Venture for America Engaged DSG Consulting to Audit and Advance Workplace Culture and Talent Practices

The Challenge

DSG Consulting conducted a comprehensive three-month review of VFA’s programs, policies, and internal practices. This included interviews with stakeholders across the organization and external partners to understand how programs were experienced in practice and where gaps in alignment or execution existed.

Insights from this work were combined into a detailed assessment, highlighting opportunities to improve how programs were designed, communicated, and delivered. DSG translated these findings into practical recommendations and tools to support more consistent execution and stronger alignment across teams and initiatives.

The Approach

DSG Consulting developed a personalized growth guide, designed to yield actionable and sustainable progress across six key areas, over the course of three years. DSG Consulting recommended company specific strategies and tactical playbooks focused on inclusive marketing, supplier engagement, and community partnerships. Additionally, the team lead the creation and implementation process, providing advisory support and coaching to staff, fellows and key partners.

The Results

The engagement resulted in a multi-year roadmap designed to strengthen program delivery and expand access to entrepreneurial opportunities. DSG developed targeted playbooks for areas such as marketing, partnerships, and external engagement, providing clearer guidance and greater consistency in how programs are executed.

DSG also provided ongoing advisory support and coaching, helping leadership and teams apply the recommendations in practice. As a result, Venture for America established a more structured and scalable approach to managing programs and partnerships, better positioning the organization to grow its reach and impact over time.

“Venture For America engaged Yardstick Management (now DSG Consulting) to audit our diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, and we are so glad that we chose Ebbie and his team to partner with. They took the time to really get to know our organization, dug deep, and asked tough questions. Yardstick went beyond metrics to really explore the qualitative experiences of marginalized groups who interact with our organization and shine a light on how we can better include them. At the end of the process, we were able to take Yardstick’s recommendations and insights to our stakeholders, enabling us to partner with them to lay out a comprehensive, formal plan to improve our practices. This has been a critical step in our DEI journey, and Yardstick has been a joy to work with throughout.”

— Amy Nelson, Former CEO, Venture for America