Leading Health Care Philanthropy Case Study: Organizational Change Management for Major Nonprofit Transformation

The Challenge: Leading a Major Organizational Transformation at One of America’s Largest Health Philanthropies

Our client, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in America dedicated solely to health, was undergoing a significant organizational transformation. The organization’s CHRO was charged with leading a major restructuring and integration of a new department—a complex undertaking that required redesigning HR operations, service delivery models, and cross-functional workflows.

The CHRO needed outside expertise that could operate at two levels simultaneously: nimble enough to coach her direct reports into becoming effective change leaders, yet sophisticated enough to lead the organization through a full-scale strategy development and change management process. The stakes were high—the transformation needed to increase morale, improve role clarity, and build a stronger foundation for the newly integrated department.

Our Solution: End-to-End Change Management Strategy, Implementation & Leadership Coaching

18 Coffees partnered with the organization to design and execute a comprehensive organizational change management strategy for the HR department’s transformation. Our engagement spanned assessment, strategy development, implementation, and direct leadership coaching—providing both the strategic roadmap and the hands-on support needed to navigate a complex organizational shift.

We began with a thorough organizational change management assessment, analyzing workflows and structures to identify opportunities for process optimization and potential integration pitfalls. From there, we worked collaboratively with leadership to develop an actionable strategy across several priorities, including operations, talent development, and communications. Our team then led the execution of the change management strategy, ensuring successful delivery at each milestone while providing direct training and coaching to senior leaders to facilitate adoption and build internal change leadership capacity.

Key Services Delivered:

• Organizational Change Management Assessment
• Change Management Strategy Development
• Strategy Implementation & Execution
• Leadership Training & Direct Coaching
• HR Operations Redesign
• Internal Communications Strategy

Tangible Impact: A Successful Departmental Merger with Measurable Morale & Engagement Gains

18 Coffees guided the organization’s senior leaders through the design and merger of HR with another key department—a transition that was highly successful by every measure. Internal surveys showed tangible increases in morale and engagement with the new department, and colleagues reported a better understanding of meeting purposes, roles, and responsibilities across the integrated organization.

The project was kept on track through disciplined project management, with weekly touchbase meetings featuring agendas, recaps, and action items. The 18 Coffees team was praised for being flexible when internal delays arose, responsive to emerging needs, and thoughtfully collaborative in working through obstacles. The partnership demonstrated that organizational transformation succeeds when strategic rigor is paired with genuine human connection.

Project Details:

• Project Length: 12-24 Months
• Client Location: Northeast, United States
• Industry: Healthcare / Philanthropy
• Client Type: Large Nonprofit

Navigating a major organizational transformation? Contact us to discuss how our Organizational Change Consulting and HR Consulting expertise can help you lead change with confidence.