My experience and approach

Over the past 14 years, I’ve partnered with more than 100 philanthropic and nonprofit organizations to clarify their strategy, understand and communicate progress, and use data and insights to decide what comes next. Along the way, I had the opportunity to work with a wide range of social impact organizations and strategies:

  • A community of women donors resourcing the gender equality movement

  • A collaborative inspiring donors to share their resources and power with BIPOC-led and grassroots organizations long overlooked by philanthropy

  • Nonprofit news organizations reinventing journalism while informing and empowering communities to strengthen democracy

  • A regional funder network shifting perceptions of Appalachia while driving investment and opportunity into the region

  • A labor union standing together to fight for better wages and benefits for caregivers

  • Housing authorities and school districts working together to improve college readiness and expand pathways to economic opportunity

  • Animal welfare organizations keeping people and pets together by addressing the needs of both

While the organizations and issues were different, they were all trying to answer similar questions: Where should we focus? Are we making meaningful progress? What should we do next?

This accumulated experience taught me that there isn't a single “right” approach to strategy, measurement and evaluation, or learning. Instead, it’s about defining the questions that matter most to an organization’s work and designing approaches that fit and take hold within an organization’s culture and context. As I get to know each client and their partners, I think creatively about how to design a process they trust, create deliverables they'll actually use, and surface insights that help them move forward with confidence.

Portrait of a young woman with blonde hair, smiling, wearing a brown blazer and white shirt against a white background.

Sara Afflerback, MA (she/her)

What people I’ve worked with have to say:

“We worked with Sara on a multi-year project and were continually impressed by her ability to engage and align multiple stakeholders. She combines strong facilitation and listening skills with proactive communication, ensuring projects stay on track while adapting to changing needs. Sara’s collaborative approach and quality deliverables made her an invaluable partner throughout our work together.“

Elizabeth Kruger, Director, Evaluation & Organizational Learning, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP)

“Sara supported us in an ongoing continuous learning and improvement effort for over five years, and she is a wonderful partner. She brings tremendous analytical capacity, strategic thinking, and great communication skills, and is highly adept at synthesizing complex information into more accessible formats (including high-impact visualizations). She’s also just lovely to work with. Highly recommend!”

Stephanie Fuerstner Gillis, Director, Impact Driven Philanthropy Initiative, Raikes Foundation/North Forty Group

“She is thoughtful, insightful, and rigorous in all the best ways, a deep thinker, truly gifted in thinking about how to meaningfully convey information, and able to think things all the way through so that they really land and make a difference.”

Sarah Stachowiak, CEO, ORS Impact

Let’s talk!

I am based in Asheville, N.C. and support social impact organizations across the U.S. through remote engagements, with onsite visits when the work calls for it.

I'm currently accepting new clients and RFPs. Message me if you have an opportunity or need you'd like to talk through.