We design the systems and craft the stories that
help organizations grow insight from the ground up — creating structure, flow, and lasting impact.

Explore the core areas of practice below.

Our Services

  • Systems & Process Design

    We bring order to complexity by aligning tools, workflows, and processes with how teams actually operate — creating clear, maintainable systems that reduce friction and strengthen day-to-day work.

    Examples of work:
    • Tool and system audits with implementation recommendations
    • Workflow and process design
    • Cross-team collaboration systems
    • Internal knowledge bases and documentation templates
    • Training and onboarding toolkits

  • Data Systems & Infrastructure

    We make information easy to find and use by designing simple, right-sized systems — from spreadsheets to relational databases — that capture, organize, and connect the data that teams rely on.

    Examples of work:
    • Data flow and system mapping
    • Database design (Airtable, Notion)
    • Automations and data integrations to simplify reporting
    • Dashboard and reporting design using accessible tools (Airtable, Google Looker Studio, or R-based reporting)
    • Data documentation and governance templates

  • Evaluation, Insight & Impact

    We turn information into understanding, and understanding into insights you can share — helping teams see what's working and why, then shaping the reports, updates, and stories that carry it.

    Examples of work:
     •  Theory of change and logic model development
     •  Survey design and data collection systems
     •  Quantitative and qualitative analysis
     •  Data visualization and storytelling
     •  Impact reporting and narrative synthesis

Organizations come to Understory when information is scattered, workflows have outgrown their tools, and the systems no longer fit.

We help them turn complexity into clarity.

Selected Work

  • Connecting Data for a Cohesive Tracking System

    Challenge — Program staff were managing data across multiple platforms, making it difficult to prepare for new program rounds and track team progress over time. The organization’s central database was strong but not structured to hold this type of operational data, leaving a gap between information and use.


    Approach — Over multiple engagement cycles, I designed and refined a lightweight data system that integrates information from multiple platforms and presents it through intuitive dashboards. The system includes a well-documented R-based workflow for generating dashboards and a structured space for staff to record notes and assessments throughout each program.


    Impact — The tool now provides a unified workspace that complements the central database rather than competing with it. Program teams can easily access, record, and analyze their data in one place — improving coordination, visibility, and long-term tracking.

  • Bringing Clarity to Creative Commerce

    Challenge — A rural arts nonprofit’s sales systems had grown organically over time, leaving them with disconnected platforms and inconsistent product categories that made financial reporting cumbersome.


    Approach —  I co-created a lightweight, spreadsheet-driven solution that brought every sales channel into one place, and introduced a set of low-tech process changes to simplify how sales were tracked and reconciled.


    Impact — The organization now regularly compiles sales data, which it uses to report to its finance committee and to guide product and inventory decisions.

  • Designing Measurable Impact for a New Nonprofit

    Challenge — A newly formed nonprofit preparing its first major grant proposal needed to define realistic, measurable outcomes for an ambitious set of activities, without existing data systems or prior reporting templates.


    Approach — I helped the team define clear metrics aligned with their activities and capacity, then built a framework linking outcomes to indicators and reporting.


    Impact — The organization submitted a strong, metrics-driven proposal and now has a ready-to-implement evaluation framework that will support ongoing reporting and planning.

  • Weaving Resident Perspectives into Planning

    Challenge — The local Planning Commission sought meaningful input from residents to guide its upcoming Town Plan but had historically struggled with low response rates and limited actionable feedback.


    Approach — As a member of the Commission, I co-led the design of a comprehensive community survey to capture residents’ priorities, needs, and satisfaction with local services. To ensure strong participation, I paired the survey with a creative outreach campaign. I then synthesized results to highlight trends, areas of alignment with town priorities, and surprising insights.


    Impact — The initiative achieved a response rate five times higher than previous surveys. The results are now directly informing the new Town Plan, ensuring that future initiatives reflect the voices and values of residents.

  • Building a Living System for Learning

    Challenge — A STEM-focused nonprofit had a well-established process for reflecting after each program cycle but lacked a consistent way to revisit past lessons and track how insights translated into action over time.


    Approach —  Inspired by the concept of evaluation learning logs, I co-designed an Airtable system with user-friendly interfaces to document reflections, organize next steps, and make insights easy to search and report on. The tool aligned seamlessly with existing staff workflows, making documentation natural rather than burdensome.


    Impact — The organization now has a living repository of learning that supports reflection, reporting, and continuous improvement. Staff can quickly surface patterns across years of work and use that knowledge to shape future initiatives.

Let’s build something together.

Whether you need a system, a strategy, or a story,
we’ll help you bring clarity to complexity and insight to action.

Get in touch

If our work resonates with your goals, we’d love to hear from you.
Tell us a bit about your organization or project, and let’s explore how we might partner.