Backend Blueprint
Organizational Systems Strategy for Mission-Driven Teams
A 2-month consulting engagement for nonprofit operations leaders ready to transform institutional chaos into documented, sustainable infrastructure your team can actually follow—without burning out your people.
Let's Map What's Really Happening—and Build Systems That Match Your Mission
Process mapping isn't a one-time project. It's organizational infrastructure.
(Listen: Process Mapping Should be as Routine as Brushing Your Teeth)
Your Team Is Drowning in Coordination Debt
You know it. Your staff knows it.
Critical workflows live in someone's head—and when they're out, everything stalls
Your team uses 7+ tools that don't talk to each other, creating duplicate data entry
Staff are burning out on manual work that should have been automated years ago
You've hired support, but without documented processes, delegation just creates more chaos
Board and funders are asking for reports that take someone 3 hours to manually compile
You're the bottleneck—because you can't delegate what isn't documented
This isn't Your Fault
You've been building programs and serving your community with whatever systems you could patch together. You had to move fast.
But now? Your organization has outgrown the duct tape.
It's time for infrastructure that supports your team, honors your mission, and creates the operational resilience you need to scale impact sustainably.
Here's How We'll Build It Together:
Month One: Discovery, Mapping + Strategic Planning
1. Full Systems Audit + Current State Mapping
I log into your actual tools—your CRM, case management system, program platforms, donor database—and map what's really happening. Not what you think is happening. Not what the handbook says. What your systems actually show.
You hand over the logins. I do the heavy lifting while you focus on your programs.
This includes:
Complete workflow documentation
across departments
Tech stack inventory
and integration analysis
Software cost analysis
(what you're paying vs. what you're actually using)
Identification of coordination bottlenecks
and manual workarounds
Entity Mapping & Data Modeling
See how your data flows through your systems & avoid duplicate data
Data Cleaning
No more scattered spreadsheets. I'll clean up messy data and give it a centralized home to facilitate better reporting dashboards
2. 90-Minute Strategy Session: From Chaos to Clarity
We review your process maps together and design a strategic path forward—prioritized by impact on your team and mission delivery.
You'll get:
- Visual process maps in Puzzle that show exactly where time and capacity are leaking
- Tech stack recommendations grounded in nonprofit sustainability (not shiny new tools)
- True cost analysis including staff time spent on manual work
- Implementation roadmap prioritized by what will free up the most capacity fastest
3. Implementation Planning with Team Integration
You get a step-by-step project plan inside Puzzle that maps every asset needed BEFORE implementation begins—onboarding sequences, intake forms, confirmation workflows, reporting templates, training materials.
This means we think through the full system before building, so your implementation team can work efficiently instead of constantly coming back with "just one more thing we need."
Have an ops team?
I'll oversee implementation and coach your team through adoption.
Need implementation support?
I can help source vetted partners who understand nonprofit operations.
4. Implementation Support + System Adoption
You don't just need a plan. You need your team to actually use it.
I stay engaged for a second month to:
Support implementation and troubleshoot integration challenges
QA your new workflows and catch edge cases before they become problems
Coach your team through adoption and process refinement
Ensure documentation stays current as processes are finalized
Option to Continue: Fractional Operations Partnership
Choose to extend our engagement to maintain:
This is for you if:
You're leading operations in a mission-driven organization with 5–20 staff members
Your team has talent and heart—but no shared understanding of how things actually work
You're spending thousands on tools that aren't integrated or consistently used
You're ready to let automation handle repetitive work—but don't know where to start or what's even possible
You need a strategic partner who understands nonprofit constraints, equity considerations, and the reality of working with limited resources
You're the institutional knowledge keeper—and you know that's not sustainable
This is NOT for you if:
Investment
Starts at $6000
(payable in full or 2 monthly installments
What's included:
Clarity & Documentation
- Current-state process mapping in Puzzle for all major workflows
- Visual systems architecture showing how your tools and teams connect
- Software cost analysis and utilization audit
Strategic Planning
- 90-minute strategy session with leadership
- Date modeling and cleaning
- Prioritized implementation roadmap
- Asset inventory and requirements planning
Implementation Partnership
- Oversight during Month 2 as systems go live
- Team coaching and adoption support
- QA and edge case troubleshooting
Optional Extension
- Fractional operations partnership for ongoing systems stewardship
Before You Commit: What Real Systems Work Requires
Most organizations underestimate what it takes to build sustainable operational infrastructure. Process mapping isn't a one-and-done project—it's a cultural shift.
Real Talk: This work requires:- Leadership buy-in for team time investment in documentation
- Staff participation in process mapping sessions (they're the experts)
- Commitment to adoption—new systems only work if people use them
- Ongoing maintenance—documentation must evolve with your programs
- Leadership buy-in for team time investment in documentation
- Staff participation in process mapping sessions (they're the experts)
- Commitment to adoption—new systems only work if people use them
- Ongoing maintenance—documentation must evolve with your programs
Your Systems Are Part of Your Team
You can't delegate chaos. Let's build infrastructure your organization can actually rely on—so your team can focus on mission delivery instead of operational firefighting.