“Wait, We’re Doing What Now?” A Rookie’s Dive Into Nonprofit Consulting at Knoll & Krest

By: Patrick, A Guy Who Accidentally Walked Into a Strategy Meeting and Stayed for the Snacks

Let me just start with this: I once thought “nonprofit consulting” was when someone gives you bad financial advice… for free. (Spoiler: it’s not.)

Hey. I’m Patrick. I’m 29, I love sports, science, math, and yelling at American history documentaries like they’re reffing a bad call. I don’t work in nonprofit consulting. Never have. And to be honest, up until recently, I thought “capacity-building” was just a fancy term for getting better at carrying groceries in one trip.

But somehow, I’ve found myself orbiting this wild and oddly inspiring world that is Knoll & Krest, a nonprofit consulting firm that’s smarter than it is shiny and somehow still manages to be both.

So, if you’re wondering what this whole nonprofit consulting thing actually is, and why anyone not getting paid by the hour would care… well, you and I have a lot in common.

What Is Nonprofit Consulting? (As Explained by a Guy Who’s Still Googling Terms)

Okay, imagine you’re running a mission-driven organization. You’re out there feeding kids, building community health programs, fighting inequity, teaching, supporting, translating, saving, basically, doing the most.

Now imagine trying to do all of that while juggling funding shortfalls, board dynamics, data that’s never clean, and an Excel sheet that may or may not be haunted. You know you need a plan, but you also need more time, money, and maybe a nap.

That’s where Knoll & Krest steps in.

They’re like a coach, a strategist, and a translator rolled into one. They help nonprofits get clear on what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and how to keep doing it without accidentally lighting themselves on fire.

They don’t take over. They don’t drop in, drop buzzwords, and leave you with a fancy deck you’ll never use. They partner. Like, actually partner. And if you’re still unsure what that means, I was too. Until I saw them work.

“But Patrick, You Don’t Even Work There.”

Exactly. That’s what makes this fun. I get to be the guy on the sidelines with snacks, watching all the behind-the-scenes magic with just enough distance to appreciate it without the pressure of deliverables.

But here’s the thing, I’m obsessed with how things work. I love solving problems. I love asking, “Why are we doing it this way?” and hearing someone say, “That’s a great question… no one’s asked that in years.”

Watching Knoll & Krest work with nonprofits is like watching someone fix a car with empathy, data, and whiteboard markers. It’s not flashy. It’s not Instagrammable. But it’s real. And it matters.

Why Knoll & Krest Feels Like a Breath of Fresh Air

They don’t try to be everything to everyone. They’re not here to sell you a pre-packaged “transformation strategy.” They show up. They listen. They adapt. They ask the tough questions and sit in the uncertainty with you until clarity shows up.

And for a numbers nerd like me? That’s poetry.

This team gets that no two communities are the same. They design with people, not just for people. They build systems that reflect real life, not just theories. They help nonprofits do the hard stuff in a way that doesn’t make you want to fake your own death and move to Vermont.

A Message to the Nonprofit Folks Out There

Look, I see you. You’re running on coffee, goodwill, and a budget that wouldn’t feed a varsity basketball team. You care deeply. You’re doing a hundred things with ten people, while trying to prove your impact to funders who think “outputs” and “outcomes” are synonyms.

You don’t need a savior. You need a partner.

Knoll & Krest get it. They’ve seen the spreadsheets, the scar tissue, the duct-taped plans. And they’re still here, sleeves rolled up, helping nonprofits turn chaos into clarity.

In Conclusion (Because Apparently I’m a Blogger Now)

I may not work in nonprofit consulting. But I’ve watched Knoll & Krest enough to know this: they’re doing something different. Something honest. Something powerful.

And if you’re a nonprofit leader wondering whether anyone actually gets what you’re up against… they do.

I’ll be the guy in the back with snacks and a confused look, but trust me, Knoll & Krest is the real deal. Come talk to them. It’s like having your own nonprofit SWAT team… minus the helmets and with better fonts.

Let’s get to work…. With them… K&K… not me… but I’ll bring the snacks.