The Challenge 

After a year and a half of rapid growth and incredible momentum, the Brynn Wheeler Foundation found itself with an abundance of new opportunities but no unified filter to evaluate them. Operating with limited team capacity, leadership faced operational friction and burnout risks, needing a clear mechanism to prioritize high-impact ideas without losing focus on core operations.

The Approach 

Through a focused strategic sprint, Pavese Insights Lab worked with foundation leadership to map out team capacity, establish strategic boundaries, and codify their vision into four distinct Investment Pillars. Rather than creating a static strategy document, the team built a real-time decision matrix to filter new projects based on capacity and long-term goal alignment.

The Impact

The foundation immediately operationalized the new model. Within days, the leadership team used the filter to evaluate a pro bono offer for a major new fundraising event—allowing them to assess required capacity objectively and make an intentional decision on timing rather than reacting to external pressure. The organization now operates with a clear two-year roadmap and structural guardrails designed for intentional growth.