Our roots are with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Central and Eastern Europe. These organizations wanted help with fundraising, but often possessed limited English-language capacity required for grant proposals, funding applications, and other communications. Over time, we devoted more energy and resources to a wider range of social impact organizations interested in development, fundraising, and planning. Demand for English language coaching and communications training continues to grow, particularly among individuals and small groups that want to improve their speaking and presentation skills to reach newer and more diverse audiences.
Fundraising, development, and strategy planning are an investment of time, energy, and resources to improve an organization’s position. All investments involve some degree of risk and uncertainty. Good consultants cannot — and should not — guarantee successful results every time. This is especially true before a consultant meets with a client to understand their needs, their concerns, and their challenges.
Good nonprofit development and strategy consultants bring their experience, perspectives, and skills to ensure clients are able to utilize proven tools and methods that have delivered effective results in previous contexts. Good consultants also use lessons learned from past failues to help clients avoid mistakes towards better outcomes.
Sometimes we are not the right choice for a client. In these instances, we are happy to suggest or recommend other options from other providers which are more appropriate.
Throughout all our work, we are honest and open with our clients about what we can do for them; what we cannot do for them; and what is necessary to reach their desired outcomes.
Since 2015, we have worked primarily with clients in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Services are delivered in-person/on-site, or online, based on client preference.
We continue to expand our service area throughout Central Europe and Eastern Europe. This includes advice and counsel to emerging social impact efforts in Poland, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Albania, Croatia, and Hungary.
Business inquiries and requests for collaboration from other parts of the world are welcome.
My name is Ryan Turner. My work focuses on social impact organizations in Central and Eastern Europe, in addition to ongoing engagements with clients in the United States. I am a proud native of Richmond, Virginia; an active alumnus of Princeton University; and a current resident of Prague, Czech Republic.
Each client is unique in their service needs. Before we begin any work, we talk with clients to identify what is expected and their desired time frames. We then determine options that will fit within their budget requirements.
Business English for NGOs is a for-profit consulting vendor with a paid client base. We do not work for free.
We provide pro-bono professional services to select organizations on a limited basis, depending on the scope of work and availability.
I am inspired by friends and colleagues around the world who care about empowering people and communities for purposeful, mindful, and sustainable social good. From volunteering to voting, non-profit organizations have played an important role in my professional and personal spheres.
I grew up in a family where community participation, neighborhood involvement, and civic engagement mattered as much as academic achievement. One of the most important values in our home was to connect with something larger than yourself, and to follow your passion in life towards meaningful and purposeful actions. My parents also encouraged me to learn about, discuss, and speak out on social issues that concerned me; and to build relationships with people from different backgrounds and perspectives.
As a university student, I met young people from Central and Eastern Europe before the revolutions of 1989. I admired their passion and optimism as they committed themselves to helping their home countries transition from old regimes to new democracies. Five years after the Velvet Revolution, I travelled to Europe for the first time. The Czech Republic and Poland were among the first places I visited. The people and communities throughout the CEE region continue to hold a special place in my thoughts and actions.
For more than 20 years, I’ve served as a strategy guide, resource scout, and people connector for NGOs in the U.S. and internationally. I have served as a volunteer, consultant, and advocate for civil society, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility efforts in Central Europe and Eastern Europe.
We offer group training for social impact organizations, leaders, and teams. We also provide individual coaching for clients. Individual coaching sessions, small group trainings, and team workshops can also be combined depending on availability.
Depending on client preference, we can schedule in-person/on-site activities or online meetings.
We continue to follow all health guidelines, safety precautions, and other recommendations to ensure the wellbeing of clients and colleagues while continuing to deliver the best service possible.
(1) To expand the range of resource opportunities available to NGOs in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. (2) To increase the social, cultural, and economic understanding of the importance and value of NGOs and nonprofit services to society.