The road to help is paved with good questions.
-The Ask, LLC
Why Ask?
The Ask, LLC is a Bay Area based boutique consulting group that helps nonprofits meet their fundraising and leadership goals.
Typically, when organizations who seek out consulting services they are at some kind of critical juncture. Our clients are no exception. Most come from small to mid-sized organizations who are in dire need of change and direction: maybe their Development Director has suddenly resigned or they have a big fundraising event that needs coordination or their Executive Director is overwhelmed and looking for added support. Through coaching (asking lots of thoughtful questions), tactical planning (creating a detailed scope of work and realistic timeline/budget), and effective management (we are meticulous about staying on task!), we work to create a tailored approach to meet our client's unique situation and needs.
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From the minute we begin our work together, we strive to be unbiased listeners, discerning decision makers, passionate advocates, and committed colleagues. Your wins are our wins, and we are determined to leave the organization stronger, both financially and fundamentally, than when we started. The goal is to lay the basic systems in place from the time we sign a contract until long after we're gone.
We believe it takes courage, conviction, and clarity to know how and when is the right time to make any kind of significant ask of yourself and others. Knowing the right kinds of questions and who to ask for help is essential in getting the most out of life, both in our personal lives and in business. We are here to walk alongside you, help stretch your potential, and open up a world of opportunities for you and your nonprofit.
About Us
Alana Zavett Green, Founder & Principal
For nearly twenty years, Alana has dedicated her career to bettering nonprofits from within. Her work has included program design and implementation, volunteer management, fundraising, and consulting. She has worked for large, national organizations like United Way and for lesser known, local nonprofits like Ujima Family Recovery Services. Like having more than one child, each organization is special and it is impossible to pick a favorite.
What Alana loves the most about consulting is the ability to be nimble and work for many different clients at once, while having a lasting impact on multiple communities. When organizations or nonprofit leaders come to her, they are often discouraged and in need of guidance. ​Being able to slow them down long enough to carefully untangle their set of challenges is a gratifying process, but helping to generate actionable steps and watching them arrive at a more hopeful place is what she would describe as "the gift that keeps giving."
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When Alana is not with clients, she can be found on a playground, hiking trail, or beach with her husband and two young kids.
Steven Green, Partner & Philanthropic Advisor
Steven Green is a nonprofit consultant and philanthropic advisor. He served as a Senior Director and Senior Program Officer for the Jim Joseph Foundation from 2011 through 2024. His focus included overseeing grantmaking operations, external budget review and analysis, and a portfolio of grants primarily focused on Israel education and engagement and educator training. A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Steven is an alumnus of YJ Year Course and received his BA in Political Science with a Minor in Jewish Studies from Emory University. He returned to Emory for his MBA in Nonprofit Management as a Wexner Fellow and Davidson Scholar.
While in the Atlanta community, he worked at the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast and as the Southeast Regional Director of the Jewish National Fund. Additionally, he has served as a volunteer on several political campaigns and as a lay leader on the Board of Directors for Hillels of Georgia, the CRC and the Israel Professionals Council at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, and the Holocaust Center in SF as well as the Board and Finance Committee of Congregation Kol Shofar.
