There’s no shortage of nonprofit consultants and philanthropy advisors in the social sector. When nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, and foundations come to Third Plateau, they’re not looking for a firm to go through the motions and call it a day. They’re looking for a partner to challenge the status quo and do something harder: create lasting social good.
That requires a different kind of approach. Ours is built on what we’ve seen actually work — the principles and practices that, time and again, underpin change that lasts. Here’s what guides everything we do.
Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
Society’s most complex challenges are deeply rooted, interconnected, and resistant to quick fixes. Philanthropists, foundations, and nonprofit leaders know this. They show up every day with real passion and ambition. But passion alone doesn’t build change that lasts.
Third Plateau was built on a simple premise: creating lasting social good requires more than good intentions. It requires the experience to design great strategies and the capacity to see them through. That’s what our team brings to every partnership.
Three Things We Never Compromise On
Profound, lasting impact requires three non-negotiables: informed optimism, visionary leadership, and a collaborative mindset. Get all three right, and everything else follows.
Informed optimism is the balance between realism and hope — and it’s one of the things that most distinctly shapes how we work. In the social sector, it’s easy to drift toward one of two extremes: either so grounded in the weight of the problem that it’s hard to see a path forward, or so aspirational that strategies don’t hold up when the real world pushes back. Informed optimism is the conviction that sits between those two. It acknowledges the complexity and seriousness of social challenges while staying focused on opportunities for bold progress and solutions.
Visionary leadership is about growth. Every philanthropist and leader who works with Third Plateau leaves better equipped to create lasting change than when they arrived. We cultivate purpose, clarity, and foresight — helping leaders become more purposeful in aligning their actions with long-term impact, more resilient in the face of uncertainty, and bolder in driving meaningful change.
Collaborative networks address something we’ve seen over and over: complex social challenges cannot be solved alone. We bring together individuals and organizations as partners, building the trust, shared purpose, and aligned action that makes collective impact possible. When collaboration is done well, it builds a momentum that no single organization, leader, or philanthropist could achieve on their own.
“After decades working in social impact, I’ve seen what happens when you start with the wrong groundwork. Leaders burn out chasing outcomes they were never set up to achieve. Funders write checks without the partnerships that would make those dollars matter. Communities are consulted but not heard.”
What This Unlocks
This approach comes to life across two areas of practice.
Our Transformative Philanthropy experts guide families and foundations to ask the big question first: how can philanthropy partner with communities and organizations to create a profoundly better world? That framing — partnership rather than charity — changes everything about how our work is designed and delivered.
In practice, our philanthropy consultants and family philanthropy advisors guide grantmaking strategies that strengthen communities for generations, transforming financial systems and building sound governance. This enables grantmakers to deploy resources strategically, including funder collaboratives that turn individual efforts into collective power, and foundation financial management and accounting that frees up time to focus on impact, not paperwork.
Our Impactful Organizations team works with nonprofits, public sector organizations, and leaders on what they actually need to move their missions forward — nonprofit strategic planning, business planning, program design, leadership development, and organizational sustainability — built for every partner’s specific context, challenges, and goals, not off-the-shelf solutions.
We equip organizations with a roadmap for what’s next: adapting to face challenges, sustaining impact over time, and scaling what’s proven to work. We help organizations transform nonprofit financial strategy, accounting, and management so their resources are aligned with their mission, not working against it. We conduct research and evaluation that gives leaders the clarity to make real decisions. And we design leadership development programs and peer learning communities where the best ideas and talent can emerge.
Why It Matters
After decades working in social impact, I’ve seen what happens when you start with the wrong groundwork. Leaders burn out chasing outcomes they were never set up to achieve. Funders write checks without the partnerships that would make those dollars matter. Communities are consulted but not heard.
The organizations and philanthropists that create lasting social good don’t get there by accident. They get there because someone helped them build the right foundation: clear strategies, strong relationships, and the confidence to lead boldly even when the path isn’t certain.
That’s what Third Plateau exists to do: build the infrastructure of change. The work is hard. The challenges are real. But a profoundly better world is possible, and we show up every day believing that.
Jonathan Kaufman is Co-Founder and Principal at Third Plateau, a leading U.S.-based impact consultancy named one of Fast Company’s 2025 Best Workplaces for Innovators. Jonathan collaborates with nonprofits, foundations, and social entrepreneurs all over the world, helping them expand and deepen their social impact, specializing in business and strategic planning, team culture, board development, and organizational innovation.
Jonathan holds an M.B.A. in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship from WashU’s Olin Business School, where he was a Danforth Scholar and recipient of the Dean’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. He is an instructor of social innovation at Hebrew Union College, a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and on the National Board of Advisors for Improve Your Tomorrow.
