Services

Kit serves as Interim Executive Director for community development organizations that need more than just leadership coverage, I provide interim leadership that stabilizes operations, rebuilds systems, and guides strategic transformation before handing off to a permanent ED.

Kit Fordham has served in high-stakes interim leadership roles where stability and transformation had to happen at the same time. As Interim Executive Director of a CDFI in the wake of an executive scandal, he stabilized the organization, rebuilt trust, and set a strategic path that carried it beyond recovery into a new phase of strength and performance. I also served as Interim General Manager for a complex family trust in crisis—bringing order to day-to-day operations and leading a rapid turnaround from near failure to profitability within one year.

When this is useful
You’re facing competing priorities, unclear signals, or mounting pressure—and you need to understand key scenarios before committing to a path forward.

What this work looks like
A focused, time-bound engagement designed to surface root issues, clarify tradeoffs, and identify where leadership attention will have the greatest impact.

Typical outcomes

• Clear articulation of core challenges and constraints

• Distinction between urgent issues and strategic priorities

• Concrete options and recommendations—not a generic report

• Shared clarity among senior leadership or board members

For organizations that need a clear direction, shared priorities, and a realistic plan forward.

What this work focuses on

• Clarifying strategic goals and the outcomes that matter most

• Defining a core set of priorities that guide decision-making

• Surfacing assumptions, constraints, and tradeoffs

• Aligning leadership and board around a coherent direction

Typical outcomes

• A clear, shared understanding of where the organization is headed

• Explicit priorities that make decisions easier

• Strategy that reflects real capacity, context, and values

• A roadmap that can guide future action and investment

For organizations that have a clear direction or defined project and want experienced leadership support to carry it forward.

This work may begin in one of two ways:

• As a stand-alone engagement when an organization already has a strategy, initiative, or transition underway and are seeking our help to get it done

• As a continuation of earlier work, when we’ve designed a strategy or solution together and the organization elects to have me manage some or all of the rollout

What this work focuses on

• Translating strategy or plans into concrete action

• Managing complex initiatives, transitions, or change processes

• Supporting leadership through execution, adjustment, and decision-making

• Keeping work grounded in real capacity, timelines, and constraints

How support is structured
Depending on need, this may include:

• Project or initiative management

• Interim or fractional leadership during periods of change

• Ongoing advisory support as conditions evolve

Typical outcomes

• Increased momentum and follow-through

• Fewer dropped balls during complex or high-stakes work

• Strategy that actually takes root in systems, practices, and decisions

• Leadership that feels supported rather than stretched thin

For leaders navigating complex decisions who need a trusted thought partner from outside the organization.

Executive directors often need someone outside the organization who can help them think clearly about what matters most when the stakes are high and the path forward isn’t obvious.

Weekly meetings - in person or virtual - where you bring whatever's on your mind: strategic questions, personnel challenges, board dynamics, fundraising dilemmas, or just processing a hard week with someone who gets it.

What I provide: A thinking partner who understands nonprofit leadership and mission-driven work. Permission to ask hard questions, challenge assumptions, and help you see what you're missing. No internal politics. No agenda except helping you lead well.

Who this is for: Executive directors I genuinely respect and want to support. This only works if we trust each other and communicate well.

This isn't coaching - it's a partnership to help you solve the problems you’re navigating.