What Spoke Consulting does

Spoke Consulting is a boutique strategic communications consultancy that exclusively serves nonprofit organizations and philanthropic foundations. Founded by Erin Fogg in Carmel, California, the firm provides integrated communications services designed to help social good organizations communicate more effectively across in-person, online, print, and press channels. Its client base ranges from local Monterey Peninsula foundations to national institutions, with named engagements including the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Big Sur Land Trust, Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School, and Nonprofit Finance Fund — several of which span 10+ years.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model offering five interconnected service lines: Public Affairs (research, environmental scans, coalition building, crisis communications), Media Relations (press releases, op-eds, media pitching), Strategic Communications Planning (brainstorming, audience testing, writing), Online + Print Communications (graphic and web design, social media, brand packaging), and Events & Meeting Facilitation (full-service event management and facilitation). Engagements are either defined scope-of-work with fixed timelines or hourly collaborations, supported by free introductory consultations and multi-year contracts. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

The team consists of eight professionals — a Founder and Principal, Managing Director, Senior Project Associate, Senior Design Associate, Junior Project Associate, Graphic Design + Project Associate, Operations Manager, and Bookkeeper — with staff deliberately cross-trained across press, writing, web development, design, and event functions. The firm is founder-owned and bootstrapped with no external investors or parent company, operates from a single Carmel office at 7162 Carmel Valley Road, and is not currently hiring. Spoke Consulting positions itself as accessible to nonprofits through phone-based consultations and direct engagement.

Name

Spoke Consulting

Legal name

Spoke Consulting

Website

https://spokeconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boutique strategic communications consultancy exclusively serving nonprofit organizations and philanthropic foundations. The firm provides public affairs, media relations, strategic planning, digital/print communications, and event management services from its Carmel, California headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Communications Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Nonprofit communications consulting
• Strategic communications planning
• Public relations services
• Media relations consulting
• Event management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Project-based engagements with either defined scope of work and fixed timeline, or ongoing hourly collaboration. Services span public affairs, media relations, strategic communications planning, online and print communications, and event management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spoke Consulting is a boutique communications consulting firm that exclusively serves nonprofits and foundations. It delivers five interconnected service lines—Public Affairs, Media Relations, Strategic Communications Planning, Online + Print Communications, and Events & Meeting Facilitation—through either defined-scope project engagements or ongoing hourly collaboration. Work spans strategy, creative, digital, and event execution tailored to each client's mission, budget, and stakeholders.

Product overview

Spoke Consulting is a strategic communications firm that operates as a single unified service offering rather than a modular software platform. Their portfolio consists of five interconnected communications service lines—Public Affairs, Media Relations, Strategic Communications Planning, Online + Print Communications, and Events & Meeting Facilitation—all tailored exclusively for nonprofit organizations and foundations. These services work together to provide strength and stability in connecting social good organizations with their communities and stakeholders through in-person, online, print, and press communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Affairs Services Research, environmental scans, coalition building, and crisis communications for social good organizations, including dedicated Coordinator, Analyst, and Trusted Adviser support.
• Media Relations Services Press releases, op-eds, media lists, and email and telephone pitching services to give voice to nonprofit work, from local outlets to major publications.
• Strategic Communications Planning Brainstorming, audience testing, planning, and professional writing services to help nonprofit organizations define their road forward.
• Online + Print Communications Graphic and web design, social media, collateral development, and complete brand packaging for unified communications across digital and print channels.
• Events & Meeting Facilitation Full-service event management, targeted event support, and facilitation of one-on-one and small-group meetings including planning, agenda development, and in-person facilitation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Long-term client relationships spanning 10+ years with repeat engagements

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Blue State: Blue State is a digital communications agency working with nonprofits, advocacy groups, and causes on strategy, creative, and digital campaigns, comparable to Spoke's integrated digital and strategic communications services.
• Burness: Burness is a communications firm specializing in nonprofits, foundations, and social impact organizations, providing strategic communications, media, and storytelling services that directly overlap with Spoke's offerings to the same vertical.
• Spitfire Strategies: Spitfire Strategies is a strategic communications firm focused on social impact organizations, providing messaging, media relations, and campaign strategy that closely mirrors Spoke's core service lines for foundation and advocacy clients.
• Fenton Communications: Fenton is a social change communications agency serving nonprofits, advocacy groups, and foundations with strategic communications, media relations, and public affairs services comparable to Spoke's public affairs and media relations offerings.
• Clyde Group: Clyde Group is a public affairs and communications firm that serves nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and social impact clients, comparable to Spoke's public affairs and coalition-building service line.
• M+R Strategies: M+R Strategies is one of the largest marketing and communications agencies dedicated exclusively to nonprofits, advocacy, and foundations, making it the most direct comparable to Spoke Consulting in terms of vertical specialization and service mix.
• Big Duck: Big Duck is a branding and communications agency exclusively serving nonprofits, offering strategy, identity, and campaign work closely paralleling Spoke's nonprofit-only positioning and full-service communications model.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Edelman is a global public relations firm whose broader portfolio includes a dedicated social impact practice serving nonprofits and foundations, making it a broad incumbent competitor that overlaps with Spoke's strategic communications and public affairs work.
• Ketchum: Ketchum is a global public relations firm with nonprofit and social impact capabilities that competes with Spoke on integrated communications, public affairs, and brand work for foundation and advocacy clients.
• Ogilvy PR: Ogilvy is a global communications and marketing network with a social impact practice that competes with Spoke for nonprofit and foundation engagements requiring strategy, creative, and media relations at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/spokespeak
• Facebookfacebook.com/spokeconsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spoke-consulting
• Instagraminstagram.com/spokespeak

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spoke Consulting