THREE ways to work together

01

Embedded Engagement

I join your leadership team for 3+ months. I’m in the Slack, in the meetings, in the details. This is the engagement for organizations that need someone to build the thing from scratch: revenue strategy, org design, operational infrastructure, whatever sits between where you are and where you said you’re going.

Best for startups & non-profits post funding, scaling past founder-led operations, or with a new leadership or mandate.

Monthly retainer.

02

Advisory Relationships

Strategic counsel for leaders who have the team but need the architecture. I work with founders, executives, and their internal operators on vision setting, OKR frameworks, leadership team design, and building the capacity of the people who’ll carry it forward.

Best for founders who need a thinking partner, leaders building their first ops function, and organizations that need the blueprint.

Monthly retainer.

03

Project Work

Scoped, time-bound engagements with a defined problem, a defined timeline, and a defined outcome. A strategic planning sprint, an OKR buildout, an org design project, a systems audit, and implementation. You’re buying an outcome.

Best for organizations that know what needs to be built and want someone to come in, get it done, and hand it off.

Project fee.

Let's Talk

Selected work

"We secured our funding. Now we need a team."

A biotech nonprofit had three co-founders and a mission. No team, no processes, no infrastructure. I built a recruiting strategy and operations from scratch: designed and ran interview processes, built pipelines, sourced and vetted over 3k candidates across 15+ roles. In 9 months, 3 to 30+ people across five cities, including critical C-Level Execs.

"We had subscribers, but not advocates."

A nonprofit political organization had built a 5-figure Substack audience, but hadn't figured out how to turn readers into donations. I built the editorial practices, audience growth & donor conversion frameworks, and partnership strategy from the ground up. The result: 51% subscriber growth and 230% YoY growth in political donations.

"Growing vs. scaling."

A membership startup needed to rebuild its growth engine. I restructured the membership funnels, operationalized the growth mechanics, and systematized what had been running on instinct and manual effort. +48% MoM revenue growth, the largest new MRR month in the organization's history. And we maintained those levels following.

“She is knowledgeable, efficient, and thoughtful. She’s amazing in every way. I can’t say enough about Lauren as a colleague and partner.”

“Highly efficient, no-nonsense, and immediately impactful. She brings strong structure and urgency, delivering clear value without wasting time.”

“She has a way of brightening people’s days, bringing clarity. and getting the job done.”

“I was immediately blown away by your attention to detail, responsiveness, and your warm and friendly personality that made working with you such a pleasure.”

lauren werner

I'm a strategic Chief of Staff and operational partner for organizations at inflection points. I work alongside founders, CEOs, and executive directors to bring alignment, strategy, and execution to moments of high growth, structural change, and ambiguity.

I've spent over a decade doing this work across startups, nonprofits, and corporate environments. At Vox Media, I led Strategy & Operations for the Partnerships Organization, designing and implementing the systems that 1.64x'd our largest annual partnerships and drove +34% incremental growth across key client relationships. At Slate, I led the Client Services department, ensuring a white-glove client experience while driving strategic revenue growth including 187% growth in editorial sponsorship revenue. I was named Client Services Manager of the Year.

Now I run a consultancy built around what I do best: working with founders, executive directors, and leadership teams at startups and nonprofits to turn vision into operational reality. I build the strategy, architecture, and cross-functional systems that make revenue and organizational growth sustainable. I don't advise from the sidelines. I embed with leadership teams, build the systems and infrastructure that don't exist yet, and make sure what I build holds without me.

I’m deeply committed to mission-driven work and served as a VC Fellow with Rogue Women’s Fund, supporting women entrepreneurs and founders from underrepresented groups.

Outside of work, you'll find me skiing, on the trails with my pup, belting Broadway ballads, volunteering at the animal shelter, or getting the dance party started with some disco.

let’s talk

I take on a limited number of engagements at a time. If your organization is at an inflection point and you need someone who builds, let’s have a conversation.

book a conversation

Or reach out directly: lauren.elizabeth.lw@gmail.com

lauren werneR

Founder & Lead Consultant