Consultant Directory

I’m a direct, results-driven relationship-builder who helps organizations and their people reach their full fundraising potential.

I specialize in working with small to mid-sized nonprofits, with a particular focus on education. My approach is rooted in hands-on experience: I spent eight years as Development Director at an independent school, giving me a deep, practical understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges education-focused organizations face.

While independent schools are a core area of expertise, I also partner with a wide range of mission-driven organizations across sectors. I support clients in developing sustainable fundraising strategies, deepening donor engagement, and activating boards to drive long-term impact.

I’m a white woman working in philanthropy—a field that has long been centered on whiteness and inequitable systems. I hold privilege in this space, and I believe it’s my responsibility to help disrupt the harmful norms that fundraising has too often reinforced. Fundraising can either uphold systems of inequity or become a tool to dismantle them.

In my work with clients, I bring this equity lens into every aspect of practice—how I design strategies, how I facilitate conversations, and how I support teams in aligning fundraising with mission and values. My approach is rooted in equity, anti-racism, and accountability, and it shapes how I partner, listen, and lead—because philanthropy should not only raise money, but also shift power.

• Alta Vista School
• Kids In Tech
• Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
• Millennium School
• Pacific Primary School
• Phoebe Hearst Preschool
• SFUSD Mission Bay Hub
• Step One School
• Ventana School
• Woodland School

Email: sarahwachsconsulting@gmail.com
Phone: (510) 316-2131