WHAT WE DO
Practical guidance for leaders who are serious about outcomes
We work across sectors – legal, nonprofit, government and private. Every engagement starts with listening and ends with something you can actually use.
Jump to a service
01 – Strategic Consulting
02 – Nonprofit & Organizational Growth
03 – Executive & Leadership Coaching
04 – Relationship & Agreement Brokering
05 – Expert Witness
01 - Strategic Consulting
Clarity when the stakes are high.
For leaders navigating complex change, organizational pressure or critical decisions – we bring the perspective of people who’ve been in those rooms.
Strategic consulting at Verdant Synergies isn’t about frameworks and slide decks. It’s about sitting down with the people responsible for hard decisions and helping them think more clearly – drawing on decades of real executive experience across government, nonprofit and private sectors.
We work with C-suite leaders, board members and senior teams who need an outside perspective that’s grounded in operational reality, not just theory.
Organizational assessment & strategy
Honest evaluation of where you are, where you’re headed and what’s standing in the way.
Change management & transitions
Navigating leadership transitions, restructuring or operational pivots with minimal disruption.
Board & governance advisory
Strengthening accountability structures and the relationship between leadership and governance.
Crisis & reputational strategy
Helping organizations under pressure make confident decisions and communicate with credibility.
02 - NonprofiT & ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH
Scale your impact without losing your footing.
From early-stage nonprofits finding their legs to established organizations ready to grow — we help mission-driven teams build the infrastructure that makes impact sustainable.
Between Saralyn’s policy and program expertise and Gabe’s development and fundraising background, we cover the full spectrum of what growing nonprofits actually need — from operational strategy to funding relationships.
We’ve been inside these organizations at the highest levels. We know what works and what sounds good in a strategic plan but falls apart in practice.
Strategic planning & program design
Honest evaluation of where you are, where you’re headed and what’s standing in the way.
Funding strategy & donor development
Identifying funding opportunities and cultivating the relationships that sustain them.
Compliance & accountability frameworks
Building systems that meet funder and regulatory requirements without strangling the work.
Operational scaling
Helping organizations grow their capacity, team and systems in step with their ambitions.
GRANT DEVELOPMENT — included in nonprofit engagements or as a standalone service
Grant research & identification
Finding the right funding opportunities for your mission, capacity and stage of growth.
Application writing & narrative development
ompelling, well-structured grant proposals that communicate your impact clearly to funders.
Funder relationship management
Building and maintaining the ongoing relationships that turn one grant into a long-term funding partnership.
03 — EXECUTIVE & LEADERSHIP COACHING
Lead with more clarity. Decide with more confidence.
One-on-one coaching for senior leaders who want to sharpen how they think, communicate and make decisions — especially under pressure.
Effective coaching starts with a coach who has actually led. Both Saralyn and Gabe bring executive-level experience to their coaching work — which means conversations that are honest, grounded and focused on what actually moves the needle.
This isn’t therapy and it isn’t cheerleading. It’s a trusted outside perspective from people who’ve navigated the same pressures you’re facing.
C-suite & senior leadership coaching
Working with CEOs, executive directors and senior leaders on vision, communication and decision-making.
Leadership transitions
Supporting leaders stepping into new roles — or stepping back from ones they’ve outgrown.
Entrepreneur & founder coaching
Practical, honest coaching for small business owners navigating growth, team and the mental load of building something from scratch.
04 - RELATIONSHIP & AGREEMENT BROKERING
The right connections, made the right way.
Some of the most valuable work we do never makes it into a deliverable. It happens in a phone call, an introduction or a conversation that opens a door that was previously closed.
Gabe has spent his career building relationships across higher education, small business and the nonprofit sector — connecting organizations with the right partners, funders and community stakeholders. Saralyn brings a complementary depth of relationship capital from years of executive leadership — navigating City Council, two mayoral administrations, nonprofit provider networks and statewide leadership programs including Leadership Florida and Leadership Jacksonville.
This service is for organizations that know what they need but lack the network or the neutral third-party credibility to make it happen. We make the introduction and help structure the agreement that follows.
Strategic introductions & network access
Connecting you with the right people across Jacksonville and the broader Florida market.
Partnership structuring
Helping both parties reach agreements that are clear, fair and built to last beyond the handshake.
Corporate & community partnership development
Identifying and cultivating corporate partners aligned with your mission and community presence.
05 — EXPERT WITNESS SERVICES
Dr. Saralyn Grass — PreK–12 Safety & Standards of Care
Dr. Grass is a nationally recognized expert witness in child care licensing, negligent supervision, mandated reporting and institutional negligence. She has been deposed and testified in multiple cases and is listed with SEAK — the leading expert witness directory.
Childcare licensing
Negligent supervision
Mandated reporting
Standards of care
Organizational negligence
WHO WE WORK WITH
Nonprofit leaders
C-suite executives
Legal teams & attorneys
Small business owners
Mission-driven organizations
Founders & entrepreneurs
Organizations in transition
Government agencies
Not sure which service fits?
Most engagements start with a conversation. Tell us what you’re navigating and we’ll be straight with you about whether and how we can help.