Engagements
How Engagements Are Structured
Diwan Strategies provides advisory services for organizations operating under real constraints — political, financial, institutional, and human. This work is not abstract strategy or packaged consulting. It is designed for moments when decisions carry consequences across funding, governance, labor dynamics, and public accountability.
Engagements are scoped to the problem at hand and may be short-term or ongoing, discreet or embedded, analytical or facilitative. In all cases, the focus is on helping organizations move through complexity with clarity, credibility, and integrity.
Engagements may take the form of:
Short-term diagnostics or assessments to clarify risk, strategy, labor relations, or stakeholder dynamics
Time-bound advisory engagements supporting leadership through periods of transition, scrutiny, or labor-related inflection points
Embedded advisory support providing ongoing strategic, labor, or risk counsel within an organization
Technical support to local, in-country organizations pursuing their first large-scale grant independently, including guidance on institutional readiness, compliance expectations, and donor engagement
Hybrid models combining analysis, advisory, and limited execution support
The structure of each engagement reflects political context, organizational constraints, workforce dynamics, and the stakes involved.
Representative engagements include:
Advising a multi-country philanthropic organization on institutional risk posture and partner engagement following abrupt funding and policy shifts affecting worker organizations.
Supporting a U.S.-based organization navigating public scrutiny related to overseas programs involving labor rights, worker protections, or union engagement.
Providing strategic and stakeholder advisory to institutions operating at the intersection of governance reform, labor rights, and public accountability.
Business Development & Proposal Advisory
When funding is the bottleneck.
Who this is for
Organizations with strong programs and ideas that struggle to convert them into competitive, funder-ready proposals — or that face donor pressure, misalignment, or compressed timelines.
What we do
- Proposal strategy and narrative development
- Donor positioning and alignment review
- External proposal review and scoring
- Theory of change and budget logic alignment
- Risk and feasibility reality checks
- Technical support to local, in-country organizations pursuing their first large grant independently
What you walk away with
- Clear, coherent, fundable proposals
- Reduced last-minute chaos and rework
- A stronger understanding of donor decision-making and constraints
Strategic Planning & Organizational Alignment
When ideas exist but execution does not.
Who this is for
Organizations at an inflection point — growth, restructuring, donor pressure, leadership transition, or strategic drift — where existing plans no longer translate into day-to-day decisions.
What we do
- Translate strategy into operational choices and priorities
- Pressure-test plans against political, financial, and capacity constraints
- Align leadership, staff, and funders without flattening disagreement
- Facilitate hard conversations that organizations tend to avoid
What you walk away with
- Clear priorities and explicit trade-offs
- Strategy that changes behavior, not just language
- Greater internal alignment during periods of change
Institutional Advisory
When decisions in one area have consequences everywhere else.
Who this is for
Organizations facing challenges that cut across funding realities, internal alignment, governance structures, labor dynamics, and political context — where siloed advice would do more harm than good.
What we do
- Provide senior-level advisory across interconnected institutional risks
- Help leadership understand second- and third-order consequences of decisions
- Support governance, accountability, and decision-making under pressure
- Offer discreet counsel during moments of scrutiny or transition
What you walk away with
- Clearer institutional judgment in complex situations
- Better-informed leadership decisions
- Reduced risk of unintended consequences