I fund the work
Foundations, families, investors and public funders who want their money to do more than it does now.
Who we are
WE HAVE LEARNED TOO MUCH TO KEEP MAKING THE SAME MISTAKES.
Some of the best solutions are already here. Our processes just haven't learned how to see them.
From Fredericka
Shouldn't we be willing to reconsider how we get there?
You know, sometimes the hardest part of solving a problem is admitting that the way we've been solving it may be part of the problem.
We've built programs, institutions, and funding systems. Some have done extraordinary work. Some haven't kept up. And some are so familiar we barely think to question them anymore.
I work with the people who fund the work, the people who build and operate the systems, and the people doing the work every day. We look at the numbers. We look at the relationships. We look at the history and the business model. And then we look underneath.
Because if we're serious about the world we say we want, shouldn't we be willing to reconsider how we get there?
What DSG is
A cross-sector strategic advisory firm.
We work with corporations and businesses, foundations and families, investors and developers, healthcare and Medicaid, governments and community enterprises.
We consult on financial strategy, institutional operations, economic development, partnerships, programs and outcomes. Different rooms. Same question: what is actually making this work, or keeping it from working?
Not better than. Not bitter. Truth.
We don't flatter the institution and we don't scold it. We tell you what the evidence says, and where it stops.
Respect is not a sentiment. It's a process.
It shows up in who gets asked, who gets paid, and whose knowledge counts in the plan.
Don't send public relations when what you need is a relationship.Fredericka Wallace Deena
Find your door
Which side of the table are you on?
I build, operate, or serve
Health systems, companies, developers and governments running the systems people live inside.
I do the work
Community enterprises, social enterprises and nonprofits doing the work every day.
The founder
Fredericka Wallace Deena
Founder & Managing Principal. Executive, author and speaker.
More than 30 yearsExecutive and cross-sector leadership.
15 years at United WayLeadership across institutional allocations, partnerships and fundraising.
12+ years in practiceBuilding a consulting practice with funders, institutions and community enterprises.
CEO experienceShe has run the organization, not just advised it.
Capital, all of itCorporate and institutional fundraising, public policy and economic development.
Author and speakerWriting and speaking on how capital decides and what it fails to count.
Bring us the thing that isn't working yet.
Tell us what you're trying to move. We'll tell you plainly whether we're the right people to move it with you.