The Fire Framework™

Narrative Ethnography for Mission-Driven Organizations

Some organizations have a story.

Others are a story.

The Problem: Fire Obscured by Smoke

You're doing powerful work. Your community sees it.

But when you try to explain it—in grant applications, on your website, to potential partners—something gets lost.

You sound like every other organization.

Funders struggle to see what makes you unique.

Your team can't consistently articulate your value.

Your authentic narrative—your FIRE—is hidden beneath layers of generic language, borrowed frameworks, and SMOKE.

This isn't a communication problem.

This is a clarity and culture problem.

The Solution: Clear the Smoke, Reveal the Fire

Marketing strategists and brand consultants do valuable work—but only if you have narrative clarity first.

If your board, staff, and funders all describe you differently, no external marketing strategy will fix that internal confusion.

You need the foundation first.

The Fire Framework™ is the ethnographic discovery that happens BEFORE external marketing. It helps you understand and articulate your authentic identity from the inside.

Once you have that clarity:

Marketing strategies land better

Brand campaigns feel authentic

Communications resonate because they're rooted in truth

The Fire Framework™ doesn't replace external marketing. It prepares you for it.

How it Works

Rooted in ethnographic discovery and anthropological theory (specifically the emic/etic distinction), The Fire Framework™ is built to uncover the story at the heart of your mission—and give you the language and system to share it with power.

What You Receive

✓ Deep ethnographic discovery across 8-20 stakeholders

✓ Comprehensive narrative architecture (40-60 page document)

✓ Stakeholder messaging matrix (tailored for each key audience)

✓ Implementation toolkit (how to maintain your fire, avoid smoke)

✓ Training workshop (half-day with your team)

✓ 30 days of support (email questions as you implement)

Timeline: 8-10 weeks

Investment: $24,000

Founding Rate (through March 2026): $12,000 Limited to 5 founding engagements—early adopters as I build my case study portfolio.

  • Inside-out understanding.

    • Ethnographic stakeholder interviews (8-20 people, depending on your organization's complexity)

    • Cultural pattern recognition

    • Participant observation

    • Internal artifact analysis

    We uncover your FIRE — your lived identity, values, and internal meaning system as it actually exists (not as you wish it to be).

    This is emic work: understanding how you see yourselves from the inside.

  • Outside-in reality check.

    • External stakeholder perspectives (partners, funders, community members)

    • Content and messaging review (Smoke Analysis)

    • Language pattern mapping

    • Gap analysis between internal truth and external perception

    We surface where borrowed language creates SMOKE — and where your authentic truth already shines through.

    This is etic work: understanding how outsiders perceive you, and identifying the gap.

  • Your narrative system — not a slogan.

    • Deep thematic analysis across all research

    • Pattern identification and synthesis

    • Custom narrative architecture development

    • Comprehensive documentation (20-60 pages, tailored to your organization)

    Deliverables:

    • Core narrative framework (your FIRE, articulated with clarity and precision)

    • Origin story and organizational identity

    • Audience-specific messaging guide (funders, partners, community, staff)

    • Language guide (the actual words your people use)

    • Story architecture and proof points

    • Implementation toolkit

    Depth without bloat. Truth given structure.

  • You keep the fire.

    • Training workshop with your leadership team

      • Narrative fluency development

      • Practice applying framework to real scenarios (grant language, website copy, pitch decks)

      • Complete documentation delivery

      • 30 days of post-delivery email support

    No dependency. You become sovereign in your story.

    You own it. You keep the clarity. You keep the fire.

This is for you if:

✓ You're a nonprofit struggling to articulate transformative work in grants or fundraising

✓ You're in transition (merger, growth, leadership change) and need to articulate who you are now

✓ You're competing for funding and can't differentiate from similar organizations

✓ Your board and staff tell different stories — you lack internal alignment

✓ You've tried brand consultants and website redesigns, but still sound generic

✓ You know your authentic story exists, but can't quite articulate it

How This Is Different

Most brand consultants

  • Bring templates

  • Prescribe positioning from the outside (etic only)

  • Manufacture differentiation

  • Deliver 8–12 page brand decks

  • Fast turnaround (2–3 weeks)

The Fire Framework™

  • Brings questions, not answers

  • Discovers identity from the inside (emic first)

  • Reveals authentic differentiation

  • Delivers comprehensive narrative architecture (40-60 pages)

  • Deep, rigorous 8-10 week immersion

  • Anthropology + marketing experience + strategic thinking

The Results

When an organization's fire becomes visible again:

✓ Staff reconnect to purpose (internal alignment strengthens)

✓ Messaging becomes consistent (everyone tells the same story)

✓ Funders understand you more deeply (differentiation is clear)

✓ The community recognizes what they've been looking for (authentic connection)

✓ You make better strategic decisions (rooted in who you actually are)

Ready to Discover Your Fire?

Let’s uncover your fire and build the narrative the world has been waiting to hear.

Contact

FAQs

  • No. I don't post or schedule. I dig into the story beneath the surface—the foundation everything else rests on. After our engagement, you'll have the narrative architecture. Your internal team (or content partners) can execute from that foundation.

  • Most organizations haven't fully discovered theirs yet—that's where I come in. I uncover the story first through ethnographic discovery, then create the narrative architecture. You (or a copywriter) can write from that foundation.

  • That's the sweet spot. Most organizations are too close to see it. I excavate what's already there and help you see it in a way your audience can actually recognize.

  • I work best with mission-driven organizations—nonprofits, social enterprises, purpose-led businesses. If this sounds like you, we should definitely talk.

  • Brand strategists typically use standardized frameworks—you're positioned to fit their template. I use ethnographic methods to discover YOUR authentic narrative first, without imposing external frameworks.

    Think of me as the foundation work that comes before brand strategy. After our engagement, you'll be ready for brand strategists—they'll have authentic truth to position, not just surface-level messaging.

  • You own everything. The narrative architecture, messaging guides, implementation tools—it's all yours. You'll use your internal team (or hire copywriters/content creators) to execute from this foundation.

    I don't offer ongoing monthly retainers because the goal is to give you sustainable strategy you can use independently. I do offer 30 days of email support for questions as you begin implementing.

  • I'm happy to recommend excellent copywriters, brand designers, and marketing strategists who can help you execute. The difference is: they'll be working FROM your authentic narrative architecture, not doing guesswork.