About Now This Consulting

Nel Taylor is your guide through organizational growth 

Photo by Bremen McKinney, bolo tie by Bone China Designs

Nel Taylor, they/them/theirs (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation), is an organizational equity strategist, ethical fundraising expert, and nonprofit systems-fixer with 14 years of nonprofit experience, bringing a strong justice lens to indigenizing fundraising, systems, and strategies in the nonprofit sector.

I help nonprofits stop running on vibes and urgency, and start running on strategy, care, and systems that actually work.

My introduction to nonprofit work came out of my transition from houselessness when I was 18 years old, advocating as a program participant in fundraising efforts. After experiencing exploitation at the hands of the nonprofit industrial complex, I set out to shift traditional harmful practices in fundraising, and later the internal systems that perpetuate harm throughout the nonprofit sector.

Today, I support nonprofits in aligning their internal operations with their values. That means building ethical fundraising strategies, designing equity-centered policies, and repairing the internal systems that too often harm the people doing the work. I specialize in helping organizations navigate moments of transition, overwhelm, or reckoning—bringing both structure and care to the table.

Since founding Now This Consulting, I’ve worked with clients like Street Roots, Portland Parks Foundation, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Farmers Market Fund, and 350PDX on everything from high-stakes campaigns to pay equity and accountability structures. I also teach in The People's Nonprofit Accelerator’s certificate programs and lead the HR for the Resistance module in New Coyote Consulting’s Decolonizing Management course.

My firsthand experience working within non-hierarchical organization structures, co-leadership models, and shared power systems, as well as being an impacted community member with lived experience of relying on the support of nonprofits, uniquely position me to guide organization leaders through the reckoning required for systems-change. 

I was born and raised in Portland, OR. and outside of consulting, you’ll probably find me making music, performing with fire, or out causing good trouble.

Land Acknowledgment

Now This’ home office is based in what we currently know as Portland, OR, but was stolen from its true stewards, the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Tumwater and Mollala bands of the Chinook peoples, the Tualatin band of the Kalapuya peoples, in addition to the many tribes currently fighting for federal recognition status.

As an Indigenous-led organization, the harms and sacrifices forced upon these people are felt deeply, and inform my practices. The Umatilla in me honors the ancestors of this place, and the whiteness in me seeks forgiveness and offers accountability to my Indigenous siblings.

A percentage of Now This Consulting’s revenue will be contributed to the Indigenous communities and causes upon whose labor I have built my strategies and practices. Now This Consulting centers the goal of Indigenizing the nonprofit sector in the forefront of all its work.

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Testimonials

  • “My experience working with Nel is that they asked the questions we weren't thinking of that were needed in that moment to bring us back into focus on our values and goals. Holding shared values front and center enables policies and practices to be built that are values-aligned and ensure accountability.”

    Marianne G.

  • “Nel is an excellent human. The needs and humanity of communities are always at the forefront in all the work that they do. They are always committed to ethical and intersectional justice-focused fundraising, storytelling and decision-making. This approach is not something that just applies to their work, but also to how Nel moves through the world."

    Etta O.

  • "Over the past several years I've known Nel as a fundraiser, a social justice advocate, a fellow non-profit board member, and a board chair. From even this partial perspective I can attest to Nel's clarity of purpose, their analytic skills, and their ability to identify injustice and dysfunction and succeed in spite of those conditions. More than anyone I know, Nel embodies the aphorism 'Be the change you want to see'."

    Linda M.

  • "We worked with Nel to offer 3 DEIJ trainings to our non profit's small board and staff. Throughout our time working with Nel we were continually impressed with how flexible and adaptable they were. Nel put together a very thoughtful and comprehensive series of trainings for our group, which they then adapted to fit the ever evolving needs of the group. Nel embodies so much of what is important in DEIJ work, both in the content they are knowledgeable in and the approach they take to working with clients. Our work felt mutually beneficial as Nel helped our board and staff grow in their knowledge and we helped Nel test out different training strategies. We would hire Nel again in an instant!"

    Rachael W. - Farmers Market Fund

  • "I had the opportunity to learn from Nel firsthand through the Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising and Certificate in Grant Writing courses at the People’s Nonprofit Accelerator. Their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is next level. Nel doesn’t just teach DEI—they open your eyes to new perspectives and inspires a shift in how you think and lead. It’s the kind of learning that sticks with you and pushes you to be better, both personally and professionally. If you ever have the chance to work with Nel, grab it. They’re a true game-changer."

    Ashlan Glazier-Anderson, AshbeanPDX Marketing

  • "Nel has been working to support our organization for over a year, and has been an incredibly valuable asset to our fundraising goals. With their guidance, we have successfully run multiple end of year campaigns, appeals, and donor events, enabling us to meet our goals. In addition to being an adept fundraiser, they are also skilled in communications and and excellent mentor to incoming development staff. Sometimes transition of teams can be tough, but it's all made much smoother with Nel by your side! 10/10 recommend!"

    Ashley Jamison, Portland Parks Foundation

  • "I attended Nel's class "Making the Case for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion". I was impressed with Nel's ability to communicate how to best incorporate anti-racist principles into an organization's (and individual's) daily practices to an audience with diverse lived experience and DEIJ knowledge. From the start, Nel created a safe and inclusive space where students felt accepted exactly where they were at within their own DEIJ learning journeys. I was able to bring key points back to my organization and engage in conversations about how we can improve upon, and commit to, our core strategy for racial equity impact."

    MiKayla Ryan, The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator

  • "Now This Consulting has helped me to grow both professionally and personally. Nel supported me as a mentor while I navigated a new job that came with unexpected challenges. Their insights and advice, as well as hands on tools for me to try, were really helpful. I appreciate that Nel works with a decolonial and disability justice framework. If you are looking to do truly transformative work, Now This is for you!"

    em Bigongiari, Common Ground Wellness Co-Op

  • "Nel is someone with deep lived experience in serving communities who experience marginalization. I've hired them to teach an HR class several times now, and they are so responsive to the students in every course. This is the most engaged I've seen students when talking about HR. Nel's ideas and their commitment to liberatory practices allow them to connect to the students and show them that HR and people management don't have to be oppressive, and can actually create equity and prosperity for workers and community members."

    Marina Martinez-Bateman, New Coyote Consulting

  • "Nel worked with my organization through equitable hiring practices, fundraising campaigns, and communications. They are driven, equity-centered and willing and ready to adapt to new needs. Nel makes for a great sounding board and team-mate."

    Jason Brown, Portland Parks Foundation