Ernst Consulting works with its nonprofit and public sector clients to build their capacity, strengthen their assets, expand their resources and grow their impact.

We share your goals of creating a more resilient, just, sustainable, and equitable world. Our services are designed to help you achieve your mission by focusing your vision, sharpening your strategy, scaling your programs, managing change, and evaluating your impact.

  • Caryn’s wealth of knowledge on park foundations, strategy, impact, metrics, and board relations was simply invaluable in the process. Caryn had to do a fair amount of education to help bring some stakeholders along and she went out of her way to construct workshops and resources that would better guide the Foundation in its decision-making process. She will guide you by the hand if that is what you need, or she will gently kick ya in the pants if you need that as well. Her expertise will make the whole process easier and result in a product you can be proud of and confident will move your organization forward.

    Katie Rictor, Executive Director, Montgomery Parks Foundation

  • “Caryn has been a terrific asset to the Student Conservation Association. She is a thoughtful and expert facilitator who led a seminal leadership retreat for us and then played a central role in crafting a foundational strategy document that was its product. I have no doubt that her contributions will yield both immediate and long-term benefits for our organization.”

    Stephanie Meeks, CEO and President, Student Conservation Association

  • "Ernst Consulting was fundamental to the success of our project. Caryn helped us engage with residents of a Choice Neighborhood (public housing) and understand their priorities and concerns through a series of workshops. She facilitated conversations and taught culturally appropriate strategies to residents that increased their engagement and empowerment and created a more cohesive and connected community."

    Andrea Gonzalez, Urban Planner, COLLABO Planning + Design

  • “Caryn was a highly skilled and knowledgeable partner, a great collaborator, and had both the technical ability to craft solutions to the conservation problems we faced but also the vision to see where we needed to go next. I look forward to working with Caryn again!”

    Al Todd, Executive Director, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

  • Caryn’s subject matter expertise and connections with local communities informed meaningful and thoughtful conversations to identify the conditions necessary for systems change and several case studies. Caryn and her consulting partners were well organized, detailed in their deliberations and execution, and stayed on track with timelines.

    Kellie May, VP for Partnerships, National Recreation and Park Association

  • “Caryn Ernst played a highly skillful role negotiating and securing agreements among very diverse interests on the GEC board to create consensus on contentious issues and strengthen our coalition.  Her adept facilitation helped us successfully resolve challenging issues and build a strong organization which has made a major difference in the greening of the electronics industry.” 

    Jeff Eagan, former GEC Board Member and official at the Department of Energy

  • "I can’t speak highly enough of Ernst Consulting. Caryn’s deep experience in program design, climate resilience, non-profit management, and much more is exactly what we needed to craft our Urban Green program. This, coupled with her project management and workshop facilitation skills, built consensus among our team and positioned us for successful implementation."

    Matt Gray, Senior Vice President of Programs, Student Conservation Association

  • "Caryn brings a wealth of experience in nonprofit operations, facilitation, planning and fundraising. We needed to align the direction of the conservation innovation team’s work at The Trust for Public Land with the newly developed organizational strategic plan. She helped us create a common vision through an inclusive process that enabled us to align our values, culture and diverse expertise with an implementation plan. The plan resulted in the evolution of the team’s planning and geospatial innovations that supported more land protected, parks created, more funding streams and communities engaged."

    Breece Robertson, VP, Chief Research and Innovation Officer, Trust for Public Land