Let's solve your HR headaches and make a solid plan for the future.
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From Misalignment
to Purpose
Do any of these sound familiar?
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Your leaders, staff, and board have different expectations of HR, leaving the team frustrated and unclear.
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You’re not sure if your policies and documents are compliant with current laws.
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Turnover, morale issues, or unclear pay practices are draining your team’s energy.
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HR feels disconnected from your organization’s mission and purpose.
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Your HR staff or leadership is overloaded and unsure what to prioritize first.
If so, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Introducing:
The HR Needs Assessment
& Roadmap
A structured process to take you from misalignment and uncertainty to clarity and purpose.
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In just 4–6 weeks, you’ll have a clear, prioritized plan for your organizational systems — along with the option for ongoing support to bring it to life.
What You'll Walk Away With
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Instead of struggling with misalignment, you’ll leave with:​
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Step-by-step plan for the next 12+ months, broken into short-, mid-, and long-term priorities — so you know exactly what to do first.
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Updated or clarified organizational systems that reduce risk and ensure compliance — so you can focus on your mission with confidence.
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Tangible tools like a hiring toolkit, compensation framework, or performance review process — so your managers and staff have what they need to succeed.
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Alignment across leadership, staff, and the board — so everyone is moving toward the same purpose.
How it works:
Our process makes the complex simple:​
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Listen & Understand – We interview 3–4 stakeholders to understand your goals and challenges.
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Review What Exists – We analyze your current documents and systems for gaps and risks.
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Identify Priorities – We connect the dots between leadership goals, staff needs, and compliance requirements.
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Design the Roadmap – We deliver a prioritized plan with short-, mid-, and long-term goals.
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Support Implementation (optional) – We guide your HR team or step in to manage projects, documents, and systems.
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Case Study: People First (Nonprofit Sector)
People First supports the homeless community across Santa Cruz County by connecting individuals to free services and operating a shelter. Earlier this year, their HR Director left the organization, and with over 100 employees, leadership needed immediate HR support. We were brought in to serve as the interim HR department while also managing the search for a new HR Director.
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At a time when it could have felt like being thrown into the deep end, we began with a needs assessment. This allowed us to understand the priorities of the leadership team and the organization and to map out a six-month calendar of HR activities. Because we took the time to assess needs first, our work was targeted and effective.
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During this period, we helped implement a new performance review process, which included self-reflection for staff, training for managers on how to deliver reviews, and structured follow-up throughout the process. The result was greater clarity, accountability, and support for both employees and leaders during a time of transition.
About Us:
At Fortress & Flourish, we help nonprofits, special districts, and growing organizations build regenerative HR systems that support compliance, culture, and long-term growth.
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Our team brings years of expertise in US labor law, nonprofit HR, and organizational development — and we love helping leaders move from misalignment to purpose.
Who is this for (and not for)?
This IS for you if your organization:
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Has 10–50 employees
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Is growing or experiencing leadership changes
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Wants to shift from misalignment to purpose in HR systems
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Has outdated or missing policies, job descriptions, or processes
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Struggles with hiring, turnover, or morale and wants a clearer system
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Is ready to invest in people systems to improve culture and retention
This is NOT for you if your organization:
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Has fewer than 10 employees or more than 50 employees
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Already has a fully staffed HR department with excellent strategic alignment
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Wants only transactional help (like payroll processing)
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Is looking for a quick fix without long-term change
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Isn’t ready to allocate budget or leadership attention to HR
Frequently Asked Questions
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Case Study: Unraid (Tech Industry)
Unraid is a company that is constantly growing and changing. Priorities shift month to month, and while some activities (like performance reviews) happen annually and are incrementally improved, new needs continually emerge — such as hiring, updating trainings, and revising the employee handbook.
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This year, leadership recognized the need for a better way to communicate roles and connect pay decisions to skills and levels of responsibility. Through a needs assessment, the path forward became clear: build career ladders and a structured framework for raises, promotions, and employment decisions.
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The result has been clarity and consistency across the team. Employees now understand how growth is defined, leaders have a framework for decision-making, and the company has a scalable structure to support both current and future growth.
Q: What exactly is an HR Roadmap?
A: The HR Roadmap is a tailored, step-by-step plan for strengthening your organizational systems. It identifies your most urgent risks and highest-value opportunities, and lays out short-, mid-, and long-term priorities so you know exactly what to do next.
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Q: What do we need to provide?
A: We’ll ask for access to your key HR documents (like job descriptions, handbook, employment agreements, and performance review processes). We’ll also schedule 3–4 short stakeholder interviews to understand your goals and challenges.
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Q: Who should be involved in the stakeholder interviews?
A: Typically, we speak with your CEO/Executive Director (or equivalent), HR lead (if you have one), and one or two board or staff leaders. We’ll help you choose the right mix of voices to ensure alignment.
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Q: What happens after we receive the Roadmap?
A: You can use the Roadmap internally as your guide, or you can engage us for ongoing support. We can provide strategic advising, or roll up our sleeves to help with project management, document creation, research, and implementation.
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Q: Do we have to commit to ongoing support?
A: Not at all. Some organizations only need the Roadmap to move forward internally, while others prefer continued support. It’s completely up to you — and we’ll provide a proposal if you’d like us to take on more.
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Ready to Move From Misalignment to Purpose?
With the HR Needs Assessment & Roadmap, you’ll know exactly where to focus your energy — and have a plan to strengthen your people systems for years to come.​