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about

About Pilot Peak Consulting

Experts in fundraising and nonprofit organizational management, Pilot Peak Consulting, LLC (PPC) moves organizations forward. We work with you to address challenges and reach your potential. We are a major force in transforming nonprofits, leading you successfully through change by providing high quality counsel and implementation services. There are a few things to know about us and how we work:

• We do things differently. We’re not just another consultancy. We roll up our sleeves and work through the messiness of change with you.
• We’re passionate. We believe in your vision and your mission and work hard to help you promote it.
• We’re totally honest and totally kind. We don’t own rose-colored glasses. We tell it like it is in a thoughtful and productive way.
• We pride ourselves on integrity, hard work, compassion, and effectiveness. We get the job done well. Plain and simple.
• We hold ourselves to a very high standard. We want you to do the same – for us and for your organization.
• We believe that a commitment to equity starts at the top. We help equip leaders with the tools and mindsets needed to conquer systemic oppression.

We offer over 20 years of experience supporting the missions, leaders, and teams of nonprofit organizations.

testimonial-one

"Emma has been a priceless addition to our organization’s capital campaign work. She is organized, engaging, creative and brings a wealth of experience in an area that is simply beyond that which our staff has in-house. As a hunger-relief organization, we need our staff to focus on our primary mission and all the fundraising that supports that mission. Emma has helped us find ways to structure this critical campaign while also protecting and furthering our mission work. She also is a straight shooter and a diplomat – two skills that are not always easy to balance. We feel honored and fortunate to have her by our side."

Tara A. Ellis, President and CEO, FeedMore Western New York

services

Our Services

Putting you on the path to success includes:

Assessments & Planning

Assessment of your organizations capacity for growth and detailed plans for building the infrastructure and strategies to move your organization forward

Program Development & Implementation

Strategic, targeted program development to guide you as you raise and grant funds and assistance in executing your strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward grantees, donors and prospects

Campaign Feasibility, Planning, Implementation & Counsel

Feasibility study services that lead to comprehensive step-by-step campaign plans and follow-on implementation or counsel

Talent Management

Assessment of skills of staff and volunteers and thorough planning for improvement through recruitment, training and coaching

Change Management

Assessment, implementation and counsel services for organizations in transition

Meeting Planning, Facilitation & Synthesis

Management of the meeting process through structured agendas, ground rules, and consensus building that leads to appropriate next steps

Find out more about Reach Your Peak and Pathfinder programs designed for nonprofits whose budget may be small, but whose visions and missions are vast.

testimonial-three

"We have raised 70% of our goal during our school’s largest fundraising campaign to date—well ahead of our anticipated schedule. Emma has skillfully guided us through focus groups and a qualification study, presenting to and inspiring our board and campaign leadership, and keeping us on track with events and ongoing solicitations throughout the quiet phase. She is a top-notch professional with deep industry knowledge, and a complete pleasure to work with. We cannot recommend her enough."

Marisa Alford, Director of Advancement, Washington International School

bio

About Emma Kieran

Bringing over 20 years of professional and volunteer fundraising experience, Emma started Pilot Peak Consulting in 2014. She has been a partner, coach, teacher, and change agent to over 100 nonprofits around the US through planning, implementation, coaching and interim services.

Before starting Pilot Peak, Emma was the Vice President for Fundraising and Development at Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI). Before OAI, Emma was a consultant with Changing Our World (CW). During her tenure at these two nationally recognized fundraising consulting firms, she helped many nonprofit organizations augment their strategies and improve their fundraising activities. Prior to working as a consultant, Emma worked as a front-line fundraiser for Sidwell Friends School and Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, DC.

A native Pittsburgher and recent southern transplant, Emma holds an MA from Columbia University in Organizational Psychology, an MPA from American University in Nonprofit Management, and a BA from Connecticut College. In her free time, Emma is an avid marathoner and four-time Ironman triathlete, enjoys photography, and spends as much time outdoors with her husband and their labradoodles as possible.

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* During tenure at Orr Associates, Inc.

testimonial-four

"Emma’s expert guidance and unwavering support have been instrumental in helping me to complete numerous projects, big and small. I’m so grateful for her partnership. Emma is not only a very skilled professional, but also a kind and compassionate person who is always going above and beyond."

Cate Roosevelt - Advancement Director - Cornelia Connelly Center