Testimonials
“Yvonne is a seasoned, multi-talented and versatile leader who brings a wide range of skills and experience to the table. Yvonne joined our team during a period of staff transition as a fractional staff member and immediately stabilized our work. We were confident from day one in her ability to coordinate with our team internally and engage externally with our clients. She brought clarity and structure to a complex portfolio, helped us reorganize processes, and uncovered insights that strengthened our internal procedures. Yvonne also helped redefined priorities for the role, prepared the team for a permanent hire, and ensured the new staff member was fully onboarded and ready to take the work forward. Her thoughtful, results-focused approach kept relationships and projects moving positively — we couldn’t have made the same progress without her. Her hands-on work during a time of transition maintained 18 strategic partnerships and sheltered $1.7M in annual revenue. We highly recommend Yvonne for any organization considering fractional staffing. She is a strategic, steadying hand; brings structure and clarity, creates momentum, and ensures a seamless handoff to permanent staff.”
-Larry Buycks, Chief Financial Officer & Michele Frix, Executive Vice President, Seattle Foundation
“Proximity, through Yvonne's expertise, was crucial to helping our team prioritize and make decisions to best align our work, resources, and staff expertise to drive outcomes. As a result, we’ve made substantive progress against our impact goals, and our internal business partners better understand how our work serves them and are eager to partner with us in new and impactful ways.”
- Taldi Harrison, Former Director, Community & Government Affairs, REI
“Yvonne was the trusted partner crucial for our organization during a period of transition. Yvonne helped our staff and board successfully navigate multiple elements of change, ultimately creating the clarity and direction we needed. Her work with both staff and board helped us determine what was most important and build a path forward that the full organization is excited about. In addition, Yvonne's intentional process helped us begin developing increased trust and better delineation between board and staff roles, making us a stronger organization that can drive greater impact.”
- Annie Nyborg, Chair, The Conservation Alliance; Head of Environmental and Social Impact, Peak Design
“As Board Chair of the San Juan Island Community Foundation (SJICF), I had the pleasure of working with Proximity during our recent strategic planning process. Yvonne’s approach was exemplary from start to finish. She skillfully engaged with a broad spectrum of stakeholders—including our Board, staff, donors, the non-profits we support, and community members—ensuring every voice was heard. The result was a comprehensive and insightful strategic plan that will serve as a guiding document for SJICF’s work over the next five years.
Many of our Board members, having participated in similar processes in the past, commented that this experience with Yvonne was by far the most effective and meaningful. Yvonne’s warm personality, combined with her ability to navigate the diverse personalities and dynamics inherent to any board, made the process not only productive but also enjoyable. Her professionalism, insight, and ability to distill complex input into clear, actionable goals were impressive.
The outstanding work produced by Yvonne and Proximity has set SJICF on a confident path forward, and I wholeheartedly recommend her services to any organization looking for strategic direction and exceptional facilitation.”
- John Moalli, Board Chair, San Juan Island Community Foundation (SJICF)
“Yvonne’s expertise was exactly what we needed. She helped us develop clarity and brought order to a complex set of ideas, enabling us to advance our work. Her ability to think strategically, ask the right questions, develop trust, and keep a broad range of stakeholders focused were crucial to our success.”
- Ted Grossnickle, Chair, The Working Group of the Generosity Commission; Founder and Senior Consultant, JGA Associates
Current and Previous Clients Include
