Honest answers to the questions people ask before they're ready to ask them out loud.
Just as a death doula supports a person and their family through the dying process — with presence, planning, and care — we do the same for organizations and the people who built them. We help founders, executives, and boards navigate closures, transitions, and endings with intention rather than panic. That means strategic planning, emotional support, and practical guidance from the moment you start considering an exit to well after the doors close.
Not at all. We work with organizations at every stage of an ending — including successful ones. Sometimes the right time to close is when things are going well. Mission-complete nonprofits, founders ready for retirement, leaders navigating acquisition or merger, or entrepreneurs who simply want to move on — all of these are legitimate reasons to wind down, and all of them benefit from thoughtful stewardship.
There's rarely a single moment of clarity — more often it's a growing sense that the organization has done what it set out to do, or that continuing would require more than you're willing or able to give. If you're asking the question, it's probably worth exploring. We offer initial consultations specifically designed to help you think through where you are, what your options look like, and what closing well would actually mean for you.
Every engagement is different, but most follow a similar arc: we begin with a deep listening session to understand your situation, goals, and concerns. From there we co-create a closure plan — covering legal and financial wind-down, stakeholder communication, staff transitions, and whatever legacy work matters to you. We then walk alongside you through execution, adjusting as things unfold. The timeline can range from a few weeks to over a year depending on complexity.
Yes. Nonprofit sunsetting has its own particular texture — fiduciary duties to the board, obligations to funders, care for beneficiaries, and the deep personal identity that mission-driven leaders often carry. We have experience with nonprofit governance, community stakeholder communication, and the specific legal and reputational considerations that come with closing a charitable organization with integrity.
There are legal minimums — and then there's what it means to close well. We help you understand both. On the practical side, we'll work through severance, benefits continuation, final payroll, reference letters, and WARN Act compliance where applicable. On the human side, we'll help you think through how to communicate, how to honor the work people did, and how to support your team in landing well on the other side.
Yes — this is one of the more painful and common situations we encounter. When partners disagree about whether, when, or how to close, the conflict can become as costly as the closure itself. We offer mediation and facilitated conversation to help co-founders and leadership teams reach decisions they can all live with, and then execute on those decisions with care.
Our engagements are scoped individually based on the complexity of your situation, the timeline, and the level of support you need. We offer everything from a single strategy session to full end-to-end closure management. We're transparent about pricing from the first conversation — reach out and we'll give you a clear picture of what an engagement would look like for your specific situation.