Lisa’s Story: Finding a Niche in Nonprofit Consulting
By Lisa Scott
I was recently filling out a form to be featured in a newsletter, and one of the prompts asked me to share my story. I had this moment of, wait a minute—I’ve never actually told the full story to my TGP community!
While we’ve been around as a company officially since 2022, really the origins of this work go way back in time and have been shaped by the unique experiences I’ve been blessed to have.
So, here it is: how I got here, or really, how this work found me.
I Thought I Was Meant for Accounting…Until I Realized I Wasn’t
I started my career as a college intern at what was then called (Arthur) Andersen, one of the big six accounting firms at the time. I was majoring in accounting, but by my sophomore year I quickly realized it just wasn’t for me.
So I pivoted to computer science, and Andersen allowed me to transfer to the Business Consulting group, where I ended up accepting an offer upon graduation.
About five or six years into my time there performing technology-based work, I began working more closely with nonprofit clients, and I loved it!
I loved it for a lot of reasons, and one of the biggest was this: I saw more people of color. It was a sector where I felt more at home. Not completely, but more at home than I had felt in corporate.
Andersen was an incredible training ground, and I’m grateful for it. But it wasn’t until I started working with nonprofits that I had this moment of clarity:
This is my sector.
From Corporate Consulting to Mission-Driven Work
These were mission-based organizations doing good in the world—not just helping corporations make more money. And that mattered to me.
My work led me to a major project with The Nature Conservancy, and it was so memorable and fulfilling, that when an opportunity emerged to join them as Director of Applications Development at their worldwide office, I jumped.
For the first time, I was fully inside a nonprofit. And it was incredible.
I Loved the Mission, But…
After overseeing several large-scale systems project, I had another realization:
I don’t think I’m meant to stay inside one organization.
I have what I call the “consultant’s gene.” I love variety. I love solving complex problems. And I don’t love getting stuck in any one place long-term. As a consultant, there’s always an endpoint. You come in, you create change, you move on.
So I Built a Career Around Solving Complex Problems
After a couple of years, I partnered with Doug Barker—a former Senior Manager in Andersen’s Business Consulting group, and the CIO responsible for hiring me to work at The Nature Conservavncy—and we started Barker & Scott Consulting.
Our first client was the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in New York.
After that work we sold another project. And another. And another.
What I thought might be a short-term venture turned into a 20-year career.
And Later The Transformational Giving Playbook™ Was Born
During my time at Barker & Scott, I had the opportunity to develop an early version of what would become The Transformational Giving Playbook™ at City Year. They implemented it. It worked.
I did a similar project at Facing History & Ourselves. It worked there too.
And I realized that the success of this work wasn’t a one-off.
That realization changed everything.
So in 2022, after 20 years at Barker & Scott, I went out on my own to focus exclusively on teaching and helping nonprofits implement The Transformational Giving Playbook™.
The Results Proved This Work Works
Since then, I’ve seen incredible results.
One of my favorite stories is from Russatta Buford, the former COO of DataKind. She read my book and it helped her team raise over $3 million in nine months. They felt more and more confident as they implemented the structures I recommended and refined their case for support.
It is truly the honor of my life to help nonprofits raise more money so they can impact more lives.
Today, my work sits at the intersection of training, mentorship, and coaching. That combination is my niche, and it’s what drives real transformation. Together, those elements don’t just increase revenue, they change how nonprofit staff think, operate, and show up. And they turn donors into committed, long-term philanthropic partners.
What’s Next for TGP: More Accessibility Beyond the Largest Nonprofits
Much of my work up until this point has been with large, federated organizations like the ACLU, Covenant House, Doctors Without Borders, MS Society of Canada, Share Our Strength, and others. I love working with large, complex organizations.
But I also am deeply aware of something else:
A lot of the most important work in the world is being done by small and mid-sized nonprofits, and they don’t always have access to this level of support.
That’s why I’m building my newest offering at TGP: an asynchronous On-Demand Essentials course to make this method more accessible and to help organizations of all sizes learn the science of transformational gift fundraising.
Looking ahead, my focus is:
- How do I reach more of those organizations?
- How do I help them transform what’s possible?
- And how do I do that in a way that is both scalable and deeply impactful?
I hope you’ll continue tuning in to my journey!
And if you know of any small or mid-sized nonprofits who could use support with their major gift fundraising efforts, please share this post. It would be my honor to connect with them!