IMPACT STRATEGIST
PHILANTHROPY PARTNER
SECTOR CONNECTOR
Connecting resources and strategies for leaders who want to make a greater impact on their communities.
Intentional Impact
I help individuals, families, and businesses align their giving with their values, identify the causes and organizations where they can make a meaningful difference, and better understand the impact of their philanthropy.
You care about your community and want your giving to make a meaningful difference. But with so many worthy causes and requests, generosity can quickly become reactive rather than intentional.
I help individuals, families, and businesses align their giving with their values—clarifying what matters most, identifying opportunities that fit those priorities, and understanding the impact their resources can have.
Whether you're developing a personal giving strategy, engaging your family in philanthropy, or simply trying to make more confident decisions about when to say yes or no, I can help turn your generosity into intentional, meaningful community impact.
WHO I HELP
INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES
Turn your values into an intentional giving strategy and identify opportunities to create meaningful community impact.
BUSINESSES
Move from reactive donations and sponsorships to a community engagement strategy aligned with your company's values, customers, employees and goals.
MISSION-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS
Build the partnerships, strategies and measurement systems needed to create and demonstrate meaningful impact..
HI, IT'S ME
Hey there—I’m Elizabeth Cizinsky. I build partnerships, programs, and plans that help mission-driven organizations stop spinning their wheels and start moving the needle. I’ve spent over a decade embedded in Milwaukee’s civic and nonprofit scene, connecting dots, building trust, and helping good people do great work—more strategically, more sustainably, and ideally with fewer 40-slide decks.
As Director of Community & Business Operations at a midwestern think tank, I wrangle our 75-person board, lead stakeholder strategy, and manage fundraising, finances, and operations—all while keeping one eye on long-term impact and the other on budget spreadsheets. Before that, I spent nearly 10 years leading Scale Up Milwaukee, where I designed and ran accelerator programs for hundreds of small businesses, turned curriculum into capital, and built partnerships with everyone from JPMorganChase to local government to neighborhood entrepreneurs.
At my core, I’m a builder: of programs that actually work, partnerships that actually last, and measurement strategies that prove the impact—not just promise it. I love the challenge of designing revenue-generating initiatives that make sense for both funders and communities, and I thrive in rooms where we can ask big questions, make bold bets, and then back them up with solid strategy and strong relationships.
Off the clock, I’m raising three wild and wonderful girls, diving headfirst into community boards and volunteer roles, and always keeping one hand on my coffee and the other on a color-coded to-do list. If you’re looking for someone who gets stuff done, makes it fun, and never forgets why the work matters—I’m your person.
WHAT WE'LL DO TOGETHER
DISCOVERY CALL
Share your pain points, your goals, your values, and what you're looking to accomplish.
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Develop meaningful alliances with corporate, philanthropic, and community partners. This service includes partnership strategy development, pitch material creation, outreach planning, and long-term engagement plans to build credibility and attract aligned partners.
STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
Engage and align your internal and external stakeholders to foster collaboration and trust. Includes stakeholder mapping, engagement strategies, facilitation of listening sessions, and communication planning to ensure all voices are heard and your mission stays at the center.
IMPACT ANALYSIS
Build an evaluation framework that tells your story with credibility and clarity. Includes KPI development, theory of change support, survey tools, data collection templates, and outcome reporting. Ideal for funder reporting and internal strategy.
REVENUE-GENERATING PROGRAM DESIGN
Co-create or refine programs that are grounded in your mission, responsive to community needs, and designed for measurable outcomes. Includes landscape analysis, logic model development, goals and outcomes mapping, and budget alignment.
FOR INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES & BUSINESSES
PHILANTHROPIC ADVISING
Support values-driven giving with structured guidance for individuals, families, or corporate social impact teams. Includes giving strategy development, nonprofit vetting, community research, and custom impact tracking tools.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Develop strategies that promote the company or organizational brand, aligning with partners sharing similar values and expansive audiences, garnering deeper relationships in the community.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
& STRATEGY
Build the relationships and partnerships needed to move your goals forward. Includes stakeholder mapping, community research, partnership strategy, strategic introductions, and engagement planning.
The work and dedication of Scale Up Milwaukee was recently recognized with a nomination for the MANDIs,
aka the Oscars of Community Development in Milwaukee:
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