategic choices.  Her consulting creates space for growth and success especially for those working toward justice." 

Rima Meroueh

Ntl. Network for Arab Am. Communities

"I had the pleasure of working with Nadia Tonova, and she was an outstanding partner
every step of the way. She is dependable, thoughtful and always willing to
go the extra mile. I always appreciated her commitment to our work and ability to deliver
results. I enthusiastically recommend her to anyone seeking a skilled and trusted consultant."

Joan Gustafson

Michigan Nonprofit Association

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