Building the economy of mission

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about our services

DC is at a turning point.

Now is the time to build an economic strategy that matters.

Rebecca Ballard Advisory works across companies, nonprofits, government, and philanthropy — fluent in each, beholden to none. We bridge people, money, and organizations so that good ideas get built.

We advise. We don't lobby, and we don't broker introductions.

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Areas of Expertise

Strategy & Implementation

Boards & Governance

Fundraising & Funders

Financing & Capital

Cross-sector Partnerships

Organizing & Coalitions

Corporate Purpose & Values

Labor Rights & Supply Chains

Women's Economic Power

Creating, consulting, and connecting

Rebecca Ballard speaking at a function in front of a microphone

  • Most organizations don't fail on vision. They fail in the gap between a good idea and the decisions that would make it real. We work in that gap — testing the idea against the numbers, finding the right people and money, building the partnerships, and staying until it is running.

Rebecca Ballard and a fellow panel member sitting in a room with wooden paneling and a sign that reads 'The Outreach.'

  • We work with executive directors, boards, and funders on the things that determine whether a mission survives: strategy, governance, restructuring, fundraising, and the transition points where organizations either mature or stall.

    We have managed organizations facing financial deficit, rebuilt fundraising from the ground up, and built nonprofit coalitions.

Rebecca Ballard and her colleagues in black dresses smiling and hugging each other indoors near marble columns.

  • We work with people building businesses around a purpose beyond profit — whether that is a company trying to become more mission-driven or a social enterprise growing without it’s focus.

    Grounded in nearly two decades of work on labor rights and responsible sourcing, we address values, day-to-day practices, supply chains, operations, and employees.

Rebecca Ballard holding a microphone and speaking in front of a presentation slide about the D.C. financial plan and budget.

  • Speaking, writing, moderating, and testimony on the questions a field is avoiding. The question underneath the work: does our growth create opportunity for DC residents, or simply create jobs located in DC?

    Topics:

    • DC's next economy

    • Mission-driven entrepreneurship

    • Workforce and industry strategy

    • AI for good

    • Cities people choose and stay in

    • Responsible markets

    • Finance fluency

A group of six people sitting around a wooden conference table in an office with large windows. They are engaged in a discussion, some with laptops and notebooks. There is a world map artwork on the wall behind them.

  • We build the rooms that produce something — the work is in who is invited, what is asked, and what happens after everyone leaves. We created the first briefing for congressional staff on fashion industry supply chains, drawing more than 200 attendees to a conversation no one had convened before. Conference attendees have described our leadership as “elegant, empathetic, and inspiring.”

What people are saying

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  • Sarah Kelley | Principal, Common Threads Consulting

    Rebecca recently chaired an international conference of leaders in the fashion industry and adjacent industries. She did such an elegant, empathetic, and inspiring job with the chair's role. It is so challenging to do all that on the spot with an audience pulled by many distractions!

  • Danielle Vogel | Professor and Entrepreneur

    Rebecca Ballard is a brilliant and deeply engaging speaker. Her storytelling style is simultaneously informative, inspiring and approachable. She includes personal anecdotes that illuminate her authentic connection to the topic while sharing observations and statistics that serve as a compelling call to action.

  • Allie Gardner | United Way Center to Combat Human Trafficking

    I have been fortunate to work closely with Rebecca for many years. She has been an incredible colleague and role model to me, and I have learned so much from her about industry expertise, social entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership. Rebecca is a trailblazing leader and has advanced social movements through her research, advocacy, and thought leadership.

  • Dr. Khulud Khudur, DrPH | Vice Chair, Jubilee Housing Board

    Rebecca helped us raise 50% more than in past years — not through transactions, but by building genuine relationships and helping funders see the heart of the work. When she spoke at City of the Future, our signature event, she made the ask better than anyone I have ever heard. The combination — the ability to move capital and move people — is something I have rarely seen anywhere.

  • Gabrielle Awuma | National Museum of Women in the Arts

    Rebecca was incredibly skilled and thoughtful as the moderator, and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation between Rebecca and the panelists she assembled. It was such a great program, and its success had a lot to do with Rebecca’s role in it.

  • Marta Miller | Co-Founder of Lefty Production Co., Owner of Stitch Texas

    We loved working with Rebecca Ballard and her team. Rebecca leads with such kindness, always thinking about sustainability and the needs of everyone part of the process. This matters a lot in building a company, and Rebecca treated everyone from the mill to the sewers and packers with kindness and respect. Treating your supply chain properly is so important, and Rebecca leads with such grace and elegance.

  • Andrea Powell | Director of the Digital Idenitty Foundation, FAIR GIrls (Founder and Executive Director, 2004-2018), Author, Believe Me

    In the 10+ years I have known Rebecca, I have seen her bring together some of the most diverse leaders in the DC-based nonprofit arena. Recently, she organized twenty DC-based nonprofits around economic opportunity for some of our most vulnerable residents. Within 10 days, she filed a federal appeal and held together an alliance many organizers would have felt were impossible to bring together. The ripple effect of Rebecca's tireless advocacy continues to re-shape the opportunities for these alliance members and those they serve. I am am excited to continue to work alongside her.

  • Elisha Chan | Executive Director of Fair Trade LA, Host of the FAIR Talks Podcast

    I’ve worked with Rebecca for over five years and have been so inspired by her intentionality behind every decision she makes. She ensures that every decision aligns with her values of caring for the people and the planet, putting people before profit and passionately lives out her values through her work.