Fractional Leadership · Facilitation · Consulting

Strategic partnership for
organizations doing work that matters.

I help organizations, community initiatives, and purpose-driven companies build operational strength, navigate leadership transitions, and grow with intention.

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About

25+ years of social impact,
translated into practical partnership.

I'm Celeste Flores, a strategist, implementer, and facilitator with deep roots in the nonprofit and social impact sector. My career spans grassroots community campaigns, major gift fundraising, movement building at scale, and executive operations.

I understand how organizations grow because I've been inside them at every stage, from a scrappy Austin nonprofit growing its first community campaign to building the US and Canada network for a global movement raising billions for nonprofits.

I also bring a practical comfort with technology and systems. From an early foundation at Accenture through hands-on work across the nonprofit sector, I'm fluent in how giving platforms, CRMs, and donor systems fit together, and I'm comfortable bridging the conversation between your team and the technical side of your operations.

Today, I work with a select group of organizations as a consultant, facilitator, and fractional leader, bringing senior-level thinking and hands-on execution to the people doing hard and important work.

Celeste Flores
$45M+
Raised through Amplify Austin over six campaigns for 700 nonprofits
300+
Local GivingTuesday leaders mobilized across the US and Canada
75+
Multi-year corporate engagement partnerships built and managed

Services

Where I can help.

I offer flexible engagements, from a single retreat to ongoing fractional leadership, tailored to where your organization is and where you want to go.

01
We need leadership.

You need a senior leader inside your organization, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

  • Fractional COO / Operations Lead: Embedded operational leadership for organizations in growth or transition.
  • Fractional Deputy Executive Director: A senior leadership partner inside your organization, handling internal operations while you focus outward or aiding in a team build.
  • Leadership Coaching & Development: Senior coaching for emerging leaders, first-time EDs, and early leadership teams.
02
We need a plan.

You know where you want to go. You need the roadmap, the structure, and the right tools to get there.

  • Operational & Strategic Planning: Scenario planning, research and solution mapping, and operational roadmaps built for your reality.
  • Communications & Awareness Planning: Messaging frameworks and awareness strategies to reach new audiences.
  • Systems, Tech & Process Design: Platform selection, process mapping, and workflow design for how nonprofits actually operate.
03
We need to grow.

You're ready to expand your reach, your revenue, and your community, and you need a partner who's done it before.

  • Community Campaign Strategy: Design and strategy for giving campaigns, community initiatives, and coalition efforts.
  • Partnership & Business Development: Corporate partnership strategy, pipeline development, and long-term stakeholder stewardship.
04
We need a conversation.

Sometimes the most important thing is getting the right people in a room and helping them move forward together.

  • Retreat & Conversation Facilitation: Board retreats, staff planning sessions, community conversations, and stakeholder engagement.

Background

Built across decades of
doing the real work.

Co-Owner & Chief Operations Officer
The Grounds of Livev · TheGrounds.com
2024 – Present
Co-owner of a 23-acre farm blending nature, wellness, art, and equestrian life, a living community space built around connection, programming, and place. Leads all internal operations including sales, marketing, business development, and infrastructure, and built out the organization's tech stack including CRM, software workflows, and operational systems alongside the strategic and community-building work.
Senior Director, US + Canada Hub
GivingTuesday
February 2020 – April 2025
Directed the movement's footprint across the US and Canada, mobilizing a network of 300+ local leaders and contributing to over $3 billion donated to nonprofits on a single day. Led field strategy, content, partnerships, and national leader support.
Executive Director
I Live Here I Give Here (ILHIGH), Austin, TX
2015 – 2018 (organization 2012–2018)
Led Amplify Austin, a community giving campaign that raised $45M for 700 nonprofits, engaged 100K givers, and became a national model for online giving days. Built 75+ corporate partnerships, scaled a $1.5M budget, and established the organization's first cash reserve.
VP, Community Programs & Civic Leadership
Foundation for the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC
2008 – 2012
Managed $14M in grants through the Duke Energy Steering Committee and oversaw place-based grantmaking across 12 counties. Led cross-functional teams in endowment services and county board development.
Earlier Career
University of Virginia, Darden · Texas Children's Hospital · United Way of Greater Houston · Accenture
1998 – 2008
Started in tech and process consulting at Accenture, leading web-based system implementations and software rollouts for major energy sector clients and building a foundation of technical rigor, project management, and systems thinking that has carried through every role since. Later career in major gifts fundraising (United Way, Texas Children's Hospital, University of Virginia, Darden) added deep relationship strategy and campaign execution to that operational base. Implemented Raiser's Edge CRM systems to modernize donor tracking and built prospect analysis processes used by executive campaign leadership.

Who I Work With

Built for organizations
ready to do things differently.

Small & Mid-Size Nonprofits

Organizations with big missions and lean teams, especially those making their first leadership hires or navigating rapid change.

Grassroots & Community-Led Organizations

Groups that have built something real from the ground up and are ready to add structure and sustainability without losing their soul.

Founder-Led Teams in Transition

Founders and solo leaders stepping into their first ED role, or organizations hiring their first Deputy ED, navigating the shift from individual to institutional.

Purpose-Driven Ventures

Hybrid and for-purpose organizations sitting at the intersection of business and social impact who need an experienced operational partner.

How We Work Together

Flexible by design.

No two organizations are in the same place. I structure my engagements to match where you are and what you need.

Project-Based
A defined deliverable
A strategic plan, a communications framework, a campaign design, an organizational assessment. We define the scope, work together, and you leave with something concrete.
Facilitation
One moment, well held
A board retreat, a staff planning session, a community conversation. I design and facilitate the experience, creating space for honest dialogue and shared forward movement.
Fractional Leadership
Embedded, ongoing partnership
Part-time senior leadership within your organization over 3–12 months. The depth of a full-time hire, the flexibility of a consultant. Ideal for organizations in growth or transition.
Advisory
A trusted thought partner
Light-touch strategic counsel, a sounding board for leadership decisions, or ongoing coaching. For leaders who want a senior perspective without a formal engagement.

Let's talk about
what your organization needs.

Whether you have a clear project in mind or just a nagging sense that you need something, I'm a good first call.

Send me an email Connect on LinkedIn