In the case of Land Trust Alliance, work with MAG has been two-pronged, focusing on strategic planning and management coaching.

In 2001, the organization hired MAG consultants to assist with refining the goals of its strategic plan, says Ezra Milchman, then one of the organization’s regional directors. “MAG consultants helped us look at a giant portfolio of potential work and to focus on what we could do realistically, and they helped us think through how to balance the diverse constituencies we work with,” he says. With MAG consultants’ guidance, he adds, the Land Trust Alliance was able to formulate goals that were ambitious, even visionary, yet achievable, plus they brought order to a process and bridged many differing opinions. “We’ve achieved much of our strategic plan, which they helped us design and implement ,” he says.

Then in 2005, when Milchman was named as National Director, executive coaching from MAG helped smooth the transition. With help from MAG, Milchman recalls, “I learned how to deal with teams, build consensus, effectively integrate local priorities with national priorities, assign roles and responsibilities among staff, and adjust my own style to encourage other leaders to emerge.” Looking back on the experience, Milchman says that MAG coaching helped him to transform difficult relationships into healthier ones. “I learned where it was important for me to focus and where it was important for other people to focus,” he says.

MAG executive coaching had powerful personal and professional results for Milchman. “It helped me to understand myself, including my ups and downs and missing skills that I needed to be effective. Plus it helped me to clarify my vision for impact in the world of conservation.” With MAG’s guidance, he adds, a whole series of new successes and leaders emerged in the organization.

Milchman characterizes MAG consultants as “tough,” and “candid,” but in a nurturing way, largely because they’re so committed to working for the greater good. He regards MAG as an entity that’s committed to making connections within the nonprofit community and thinking about change holistically throughout many different sectors.

“MAG consultants are the most committed, most organized, and most effective consultants I’ve ever worked with,” he says. “They always deliver.”