Solutions for Changemakers: Empowering Nonprofits

Empowering the People That Power Change

Standing Beside Nonprofit Leaders

At Solutions for Changemakers, we empower the people who power change. Nonprofit leaders face complex and evolving challenges, and we believe you deserve more than quick fixes or one-size-fits-all advice. Our mission is to help your organization find clarity, build confidence, and strengthen its capacity to lead meaningful change. We transform leadership from reactive to resilient with empathy and practical implementation. As advocates, allies, and partners, we stand beside you to drive progress that lasts. 

The Values that Drive Us

Growth Mindset

We embrace continuous learning, innovation, and adaptability, continuously evolving to best support changemakers and strengthen the nonprofit sector.

Integrity

We uphold transparency, confidentiality, and trust, always acting with honesty and alignment to our values.

Empathy

We foster inclusion and connection, treating every person with kindness, humility, and respect.

Resiliency

We embrace challenges with grit and determination, staying adaptable and committed to creating meaningful change.

Board Governance

We bring clarity to decision-making, roles, and responsibilities so boards and executive leaders can work together effectively and advance your mission.

Strategy Planning

We facilitate inclusive processes that unite your team, spark meaningful conversations, and shape a shared vision for the future. 

Succession Planning

We help your organization remain resilient through change by strengthening your people, processes, and systems today.

Executive Coaching & Support

Receive personalized guidance tailored to your unique challenges, helping you navigate complex leadership issues.

Why We’re Different

We understand that strong governance and clear strategy are both essential for nonprofit success – and they work best when connected. Our work spans governance, strategy, and succession planning because these elements reinforce each other: healthy governance creates the conditions for effective strategy, and leadership continuity ensures that strategy endures. 

Our nonprofit expertise means we navigate sector-specific challenges – such as balancing mission and financial sustainability, managing multiple stakeholders, and addressing governance complexities that outsiders often overlook. Whether you engage us for governance, strategy, succession planning, or all three, we bring insight and practical tools to help boards and leaders strengthen governance, align strategy, and invest in leadership that lasts. 

About the Founder

I’m Josh Kilgas, and I’ve worked across the nonprofit sector—as a staff member, executive leader, board member, board chair, and volunteer. I’ve seen the pressure that comes with leading a mission, managing people, and moving an organization forward when the stakes are high and resources are limited.

In every role, I kept seeing the same thing: leaders trying to do too much with too little support. That’s what led me to create Solutions for Changemakers. This work is rooted in my hands-on experience and deepened through my Master of Public Administration, where I focused on nonprofit leadership and management.

Today, I work alongside nonprofit leaders and boards to provide practical guidance, strategic clarity, and a space to think out loud. With a small but mighty team behind me, we’re building a practice that supports the people doing the hardest and most meaningful work. If you’re carrying a lot, leading through complexity, and looking for a partner who understands this space, I’m glad you’re here. 

Testimonials

“When our small United Way faced a series of staffing, economic, and governance challenges, we knew we needed a true expert—someone with deep problem-solving skills, strong connections, and extensive United Way knowledge. Through United Way NEXT, we connected with Josh Kilgas, and in just six months, he has transformed our operations. He implemented sustainable processes, introduced best practices for resource development and fundraising, ensured all compliance deadlines were met, and played a crucial role in our executive director search. I highly recommend Josh and would be happy to speak on his behalf.”

-Jessica Jacobson, President, United Way of Dodge County

“Josh brings such a breadth and depth of experience to his consulting work, along with a keen ability to diagnose situations. He is equally skilled and assured when advising small grassroots nonprofits as he is with long-established organizations. I see Josh as a believer in the power of human beings to ‘bend the arc’ toward justice through nonprofits—while also recognizing that it takes hard change work for this to happen.”

Nancy Heykes, Nonprofit Leadership Initiative (NPLI), Development and Board Governance Consultant

Solutions for Changemakers has helped our board move beyond stagnation by improving efficiencies and giving us the clarity we needed to make confident, informed decisions for our organization’s future.”

-Sheila Fenolio, Villa Phoenix Board Member

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