Introducing JustFund’s Partnership with Consultants for Good

Jan 27, 2026

Iara Peng, Founder and CEO of JustFund, sits down with Lauren Andraski, Founder and CEO of Consultants for Good, to explore what it takes to better support nonprofits in a rapidly shifting funding and policy landscape.

The conversation also introduces the new partnership between JustFund and Consultants for Good, including a series of practical workshops and on-demand resources designed to help nonprofits on JustFund respond to today’s challenges with clarity, confidence, and support. Keep reading to learn how JustFund and Consultants for Good are working to build a more connected nonprofit ecosystem, one where funders, nonprofits, and consultants learn and adapt together.


Iara Peng Founder & CEO, JustFund	Lauren Andraski Founder and CEO of Consultants for Good

Iara: I’d love to start at the beginning. What motivated you to build Consultants for Good?

Lauren: Consultants for Good started from personal experience. I was running a struggling consulting business after moving to a new city where I didn’t know anyone. I had the skills to do the work, but not the support to run the business. I needed community, local peers, and a place to ask honest questions. At the same time, I saw nonprofits hiring consultants who weren’t always the right fit, often because they didn’t know where else to look. Consultants for Good was built to solve both problems: creating community and resources for consultants, and helping nonprofits find the right expertise for their needs.

Iara: When did Consultants for Good launch, and what has it grown into today?

Lauren: We started in 2018 with about 15 people meeting in a coffee shop basement in Denver. Today, Consultants for Good is a national community of over 1,500 consultants working with nonprofits across the country, still deeply relationship-driven and largely grown through word of mouth.

Iara: You work closely with nonprofits of all sizes, but you’ve talked a lot about small nonprofits specifically. What challenges are these organizations facing?

Lauren: Small nonprofits are often stretched thin and wearing every hat. Hiring a consultant can take a huge weight off your shoulders, but often feels either completely out of reach financially or overly complex, like you need to be an expert just to run a hiring process. We also see nonprofits relying on informal referrals, which can limit access to diverse expertise, lived experience, and specialized skills. Small nonprofits deserve the right support without having to navigate burdensome processes.

Iara: That’s a big reason this partnership feels so aligned. What excites you most about partnering with JustFund?

Lauren: JustFund’s focus on equity and reducing unnecessary barriers in the sector really resonates with us. While you’re addressing access to funding, we’re focused on access to expertise, and those challenges are deeply connected. Together, we can help nonprofits spend less time navigating systems that weren’t built for them and more time doing their mission-critical work.

Iara: Through this partnership, we’re launching a series of monthly trainings for JustFund’s network of 24,000 nonprofits as part of our Thrive program. Why was this model important right now?

Lauren: Nonprofits are facing increased uncertainty, funding cuts, policy shifts, staffing challenges, and they need practical, timely support. These trainings are designed to be actionable, content-rich, and non-salesy. Whether a nonprofit needs just one webinar, downloadable tools, or deeper support later on, we want to meet them where they are and make it easy to take the next step. The world is so much stronger when nonprofits thrive!

Iara: What kinds of gaps are you seeing nonprofits struggle with most right now?

Lauren: Access to funding is an ongoing challenge, which is exacerbated by the current political moment and tied to many others, including staff burnout, grant strategy, fundraising infrastructure, and navigating uncertainty. Consultants are uniquely positioned to help because they’re working across many organizations at once and can spot trends quickly and offer an outside perspective. Our goal is to share that collective insight in ways nonprofits can actually use.

Iara: If you could wave a magic wand, what impact do you hope this partnership has?

Lauren: I hope nonprofit leaders, especially those wearing multiple hats, feel supported and less alone. That they gain confidence in what they’re already doing, clarity about what they didn’t know, and a clear path to resources when they need them. Ultimately, I’d love to see a more connected sector where funders, nonprofits, and consultants are learning and adapting together instead of working in silos.

Iara: Anything else nonprofits should know?

Lauren: Consultants for Good also offers free tools, templates, on-demand resources, and soon a DIY toolkit for running an equitable and transparent consultant search. You don’t have to be ready to hire a consultant to benefit, as our goal is to provide support at every stage.

What’s Next: Monthly Trainings for Nonprofits

As part of our partnership with Consultants for Good, JustFund is launching our Thrive program, a monthly training series, on-demand resources, and cohort-based learning designed to give nonprofits practical, actionable support, right when they need it.

Upcoming sessions will cover: