Generally, when you get to this spot, you find a bio. And I promise, there is one at the end. But I wanted to take some of this space to talk a bit more about my philosophy and what you get when we work together.

Working together is the key—I believe strongly in collaboration. I believe even more strongly that a good consultant doesn’t do the work for you, leaving you with a plan that you had no part in creating or facilitating a meeting with Board or staff that accomplishes what the consultant decided needs to be accomplished.

A good consultant first works with you to understand your organization’s strengths and challenges. From there, we work together to define what you want to achieve and how best to get there. 

I also believe in metrics. Together, we will develop a set of measurements that evaluate performance. You won’t have to hope for results, you can count on them. A client told me that “a good consultant works to consult herself out of a job, or at least that job.”  And that’s what I always aim to do. To make sure you have the tools and the knowledge of how to use those tools to get the job done.

It is a little more work for you—but the results are worth it. You end up with the power to solve your own problems and the skills to move your mission forward.

Recognizing that it often “takes a community” to provide organizations with the best advice and information, Janet Levine regularly works with other consultants. Each member of Janet’s network brings his or her particular skills and experience to ensure that clients receive the best solutions and techniques to meet all their needs.

As for that bio, here it is: Janet Levine has worked in the nonprofit and educational sectors since 1988, beginning her career at USC. Just prior to starting her consulting company, she was VP of University Advancement at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Other positions included Dean for External Relations at Pasadena City College, Executive Director of the Foundation at El Camino College and development positions at the American Film Institute, the University of Oregon and the Reason Foundation. In addition to consulting for a wide variety of nonprofit and educational organizations, Janet regularly teaches courses in non-profit management, fundraising and grant development, both face-to-face and online. In her for-profit life, she was a magazine editor and writer, insurance broker, and owner of a graphic arts company.  She has an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University.