Why “Ask the Turtle”?

“So with a lot of difficulty, I picked up this huge snapping turtle and slowly carried it down the road to the river.

Just as I had slipped it into the water and was watching it swim away, my geology professor came up behind me. “You know,” he said quietly, “that turtle has probably spent a month crawling up the dirt path to lay its eggs in the mud on the side of the road—you have just put it back in the river.”

I felt terrible. I couldn’t believe what I had done, but it was too late. It took me many more years to realize this parable had taught me the first rule of organizing.

Always ask the turtle.”

―Gloria Steinem (2015), My Life on the Road

This story highlights a common issue with traditional consulting: acting without understanding, imposing our own definitions of "help," and disrupting what is actually working.

What’s Wrong with Traditional Consulting?

Many consulting firms arrive with predetermined solutions:

  • Acting without understanding your context

  • Imposing their definitions of success

  • Disrupting processes that are working well

  • Assuming they know better than you do about your own organization

Why Asking the Turtle is Better

  • Asking before acting

  • Understanding your journey before suggesting direction

  • Respecting organizational knowledge

  • Supporting your vision, not directing it

Your story matters more than best practices. Every nonprofit is crossing its own road for its own reasons, and that context shapes everything.

What This Means for Your Organization

Before we suggest any strategy, we invest time understanding where you're actually trying to go and why. Our role isn't to redirect your journey; it's to support the path that makes sense for YOUR community with YOUR donors.