Erica Olmstead
As the founder of Compass North Consulting, I help mission-driven organizations navigate complex challenges by strengthening connections that drive meaningful impact.
With expertise spanning strategic planning, research and evaluation, and community engagement, I specialize in helping organizations align their internal vision with external relationships. My approach bridges the gap between grassroots insights and organizational leadership, ensuring strategies are both mission-aligned and practically implementable.
What sets my work apart is a focus on relationship-centered design. Whether developing strategic plans that incorporate community voice, creating evaluations that capture diverse perspectives, or designing partnerships that maximize collective resources, I help organizations build authentic connections that advance their mission.
I'm particularly passionate about helping smaller and mid-sized organizations maximize their impact through intentional collaboration.
By creating clear structures, building trust, and focusing on mutual benefit, I've helped numerous organizations form partnerships that amplify their work while respecting their unique missions and capacities.
When I'm not consulting, you can find me in the garden, at a thrift store, or a local coffee shop.
My Approach
I believe effective consulting requires both technical expertise and human connection. My work is guided by these core principles:
Practical & Actionable: My recommendations are grounded in organizational realities and provide clear pathways for implementation.
Resource-Conscious: I develop strategies that respect the limited time, funding, and capacity of social impact organizations.
Relationship-Centered: I prioritize building authentic connections—with clients, within organizations, and among stakeholders.
Equity-Focused: I actively address power dynamics in all aspects of my work, centering voices that are often marginalized.
Bridge-Building: I help connect different perspectives, from community members to organizational leadership to external partners.
Focus Areas
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Access / Equity / Dignity
My top priority is tackling projects that ensure everyone’s needs are met in a way that is is both equitable and dignified. I get the most excited by work that engages community and tackles systemic issues.
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Youth Leadership
As someone whose life was transformed by youth leadership programming, programs that center youth voices have been a cornerstone of my career. I’m committed to helping organizations and coalitions in their journey towards authentic youth engagement.
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Rural Communities
I know firsthand the beauty and community of rural areas as well as the unique challenges we face when it comes to availability and access to vital resources and services. I’m on a mission to find and lift up innovative solutions to change that.