Strategic Restructuring Consultant

Consultant Details:

Contact: Jess Skylar
Name of Firm: Helia Collective
Language Spoken: English
Website/LinkedIn URL: https://www.theheliacollective.com/

Consultant Expertise

Communications strategy & rebranding/marketing, Cultural due diligence/integration, Facilitation of integration planning, HR integration, Wind-down and dissolution

Program Areas

Community and Economic Development, Education, Health, Human Rights, Human Services, Information and Communications, Philanthropy, Social Sciences, Sports and Recreation

Number of Individuals in Firm:

2

Names and Titles of Individuals in Firm:

Jess Skylar
Founding Partner
Liz Mills
Founding Partner

Names and Titles of Individuals in Firm:

Jess Skylar
Founding Partner
Liz Mills
Founding Partner

Firm or Consultant Address:

4316 Guardia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90032

RFQ Contact Name:

Jess Skylar

RFQ Contact Phone:

323-447-4495

Geographic area currently served by firm (select all that apply):

Los Angeles, California, USA, International

How would you describe the range of diversity reflected in your firm’s consultants and leadership (or self, if sole practitioner)?

Both founding partners identify as queer white women, and we work with a collective of practitioners with a wide range of identities across gender, class and race.

Please describe your mission, values, and approach:

Jess Skylar (she/her) brings over 20 years of experience turning bold visions into reality across nonprofits, tech, and social impact. She helped launch HIP Investor as one of the first social impact investing firms, scaled Revolution Foods nationally, and co-led Think of Us through transformative growth—scaling the team by 750% and raising over $70M, including $50M through The Audacious Project.

Now, as founder of Helia Collective alongside partner Liz Mills, Jess leads a team dedicated to being the group you call when you need a problem solved. We exist to make big visions happen for mission-driven organizations navigating complex challenges. We partner with folks at inflection points, turning bold ideas into actionable strategies with real follow-through.

Helia’s approach? Start with deep listening, then offer three layers:
  • We do (hands-on partnership)
  • We connect (vetted experts from our Collective)
  • We share (free tools through our Helia Library)

Helia is built by and for doers, believing wisdom should be shared so no one starts from a blank page. We’re not just strategy advisors—we’re “get it done” partners who show up with sleeves rolled up. As clients tell us: “Now I feel like I have this magic resource in my back pocket—a true partner who can help turn complexity into clarity while keeping our heart at the center” and “Gift of a brilliant and kind person 100% in my corner and cheering me on.” 

Trust us—we’ve been there.

What expertise or perspective do you bring to organizations looking to ground their collaboration practices in values of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

For us, equity means centering lived experience in everything we do. We’re constantly asking: who needs to be centered in this work? Who’s closest to the impact? Who should be leading this conversation, and are we making space for that?

Please describe your ideal engagement. Feel free to include issue area and scope of project:

We love working with mission-driven organizations at pivotal moments—scaling, transitioning, or realigning. We specialize in strategic planning, leadership alignment, sustainable business model development, and organizational assessments. Issue areas include youth and families, racial and gender justice, community development, education, and systems change. Ideal scope: 3–6 month partnerships combining strategic thought partnership with hands-on support. We work best as true collaborators. Our favorite feedback:“You made things feel possible again” and “They gave us the gift of space to do the work we needed but didn’t know how to create space for.”

How many strategic restructuring projects have you or your firm been involved with?

3 sustained collaborations as defined by NSI—resulting in long-term structural changes such as leadership realignment, shared services infrastructure, or strategic redesign.

Please describe your fee structure:

Core offerings: Strategic Planning (~3 months, $18,000), Hands-On Thought Partnership (3+ months, starting at $10,000), Other services (generally starting at $5,000+). While we base our rates on $200-$300/hour, we prefer to structure our work with project rates and/or monthly retainers to give us the greatest flexibility in supporting your team.

What percentage of your clients are within the nonprofit sector?

~70%

Are you open to remote engagements?

Yes

Briefly describe 1-3 examples of restructuring projects with which you have been involved. Please name all participating organizations. (Please prioritize NSI-funded and/or LA-based organizations).

LA Más:
Supported their full organizational restructuring from flat to multi-layered leadership. We did listening sessions with everyone, then co-designed decision-making frameworks, shared planning tools (OKRs), and communications models. As their ED Helen said: “Helia transformed our overwhelming to-do lists into clarity while honoring what makes us special. They created spaciousness with frameworks and deliverables, but more importantly, they helped us remember why we love doing this work.”

Just in Time for Foster Youth:
Conducted our Discovery360 assessment during leadership transition and national growth. We identified shifts needed for scaling, developed shared services infrastructure designs, and advised on organizational design to support cross-site collaboration. The organization is now transitioning toward a shared operational model for scaling while maintaining local fidelity.

Rise Up:
Hands-on partners during their transition from fiscal sponsorship to independent 501(c)(3). We designed org-wide structure, supported operations manual development, and created Manager Community of Practice with team-wide training. As their Deputy Director Emily said: “What sets Helia apart is how they just jump in and get things done. They consistently met us where we were with optimism, encouragement, and practical solutions.”

Add any other information you feel would aid in understanding the value you or your consulting firm can bring to a strategic restructuring exploration or implementation process:

We specialize in helping organizations navigate complexity during growth, transition, or uncertainty. What we bring is practical, steady support that makes the work feel doable. We listen deeply, get aligned quickly, and help teams move from vision to real steps. Our superpower? Helping teams make real progress without losing sight of who they are. The work isn’t just strategic—it’s relational, cultural, and emotional too. When needed, we tap into our broader Collective so organizations can access exactly the right support at the right time.

Want to see more of our work? Check out our Helia Library at https://www.theheliacollective.com/library for free tools, case studies, and resources. You can also explore our Collective at  https://www.theheliacollective.com/collective to see the range of experts we work with.

Please list up to 5 Consultants from your firm

Jess Skylar
 je**@****************ve.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-skylar/
Natalie Bergstrasser
be********************@***il.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-bergstrasser-msw66209b41/
Alyza Jehangir
al***@************io.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyza-j-82a79929/
Libby Fischer
el***************@***il.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-elizabeth-fischer661b3a1b/
Rachel Wyley
ra**********@************is.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/culturekinesis/