Fractional executive leadership for modern not-for-profits
McDermott Strategy provides fractional executive leadership to help not-for-profits strengthen trust, guide technology decisions, improve security and privacy, and adopt AI responsibly.
Modern not-for-profits face pressure to modernize, manage technology risk, protect sensitive information, respond to board concerns, and make sense of AI.
Many are not ready for a full-time executive hire. McDermott Strategy fills that gap through retained fractional leadership.
Why organizations reach out
Organizations usually reach out when one or more of these pressures starts to outpace the current governance model:
Technology decisions are becoming harder to govern
Security and privacy expectations are increasing
Boards want clearer visibility and accountability
AI is being adopted without enough structure
External vendors and MSPs need stronger executive oversight
Leadership needs senior judgment without a full-time hire
Embedded leadership for mission-driven organizations.
This is retained fractional executive leadership that spans technology, security, privacy, and AI. The focus is leadership, governance, accountability, prioritization, and decision support.
This is not technical systems implementation and not generic advisory decks. This is practical senior support for Executive Directors and leadership teams.
Who this is built for
NFPs
Small and mid-sized not-for-profits.
Executive Directors
EDs carrying cross-functional technology accountability.
Boards
Boards seeking better visibility into trust, risk, and decision-making.
Modernizing Teams
Organizations modernizing with lean teams.
AI Exploration
Organizations using or exploring AI and needing guardrails.
Three ways to engage.
Leadership, Technology and AI Readiness Assessment
A structured baseline and roadmap for organizations that need clarity on priorities, governance gaps, and next actions before committing to a longer engagement.
Board Oversight Briefing
A focused session for Executive Directors and boards to clarify oversight expectations, current pressures, governance priorities, and immediate next steps.
Fractional Executive Leadership Retainer
The flagship retained engagement providing ongoing executive support across technology, security, privacy, and AI for not-for-profits that need senior leadership without a full-time hire.
What this helps you do
Strengthen Trust
Strengthen trust with boards, funders, clients, donors, and partners.
Better Decisions
Improve executive decision-making.
Clear Ownership
Create clearer ownership and accountability.
Confident Modernization
Guide technology modernization more confidently.
Improved Governance
Improve security and privacy governance.
Responsible AI
Adopt AI more responsibly.
Why fractional leadership
Not every not-for-profit needs a full-time CIO, CISO, privacy lead, or AI governance lead. Many still need experienced leadership in the room.
The retained model provides senior judgment, continuity, and practical support without full-time overhead.
Start with clarity.
Executive Directors and nonprofit leaders are invited to discuss current pressures, structure, priorities, and next steps.
alan@mcdermottstrategy.com