Together, we've earned national recognition for community engagement and driven the growth of programs that move tens of millions of dollars into the communities that need them most.
We don't just advise.
We ask the right questions, build the right relationships,
and help you create — and tell — a story that lasts.
Claire Berman
Principal and Cofounder
Every project starts with asking good questions of all the right people.
I am a health and science communicator, qualitative and mixed-methods researcher, and community engagement specialist with a passion for making science and technology human-centered and accessible to everyone. For almost two decades, I've led qualitative and mixed-methods research, writing projects, and narrative strategy across complex topics, helping organizations translate complex ideas into stories that resonate. For 13 years, I led communications and community engagement for a national pediatric HIV study, where the National Institutes of Health recognized my approach as the "gold standard for community engagement."
I love to find the most creative solution for each client. I bring both rigor and empathy to every project, bridging the gap between technical expertise and real-world impact. Whether you're navigating complex research, building trust with communities, or crafting a narrative that moves people, I'm here to help you tell your story with clarity and purpose.
John Fitterer
Principal and Cofounder
With nearly thirty years of leadership across information technology, operations, marketing and communications, and fundraising, I help organizations spend more of their energy on mission and less on the processes and machinery behind it.
That principle sits at the center of how I approach operations. Operations is where fundraising, technology, financial oversight, and long-range planning meet. It is the work of aligning people, systems, and infrastructure so that staff are freed for the work that advances an organization's mission and vision. Done well, it raises revenue, lowers operating costs, and makes the entire organization more effecient.
My career began in business development and national sales for a software and web applications company, where I grew annual revenue substantially, built durable partnerships, and led a business development team. I brought that momentum to the nonprofit sector in 2007 as Director of Resource Development and External Affairs at Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation, where I built a fundraising and communications program that secured consistent six-figure, multiyear commitments.
I then spent more than ten years at the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), first as Director of Communications and later as Director of Operations. At MACDC I led a full brand redesign, grew revenue by more than 50 percent, and helped lead the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program, which now channels close to $20 million a year into community development across the state.
Most recently, as Strategic Communications, Marketing, and IT Officer at the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (MHIC), I led a rebranding initiative and communications strategy, managed a full annual calendar of networking events, directed the company's charitable giving programs, and supported financing applications. I also set IT strategy and served as Website Administrator, evidence that operational leadership and technology strategy belong in the same hands.