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Maggie Knight

advisor. advocate. Strategist. Org Dev Nerd. She/Her.

I accompany values-based organizations through periods of change, bringing strategic and operational partnership to support teams to do powerful work. Adept at connecting high-level strategy to day-to-day details, I clear the chaos, identify critical decision points, and build momentum to solve thorny problems. I help you get those “important but not super urgent” projects off the back burner; I help you move from overwhelm to sustainable and productive rhythms that build momentum for change; and I always aim to leave your organization and the people in it stronger and healthier. I love getting meaningful work done and I’m committed to honouring everyone’s humanity in the process.

I am an experienced organizational leader, strategist, and operations generalist who has built expertise in leading and growing organizations doing cutting-edge advocacy across Canada. I am a second generation white settler raised on lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) and W̱SÁNEĆ territories in Victoria, BC, Canada. I’m driven by the belief that embedding our values into the way we run our organizations is critical to shifting power and changing the world.

Consulting Projects

Recent projects include:

  • Senior leadership transitions, recruitments, and shifts towards co-leadership structures

  • Values-based, community-focused strategic planning

  • Governance transitions, board support, and governance tune-ups

  • Financial analysis, systems development, and budget restructuring to better align with organizational strategy and promote broader sharing of financial leadership and decision-making

  • Operational assessments and organizational development roadmaps

  • Human resources policy updates

  • Organizational structure reviews & option exploration

Recent clients include 350.org, adrienne maree brown, Binners’ Project, SWAN Vancouver, The Soap Dispensary, Social Transformation Project, RADIUS, David Suzuki Foundation, Fernwood NRG (neighbourhood house), Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, ArtStarts in Schools, Migrant workers centre, Unit/Pitt, Common horizon, The Hub, and individual coaching clients.

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Over the last 15+ years, I’ve served as:

  • The BC Civil Liberties Association’s Acting Executive Director (for 6 months) and then Managing Director during a period of significant staff transition, managing high stakes decision-making, funding relationships, and organizational development

  • The BC Civil Liberties Association’s first Operations Director, where I built the operations department, enabled a significant governance and culture evolution, overhauled internal systems, and led a complex head office relocation

  • Digital advocacy start-up Leadnow.ca’s first Managing Director, as we grew the core team from three to seventeen people across four time zones, more than tripled our operating budget year over year, and engaged over 400,000 people across Canada in urgent advocacy campaigns

  • Operations Manager leading communications, operations, and a student innovation seed fund at RADIUS, Simon Fraser University’s social innovation lab and venture incubator

  • President of McGill’s undergraduate student union during the 2012 Quebec student protests

  • Board director or advisor of Canadian Friends Service Committee, The Hive (social impact coworking space), First United Church Social Housing Society, the Vancouver Foundation, the Living Wage Campaign Employers Committee, and the Sierra Youth Coalition

Where I’ve Worked

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What I’ve Done

Through this work, I’ve:

People:

  • Built and supported rapidly growing teams tackling big, systemic advocacy work

  • Led 75+ hiring processes, coached 40+ managers, and worked to bring compassion and good judgment to a wide array of human resources issues

  • Supported managers to plan for “crunch periods”, clarify roles and goals, and bring in extra support to promote staff well-being and long-term sustainability

  • Led successful projects and campaigns through partnerships, coalitions, and networks

  • Co-founded and convened the Operations Management Group, a Vancouver-based network of peers who do operations work for purpose-driven organizations

  • Worked closely with students, campaigners, lawyers, entrepreneurs, accountants, architects, facilitators, university administrators, graphic designers, event planners, funders, fundraisers, vendors, landlords, and tech wizards

Finances:

  • Led financial strategy for organizations with annual budgets up to $2M, overseeing all financial risks and processes to achieve clean external audits 

  • Served as grantor, grantee, and advisor for grants from $100 to $300,000

Strategic Operations:

  • Built infrastructure, processes, and policies from scratch in both remote collaboration and in-person contexts

  • Negotiated dozens of contracts, facilitated hundreds of meetings, and tracked thousands of tasks

Strategy & Governance:

  • Led organizational development, communications, campaign, advocacy, and media strategy

  • Overhauled governance processes and anchored board recruitment and evolution

  • Organized and facilitated staff and strategy retreats

 

For more details regarding my paid and volunteer work, please find me on LinkedIn.

More About Me

  • I hold a BASc in Environment (Honours) and Economics from McGill University

  • I am an enthusiastic cook, an aspiring gardener, a practicing Quaker, and a cargo biking mama of two little humans

  • After living in Montreal, Halifax, and Vancouver, I returned to my hometown to raise my young family on lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) and W̱SÁNEĆ territories in Victoria, British Columbia

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