A Fractional COO is an experienced, senior-level operations executive who works with your organization on a part-time basis bringing the same expertise and accountability as a full-time Chief Operating Officer, without the full-time cost. It is perfect for an organization that has outgrown its current structure but isn’t ready or able to justify a full-time COO’s salary and benefits.

Fractional COOs are seasoned leaders who understand mission-driven work, are fluent in the operational challenges specific to non-profits, and are actively engaged in your organization's day-to-day management — they are ON your team, not just offering advice from the outside. The "fractional" model simply refers to the structure: you access the leadership you need for a fraction of the cost of a permanent executive hire.

A consultant typically delivers recommendations — an assessment, a report, a set of options — and then moves on. The implementation is left to you. A Fractional COO, by contrast does the work. The job is not to tell you what needs to change; it's to help you change it.

They attend leadership meetings, work with (and even supervise) staff, oversee vendor relationships, manage projects, and are held accountable for outcomes — not just analysis. A Fractional COO functions as a genuine member of your leadership team, reporting to the Executive Director and board, with real ownership over the operational areas you assign.

Think of it this way: a consultant hands you a map. A Fractional COO navigates the road.

The short answer: whatever is holding your organization back operationally. In practice, that tends to include some combination of the following:

• Finance and Budget— Developing budgets, improving reporting, and creating transparency
• Human Resources — Hiring, staff development, performance management, and building a healthy organizational culture
• Technology — Assessing current systems, identifying gaps, and implementing new tools
• Facilities and Capital Planning — Managing vendor relationships, lease negotiations, and physical infrastructure needs
• Procurement and Vendor management — Ensuring contracts work to deliver value
• Compliance and Risk Management — internal controls, identifying vulnerabilities, and keeping the organization protected
• Policies and procedures — Creating and documenting operational frameworks that allow staff to function consistently and efficiently
• Performance assessment — Establishing and tracking KPIs and accountability structures that assure operations are connected to the mission

Most engagements begin with an organizational assessment to identify where the highest-leverage opportunities are, then focus effort accordingly.

The expertise is the same. The structure — and the cost — are very different.

A full-time COO typically commands a salary of $120,000–$200,000 or more, plus benefits and overhead. If your organization needs strong operational leadership for 15–25 hours per week, a fractional engagement delivers that leadership at a proportional cost, with the flexibility to scale up or down as your needs change. You also avoid the time and risk of a full-time search — engagements can typically begin within weeks.

Engagements typically run from several months to a year or more. The right structure depends on what your organization actually needs — and that's worth talking through before any commitment is made.

Yes. This is exactly the situation a Fractional COO is designed for.

Most Executive Directors came to their role because of their passion for mission, their ability to build community relationships, and their skill at leading programs and people. Very few signed up to spend their Sunday afternoons troubleshooting a payroll issue, documenting an HR policy, or figuring out why the database isn't talking to the accounting software. And yet, that's where many EDs find themselves as their organizations grow.

The problem isn't a lack of capability. It's a structural one of bandwidth. With growing staff, programs, funders, and compliance requirements, one person can no longer absorb the operational demands. When the ED becomes the default answer to every operational question, two things happen: the mission work suffers, and the ED burns out.

A Fractional COO takes ownership of the operational side so the ED doesn't have to. The HR issue gets handled — and so does the follow-up, the documentation, and the policy that prevents the same issue next time. The technology decisions get made by someone who has time to evaluate them properly. There is a clear operational point of contact for staff, vendors, and the board that isn't the Executive Director.

The goal is straightforward: to give your ED their job back. The one they were actually hired to do.

A few questions worth asking honestly:

• Is the Executive Director spending too much time on operational and administrative tasks that pull them away from programs, fundraising, and mission leadership?

• Are there recurring breakdowns in communication, accountability, or follow-through across departments?
• Has the organization grown — in staff, programs, or budget — faster than its internal systems and processes have kept up?
• Are board members or auditors asking for better financial reporting or operational transparency?

If any of these ring true, a Fractional COO is worth a serious conversation.

The best starting point is a conversation — no commitment, no obligation, just an honest exchange about where your organization is and what it needs.

We'd talk through your current operational structure, where the biggest pain points are, what you've already tried, and what a realistic scope of engagement might look like. If it turns out that a Fractional COO isn't the right fit, I'll tell you that — and I may be able to point you toward a better option, whether that's a targeted consulting project, a technology solution, or something else entirely.

If it does seem like the right fit, we'd discuss scope, time commitment, and terms, and move from there at whatever pace works for your organization.

The conversation costs nothing. The cost of continuing to operate without the support you need is harder to calculate — but it shows up eventually, in staff turnover, board frustration, missed opportunities, and an Executive Director who is running on empty.

Maybe you have the staff to handle the day-to-day administration and operations, but there is a specific project where you need help. Projects have (or should have) a start and an end date, a narrow scope, and defined deliverables. They often cross silos and involve a time commitment or expertise that no one on staff has. That is where a consulting contract may make more sense.

• Conducting a strategic assessment and strategic plan update

• Turning strategic plan goals into actionable, measurable tasks and performance indicators

• Planning a new facility

• Overseeing a technology upgrade

• Writing or rewriting a policy and procedures manual, or documenting existing procedures

Ask me! An initial consultation is free, and we can discuss your needs and options, and how I can help.

Of course, sometimes, I am not the right choice for your needs, but I can point you to people in my network that I think can do the job effectively.