The Lee Institute

What The Lee Institute does

The Lee Institute is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 to honor Bill Lee's legacy as a community visionary. The organization provides customized consulting, facilitation, and process design services to public, grassroots, and nonprofit organizations, foundations, and government agencies across the Charlotte 13-county region and beyond. Its service portfolio is organized around three centers: the Center for Nonprofit Support (strategic planning, board training, organizational development), the Nisbet Family Center for Community Engagement (public engagement and civic dialogue facilitation), and the Leon Levine Foundation Center for Advancing Leadership (leadership development, executive coaching, board governance). The flagship program is the American Leadership Forum (ALF) Charlotte Region Chapter, established in 1999, which has graduated more than 450 leaders and connects them to a national network of 4,500+ Senior Fellows.

Name

The Lee Institute

Legal name

Lee Institute

Website

https://leeinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lee Institute is a Charlotte-based nonprofit founded in 1997 that provides strategic planning, facilitation, leadership development, and community engagement consulting to public, nonprofit, and civic organizations across the Charlotte 13-county region, operating under the Lynnwood Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Consulting and Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit consulting services
• Leadership development programs
• Strategic planning facilitation
• Community engagement services
• Board governance training

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Client Services Revenue: Earned revenue from providing customized services to nonprofits, foundations, government agencies and community initiatives including design, facilitation and research. Services range from one-day retreats to comprehensive year-long strategic planning processes.
2. Program Tuition and Sponsorship: Tuition and sponsorship revenue from the American Leadership Forum Charlotte Region Chapter program, which brings together established leaders for a year-long leadership development framework.
3. Philanthropic Donations: Gifts and donations from individuals, organizations and institutions who share the organization's commitment to transforming the community. Support comes from various donors including the Duke Endowment, Leon Levine Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, and individual donors.
4. Endowment Income: The organization has been building an endowment to enable them to 'step in' where experience and expertise is needed but effort doesn't yet have identified funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Lee Institute provides customized consulting, facilitation, and process design services to nonprofit organizations, government agencies, foundations, and community initiatives. Offerings include strategic planning, organizational development, community engagement, board governance training, executive coaching, and the year-long American Leadership Forum (ALF) Charlotte Region Chapter leadership development program. All engagements are delivered through the proprietary Follow the LEEder six-step methodology (Ask Questions, Build Understanding, Create Shared Commitment, Drive at Your Speed, Engage in Tough Conversations, Fun).

Product overview

The Lee Institute offers a portfolio of integrated consulting services organized around three centers: the Center for Nonprofit Support, the Nisbet Family Center for Community Engagement, and the Leon Levine Foundation Center for Advancing Leadership. The flagship program is the American Leadership Forum (ALF) Charlotte Region Chapter, a year-long leadership development experience. Services include strategic planning, facilitation, community engagement, board governance training, and executive coaching. All services utilize the proprietary 'Follow the LEEder' six-step methodology (ABCs framework) adapted to each partner's needs. The organization serves nonprofits, government agencies, foundations, and civic leaders across the Charlotte, NC region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• American Leadership Forum Charlotte Region Chapter: A flagship program of Lee Institute that joins and strengthens diverse leaders, creating and supporting networks for the common good.
• Nisbet Family Center for Community Engagement
• Leon Levine Foundation Center for Advancing Leadership
• Center for Nonprofit Support

Products and services

• Center for Nonprofit Support Provides customized consulting services to nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and community initiatives, including strategic planning, facilitation, board training, and organizational development support.
• Nisbet Family Center for Community Engagement
• Leon Levine Foundation Center for Advancing Leadership
• American Leadership Forum (ALF) Charlotte Region Chapter A year-long flagship leadership program that joins and strengthens diverse leaders from private, nonprofit, and public sectors through skills-building workshops, dialogue sessions, and wilderness experiences to build collaborative leadership networks for community impact.
• Executive Coaching Services
• Board Governance Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 450+ leaders graduated from ALF Charlotte Region program since 1999
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Lynnwood FoundationcoreOthersLee Institute & Duke Mansion is a combined nonprofit that operates Lee Institute and preserves and cares for Duke Mansion as the mission of the Lynnwood Foundation (56-1987315). The Lynnwood Foundation is the parent organization overseeing both entities.
• Duke MansioncoreOthersDuke Mansion & Lee Institute is a combined nonprofit. Duke Mansion is a historic property that Lee Institute co-operates with as part of the Lynnwood Foundation mission.
• American Leadership Forum NationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLee Institute hosts the ALF Charlotte Region Chapter, a program of the national American Leadership Forum organization founded in 1980. ALF brings together diverse leaders across communities to explore personal leadership capacity and build collaborative networks. Charlotte Region Chapter was established in 1999.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BoardSource: National nonprofit focused on nonprofit governance, board leadership, and capacity building. Highly comparable as a direct competitor offering board governance training, executive coaching, and strategic advisory services to the same nonprofit client base Lee Institute serves.
• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: Nonprofit consulting and capacity-building organization serving nonprofits and foundations with leadership development, strategic planning, and organizational development. Directly comparable mission and service mix to Lee Institute's Center for Nonprofit Support and leadership offerings.
• La Piana Consulting: Nonprofit and philanthropic consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, executive transitions, and organizational development for nonprofits — directly overlapping with Lee Institute's Center for Nonprofit Support offerings.
• The Bridgespan Group: Social-sector consulting firm advising nonprofits, philanthropists, and NGOs on strategy, organizational design, and leadership. Comparable in that it provides strategic planning and organizational development to nonprofits and civic organizations, though at a larger scale and scope.
• Tecker International: Consulting firm working with nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies on strategy, organizational change, and stakeholder engagement. Comparable in client mix (nonprofits + government) and facilitation/process design focus.
• Institute for Nonprofit Practice: Nonprofit leadership development organization training and supporting nonprofit leaders, comparable to Lee Institute's Leon Levine Foundation Center for Advancing Leadership in mission and target audience.
• American Leadership Forum (National): National organization that founded the ALF model in 1980 and operates ALF chapters across the country. Lee Institute hosts the Charlotte Region Chapter of this exact program, making it both a strategic partner and the closest programmatic peer for the flagship ALF offering.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership: Large, globally-recognized leadership development organization offering executive education, coaching, and research. Broadly comparable leadership development content but operates at much larger scale with commercial delivery model.
• National Council of Nonprofits: National network of nonprofit organizations providing capacity-building, advocacy, and shared services to the nonprofit sector. Comparable mission in strengthening nonprofit capacity but serves a different layer (network/advocacy rather than direct consulting).
• McKinsey & Company (Social Sector Practice): Global management consulting firm with a dedicated social sector practice serving nonprofits, foundations, and governments on strategy and organizational transformation. Comparable strategic consulting scope but at vastly larger scale and broader industry reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lee.institute.clt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lee-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/lee.institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Lee Institute