ckSYNERGY

What ckSYNERGY does

ckSYNERGY is a Phoenix-based nonprofit-sector consulting firm co-founded in 2014 by Colleen Conley and Amanda Kaye, both MNLM graduates of Arizona State University. The firm provides strategic planning, organizational assessments, meeting facilitation, conflict management, board development, executive coaching, leadership transition support, and nonprofit merger/sustained collaboration services to nonprofit organizations, schools, coalitions, foundations, and boards. Service delivery is human-centered and methodology-driven, drawing on a curated toolkit of established frameworks including Appreciative Inquiry, BART, Consensus Decision-Making, Emergent Learning, the Nonprofit Lifecycle Framework, PESTLE, Purpose-Driven Board Leadership, and the Nonprofit Mergers Workbook; the firm has no proprietary software platform or technology stack.

The business operates as a professional services LLC with 1-10 employees, no external funding, and no disclosed revenue. Its go-to-market is direct and relationship-driven: prospects are routed through a 30-minute Zoom consultation or email/phone inquiry, and engagements are scoped and priced per project on an opaque basis. The firm's principal channel assets are its co-founders' credentials (Lifecycle Capacity Consultant certifications, Vitalyst Health Foundation training, Alliance Fellowship) and referrals through the Arizona nonprofit ecosystem, including affiliations with the Nonprofit Lifecycle Institute, Vitalyst Health Foundation's TAP Team of Consultants, and Local First Arizona. Geographic scope is described as the United States, but the operational footprint is concentrated in Phoenix, Arizona.

The company is privately held by its two co-founders, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or known ownership changes. Beyond the 2014 founding, no subsequent funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches, regulatory actions, or leadership changes have been disclosed, indicating a stable, boutique consultancy rather than a high-growth venture.

Name

ckSYNERGY

Legal name

ckSYNERGY, LLC

Website

https://cksynergy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ckSYNERGY is a Phoenix-based consulting firm co-founded in 2014 that provides strategic planning, facilitation, board development, executive coaching, and merger advisory services to nonprofit organizations, schools, coalitions, and foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Management Consulting

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Coaching, Mentoring & Facilitation Services (BPACANAI)

Keywords

• Nonprofit consulting services
• Strategic planning facilitation
• Board development training
• Executive coaching services
• Organizational development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: ckSYNERGY generates revenue through professional consulting engagements including strategic planning, organizational assessments, executive coaching, leadership training, board development, meeting facilitation, conflict management, and merger/acquisition consulting services for nonprofit organizations and community groups.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ckSYNERGY provides consulting, facilitation, and strategic planning services for nonprofit organizations, schools, coalitions, foundations, and boards. Core service lines include Board Development, Leadership (executive coaching and transitions), Foundation Services (strategic planning, M&A, conflict management), and specialized services for organizations, schools, and coalitions/collaboratives. Engagements are delivered through a multi-framework methodology stack including Appreciative Inquiry, BART, Consensus Decision-Making, the Nonprofit Lifecycle Framework, PESTLE, and The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook.

Product overview

ckSYNERGY is a consulting firm offering professional services organized into four main practice areas: Board Development (including training and retreats), Leadership Services (executive coaching, transitions, workshops, strategic planning), Foundation Services (strategic planning, M&A, conflict management), and specialized services for Organizations, Schools, and Coalitions. These services are delivered through various methodological frameworks including Appreciative Inquiry, BART, Consensus Decision-Making, Emergent Learning, Lifecycle Framework, PESTLE, Purpose-Driven Board Leadership, and The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook. The firm operates as a unified consulting practice rather than a platform with discrete software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Development Services Board Development, Board Training, and Retreats designed to strengthen governance, leadership capabilities, and effectiveness of organizational boards for nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations.
• Leadership Services Executive Coaching, Leadership Transitions, Workshops and Training Programs, Consultant Training and Mentorship, and Strategic Planning, Assessments, and Facilitation for executive leaders and leadership teams of nonprofit and community organizations.
• Foundation Services Strategic Planning, Mission/Vision/Values development, Organizational Assessments, Mergers and Acquisitions, Conflict Management, and Meeting Facilitation tailored to foundation clients and their leadership.
• Organizations, Schools, and Coalitions + Collaboratives Services Consulting and facilitation services tailored for organizations, schools, and coalition/collaborative groups, including strategic planning, organizational assessments, meeting facilitation, and collaboration framework support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enabled organizations to complete merger processes with coaching, communication support, and strategic preparation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vitalyst Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerckSYNERGY co-founders Colleen Conley and Amanda Kaye have ongoing professional affiliations with Vitalyst Health Foundation. Both received training from Vitalyst including Professional Interim Executive Director and Mergers & Acquisitions certifications. Colleen was recognized by Vitalyst Health Foundation as an exemplary facilitator and was invited to join the Alliance Fellowship. Amanda is part of Vitalyst's TAP Team of Consultants.
• Nonprofit Lifecycle InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth Colleen Conley and Amanda Kaye are Certified Lifecycle Capacity Consultants and members of the Nonprofit Lifecycle Institute. The Lifecycle Framework is a core methodology used in ckSYNERGY's consulting practice, asserting that stronger nonprofits lead to stronger communities.
• Alliance FellowshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColleen Conley was invited to join the Alliance Fellowship through her recognition by Vitalyst Health Foundation as an exemplary facilitator.
• Local First ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmanda Kaye is a member of Local First Arizona, indicating professional affiliation with this organization supporting local businesses and communities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• LaSalle Nonprofit Partners (formerly LaSalle Consulting Group): Nonprofit-focused advisory firm providing board development, strategic planning, and executive transition services. Strongly comparable to ckSYNERGY's leadership and foundation engagement mix.
• Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute: Source of the Lifecycle Framework methodology used by ckSYNERGY. Provides training, certification, and capacity-building resources to nonprofit consultants and organizations—closely aligned with ckSYNERGY's practice and certifications.
• Cause Strategy Partners: Nonprofit capacity-building consultancy offering strategic planning, board development, and coalition facilitation. Direct overlap with ckSYNERGY's board development, strategic planning, and coalitions practice areas.
• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: Bay Area-based nonprofit consulting and research organization providing executive coaching, leadership development, and strategic planning services. Closely matches ckSYNERGY's executive coaching and leadership transitions practice areas.
• TCC Group: Consulting firm offering strategy, evaluation, and capacity-building services specifically to nonprofits, foundations, and their funders. Closely aligned with ckSYNERGY's vertical focus and the Lifecycle-style organizational assessment approach.
• Third Sector Capital Partners: Nonprofit and social sector advisory firm providing strategy, capacity-building, and Pay for Success consulting. Comparable to ckSYNERGY in serving mission-driven organizations, though more specialized toward outcomes-based contracting.
• La Piana Consulting: Founded by David La Piana, author of The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook which ckSYNERGY uses as a core methodology. La Piana Consulting provides M&A, strategic restructuring, and capacity-building services to nonprofits—directly mirroring ckSYNERGY's foundation and coalition practice areas.

Broad incumbents

• BDO USA Nonprofit & Education Practice: Large accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated nonprofit and education practice offering strategic planning, governance, and M&A services. Represents the broad incumbent tier that ckSYNERGY competes against for larger foundation engagements.
• Baker Tilly Nonprofit Practice: Top-10 advisory firm with a dedicated nonprofit practice providing board governance, strategic planning, and merger advisory. Comparable buyer overlap with ckSYNERGY but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Bridgespan Group: A leading global nonprofit and philanthropic consulting firm serving foundations, nonprofits, and philanthropists on strategy, organizational development, and mergers. Operates at significantly larger scale than ckSYNERGY but addresses the same nonprofit transformation and strategic planning buyer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cksynergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ckSYNERGY