Services

Operations consulting and fractional COO services in Washington.

ToyBox gives leaders clear systems, stronger boards and a plan their team can run. Every engagement starts with a 30-minute call and a written scope.

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On the call: 30 minutes with Katoya Palmer, a read on fit and clear next steps. No pitch.

20+ years across sectors · 10 City of Seattle consultant rosters · 3 WA Department of Commerce appointments

Who ToyBox works with

Five kinds of organizations. One way of working.

Small businesses, creative teams, cultural and science groups, nonprofits and public agencies, and larger companies.

Read more: what ToyBox does for each kind of organization

Small business. For owners and founders. Operations and SOPs (standard operating procedures), hiring and people basics, finance basics and growth systems. Help getting ready to bid on public contracts.

Creative & marketing. For marketing and creative directors. Storytelling, brand clarity, campaigns, content systems and produced events.

Cultural, heritage & science. For museum, heritage and science directors. ToyBox works with arts groups, museums, heritage societies, cultural-community groups, science centers and STEM programs. The work: program evaluation, boards that govern, and campaigns that bring people in. Also operations that hold when funding shifts.

Nonprofit & public sector. For department directors, procurement leads, executive directors and board chairs. Grant compliance, theory of change and evaluation, and governance. Also fractional leadership and community engagement.

Enterprise. For operations and people leaders. Operations at scale, change management and leadership development. Decisions across teams, community-partnership strategy, and event and brand production.

For government buyers

ToyBox is on 10 City of Seattle consultant rosters and holds three Washington State Department of Commerce appointments. How to hire ToyBox from a roster · Public contracts

The service catalog

Who each service is for, the problem, what you get and how it starts.

Fixed scope · Available year-round

Operations Tune-Up

Who it's for
Nonprofits and small businesses that want a clear operations plan for the next 90 days.
The problem
Busy seasons, audits and staff changes show which systems are real and which live in one person's head.
What you get
A scorecard and your top three risks, three fixes built with your team, and a 90-day plan with an owner and a date on every item.
How it starts
Three working sessions, scheduled when it works for you. See the Tune-Up · Read the guide
01 · Operations

Operations consulting, fractional COO and interim COO

Who it's for
Organizations with an empty leadership seat, or work that lives in one person's head.
The problem
Work stops when the busiest person is out.
What you get
Written systems, SOPs and reporting schedules. Each piece of work gets an owner and a date.
How it starts
A 30-minute call, or the Operational Health Check (about 10 minutes).
Read more: fractional and interim COO

A fractional COO (chief operating officer) gives you steady senior help, part time, on a monthly retainer. An interim COO holds the seat until it is filled.

Proof: as COO of a $12M nonprofit, Katoya Palmer rebuilt five core systems at once. Read the case study.

02 · Programs

Theory of change, program evaluation and grant compliance

Who it's for
Nonprofits, cultural organizations and agencies that must show what their programs change.
The problem
Funders ask for results, and reports have to hold up when someone checks.
What you get
A theory of change (the path from what you do to the difference it makes), an evaluation plan and grant reporting.
How it starts
A 30-minute call, or the Grant Readiness Assessment (about 10 minutes).
Read more: grant compliance

Grant work includes federal Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), the federal rules for spending grant money. Katoya Palmer co-authored peer-reviewed research on co-developing theories of change (2024). Read Grant Compliance 101.

03 · Leadership + governance

Board governance, decision-making and people practices

Who it's for
Boards and leadership teams that meet often but struggle to decide.
The problem
No one is sure where governing ends and managing begins.
What you get
Board roles, committee charters, a conflict of interest policy and decision methods. Clear roles and decisions that stick.
How it starts
A 30-minute call, the Board Governance Self-Assessment or the Conflict of Interest Self-Check (about 10 minutes each).
Read more: decision and people methods

Beyond Robert's Rules: decision methods for when a majority vote is the wrong tool. Decision Quality: judging a decision by how well it was made, not only how it turned out.

Restorative People Management: handling conflict and performance in ways that repair working relationships. Facing a legal issue? Talk to an attorney before you hire a consultant.

04 · Fundraising

Fundraising campaign planning: the ToyBox Campaign Compass™

Who it's for
Nonprofits and community groups planning a fundraising campaign.
The problem
The first ask goes out before the goal, calendar and owners are set.
What you get
A campaign with a goal, a calendar, the messages and an owner for each task.
How it starts
A 30-minute call. Each tier is scoped in a written proposal.
Read more: what is in the Campaign Compass

It works for nonprofits, cultural organizations and community groups. You get a strategy workbook and a week-by-week plan. You also get libraries of messages and social posts, plus campaign and event toolkits.

Three tiers: DIY (you run it with the kit), Facilitated (ToyBox runs the key sessions with your team) and Done-for-You (ToyBox runs it with you).

05 · Workshops + speaking

Board and team workshops, keynotes and storytelling

Who it's for
Boards, staff teams, conferences and leadership programs.
The problem
Accountability systems that watch performance but do not improve it.
What you get
Two 60-minute sessions (Diagnose, then Design & Commit) or a half day in person. Your team leaves with a fillable workbook and a 90-day plan.
How it starts
Book a workshop planning call.
Read more: Beyond Compliance Theater and keynotes

Beyond Compliance Theater is about building accountability systems that strengthen performance instead of only monitoring it. Sessions run virtually or in person. See the Beyond Compliance Theater toolkit.

Katoya Palmer also gives keynotes and joins panels. Storytelling is its own practice: hands-on, creative sessions on finding and telling your story.

06 · Small business

Small business operations and government contracting readiness

Who it's for
Owners and small teams outgrowing the way the business has always run.
The problem
The business runs on memory instead of a plan.
What you get
SOPs, hiring basics, and finance basics such as bookkeeping setup, cash flow and QuickBooks.
How it starts
A 30-minute call, or the Operating Reserve & Runway Calculator (about 3 minutes).
Read more: growth systems and public contracts

The goal: a business that runs on a plan, and is ready to bid on public work if you want that. Growth systems cover leads, follow-up and scheduling. Contract readiness covers reading an RFQ (request for quotes) or SOQ (statement of qualifications). It also covers consultant rosters and certifications.

07 · Creative + marketing

Brand, marketing campaigns and event production

Who it's for
Brands, small businesses, cultural organizations and teams with something to launch, sell or say.
The problem
The message is unclear, or it stops after the launch.
What you get
A clear message, and a system that keeps it going out after the launch.
How it starts
A 30-minute call. Bring what you are launching and the date it needs to land.
Read more: what the creative practice covers

Storytelling. Brand clarity: what you do, for whom, in plain words. Campaign planning and production. Event production. Content systems such as calendars, email and social.

Golden Hour Unboxed, presented by ToyBox Consulting & Management, is a produced event from this practice.

Not sure which fits?

Bring the problem. Leave with an approach.

Bring the messy version. You leave with a suggested approach, whether or not you hire ToyBox.

Book a 30-minute discovery call
How it works

A written scope before anyone signs.

No surprises. Everyone knows what is included before work starts.

  • StartA 30-minute call, then a 45 to 60 minute discovery session.
  • ScopeA written proposal: deliverables and timeline. Nothing starts until both sides sign.
  • ShapeA fixed-scope project, ongoing monthly support, or a workshop.
Read more: the eight steps from first call to handoff
  1. Nonprofit and public-sector work is scoped differently from private work.
  2. 30-minute call: ToyBox says plainly whether it is the right fit.
  3. Discovery session: 45 to 60 minutes on the problem, the people and the limits.
  4. Proposal: scope, deliverables and timeline, in writing.
  5. Signed agreement: nothing starts until both sides sign.
  6. Kickoff: owners, dates and a check-in schedule, confirmed up front.
  7. Check-ins: a steady schedule so nothing drifts.
  8. Deliverables: built with your team, not just handed over.
  9. Handoff: documented so it keeps running after ToyBox steps back.
Free tools

Eight free tools to decide what to fix first.

Each runs privately in your browser. Start with the CCC Diagnostic, or get all eight with Out the Box, ToyBox's monthly newsletter.

The decision each tool helps you make, and how long it takes
ToolThe decisionTime
CCC DiagnosticIs clarity, culture or credibility holding you back?2 min
Operating Reserve & Runway CalculatorIs your cash reserve big enough?3 min
Do I Need a Fractional COO?Is a fractional COO worth the cost for you?5 min
Operational Health CheckWhere should operations improve first?10 min
Board Governance Self-AssessmentWhere does your board need to get stronger?10 min
Grant Readiness AssessmentCan you manage public money before you apply for it?10 min
Conflict of Interest Self-CheckAre board conflicts found and disclosed each year?10 min
Financial Controls Self-AssessmentAre your controls ready for public funding?20 min
Read more: what each tool checks
  • Operational Health Check: a 25-point check across governance, finance, people, programs and technology, with a live score and where to focus first.
  • Financial Controls Self-Assessment: for nonprofits with public funding. It finds your Washington reporting tier, flags gaps across 30+ controls and prints a report.
  • Grant Readiness Assessment: 20 points. It checks registration, money on hand, compliance and reporting.
  • Board Governance Self-Assessment: rates who is on the board, roles, policies and engagement. It also rates fiduciary oversight (the board's duty to protect the money). Works well as a board exercise.
  • Conflict of Interest Self-Check: finds the conflicts boards most often miss and builds a sign-ready annual disclosure.

Start with a 30-minute discovery call.

On the call: 30 minutes with Katoya Palmer, a read on fit and clear next steps. No pitch.

Book a 30-minute discovery call

Serving Seattle, King County and Washington since 2008 · 10 City of Seattle consultant rosters

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