conner advisory
Conner Advisory is a boutique advisory firm that helps senior leaders of international NGOs, non-profits, alliances, and select school districts execute transformational change. Founded in 2014 by Daryl Conner and Ed Boswell, it operates globally via bespoke founder-led engagements grounded in 40+ years of cross-sector methodology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What conner advisory does
Conner Advisory is a US-based, privately held boutique advisory firm founded in 2014 by Daryl Conner and Ed Boswell that provides change execution and strategy implementation services to senior leaders of non-profits, international NGOs (INGOs), alliances, and select public-sector clients such as school districts. The firm operates a bespoke, quote-based professional services engagement model where the founders work side-by-side with executive teams and boards to diagnose implementation risk, develop roadmaps, prepare executives for change leadership roles, and provide ongoing counsel through execution and post-execution review. Its commercial moat rests on a proprietary change execution methodology derived from 40+ years of combined cross-sector practitioner experience and a body of published research (including white papers, books such as Managing at the Speed of Change and Leading at the Edge of Chaos, and the co-authored Strategic Speed: Mobilize People, Accelerate Execution).
The firm is part of a three-platform ecosystem: Conner Advisory (INGO/civil society advisory, the core), Conner Academy (methodology-agnostic professional development for experienced change practitioners), and Conner Partners (for-profit sector advisory). Distribution is anchored on thought leadership through the Changes That Matter newsletter, research publications, podcast appearances, webinars, and speaking engagements at InterAction and the International Civil Society Centre. Customer concentration is high, with a visible roster including World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, MSF, Plan International, ChildFund International, FHI 360, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Pact, and Lutheran World Relief, among others. Conner Advisory is bootstrapped, founder-owned, with no institutional investors, no funding events, and no disclosed revenue; headcount is reported at 1-10 employees and operations are explicitly global despite a small US base.
conner advisory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- conner advisory
- Legal name
- Conner Advisory
- Website
- https://conneradvisory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Conner Advisory is a boutique advisory firm that helps senior leaders of international NGOs, non-profits, alliances, and select school districts execute transformational change. Founded in 2014 by Daryl Conner and Ed Boswell, it operates globally via bespoke founder-led engagements grounded in 40+ years of cross-sector methodology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
conner advisory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Restructuring & Turnaround Advisory (BPAHADAD)
Keywords
conner advisory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advisory Services: Professional advisory services provided to senior leaders of non-profit and NGO organizations for change execution guidance. Services include preparing executives for leadership roles in change efforts, diagnosing implementation risks, developing roadmaps, and providing ongoing counsel during execution.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
conner advisory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Conner Advisory is a boutique consulting firm that partners with senior leaders of non-profits, NGOs, and civil society organizations to execute major internal transformations. Its services include preparing executives for change leadership roles, diagnosing implementation risks and mitigations, developing execution roadmaps, providing ongoing trusted advisory counsel during change, and conducting post-execution reviews to harvest lessons learned.
Product overview
Conner Advisory is a consulting firm operating as part of a three-platform ecosystem: Conner Advisory provides change execution guidance to non-profits and NGOs; Conner Academy offers professional development for change practitioners; and Conner Partners serves the for-profit sector. The core advisory offering includes preparing senior executives, diagnosing implementation risks, developing roadmaps, providing ongoing advisory counsel, and conducting post-execution reviews. The firm supplements its services with research publications and the Changes That Matter newsletter.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Change Execution Advisory Services
- Conner Academy
- Conner Partners
Companies that use conner advisory
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
conner advisory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
conner advisory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- InterActioncoreInterAction is a coalition of US-based international NGOs. Ed Boswell speaks at InterAction events and participates in discussions on topics including managing organizational overload. InterAction serves as a platform for thought leadership and knowledge sharing between Conner Advisory and INGO leaders.
- International Civil Society Centre (ICSC)coreICSC is a Berlin-based organization serving international civil society organizations. Ed Boswell serves on ICSC's board and contributes to research and discussions on topics including organizational culture, change management, and power dynamics in civil society organizations. The partnership includes podcast appearances, blog contributions, and live discussions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
conner advisory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Deloitte (Human Capital practice): Deloitte's Human Capital and non-profit advisory teams serve large INGOs on change management, organizational design, and transformation programs — competing for similar engagements at a much larger delivery scale.
- McKinsey (Public & Social Sector practice): McKinsey's Public & Social Sector practice serves large NGOs and INGOs on transformation, organizational redesign, and strategy implementation — overlapping with Conner Advisory's offering but at much greater scale and with broader sector breadth.
- PwC (People & Change practice): PwC's People & Change consulting practice was previously led by Conner Advisory co-founder Ed Boswell and competes for the same organizational transformation engagements, including in the non-profit sector.
- BCG (Social Impact practice): BCG's Social Impact practice advises non-profits and social-sector organizations on transformation and organizational change, providing a global incumbent alternative to boutique firms like Conner Advisory.
Regional players
- Prospect Sierra: Prospect Sierra is a social-sector consulting firm specializing in capacity building, organizational development, and strategy for civil society organizations — a comparable change-management peer with a more regional delivery footprint.
Direct peers
- Arabella Advisors: Arabella Advisors is a consulting and advisory firm dedicated to the social sector, providing strategic advice and implementation support to non-profits, foundations, and philanthropists — overlapping meaningfully with Conner Advisory's civil society focus.
- TCC Group: TCC Group is a consulting firm that partners with non-profits and foundations on strategy, evaluation, and organizational development, with deep ties to the same civil society ecosystem Conner Advisory serves.
- Tecker International: Tecker International is a boutique consultancy serving non-profits, NGOs, and associations on strategic planning, governance, and organizational change — directly comparable in size and sector focus to Conner Advisory.
- Bridgespan Group: Bridgespan is a non-profit advisory and consulting firm that works with NGOs, foundations, and social sector leaders on strategy, organizational effectiveness, and transformation — the closest direct peer to Conner Advisory's INGO change-execution focus.
- La Piana Consulting: La Piana is a boutique consultancy exclusively serving the non-profit sector with services spanning strategic restructuring, mergers, leadership transitions, and change management — directly comparable in scale, sector focus, and methodology.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
conner advisory social profiles
Digital presenceconner advisory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
conner advisory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
conner advisory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
conner advisory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about conner advisory
What does conner advisory do?
Conner Advisory is a boutique consulting firm that partners with senior leaders of non-profits, NGOs, and civil society organizations to execute major internal transformations. Its services include preparing executives for change leadership roles, diagnosing implementation risks and mitigations, developing execution roadmaps, providing ongoing trusted advisory counsel during change, and conducting post-execution reviews to harvest lessons learned.
Is conner advisory a public or private company?
conner advisory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was conner advisory founded?
conner advisory was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does conner advisory make money?
One revenue line is on record: advisory Services.
Who are conner advisory's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Deloitte (Human Capital practice), McKinsey (Public & Social Sector practice), PwC (People & Change practice) and BCG (Social Impact practice). Prospect Sierra is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Arabella Advisors, TCC Group, Tecker International, Bridgespan Group and La Piana Consulting.
Does conner advisory have an API?
No public API is recorded for conner advisory.
What industry is conner advisory in?
conner advisory's product category is Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAA, Corporate Strategy Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAHADAD, Restructuring & Turnaround Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.