Strategy · Facilitation · Transformational Consulting

Turning complex ideas into coordinated action.

I support people and organizations to build systems that make work more democratic, sustainable, joyful, and rooted in our shared humanity.

Let's work togetherBased in MA · Working everywhere
The Work

I partner with mission-driven organizations, public agencies, and collaboratives to navigate complexity and build foundations that grow their impact.

Over the past 15+ years, I've worked across youth development, organizational leadership, and climate and community planning. I began my career as a youth worker and facilitator, where I developed a deep understanding of how transformation happens — through relationships grounded in trust, accountability, and shared purpose. I later earned a Master's in Public Policy and Environmental Planning, and have spent the past 5+ years leading cross-sector climate and community initiatives.

The most persistent challenges organizations face are rarely technical — they are strategic and relational. I bring a relational, systems-level, outcomes-oriented approach that helps teams not only develop plans, but build the internal clarity, infrastructure, and relationships needed to carry those plans forward.

About me
  • 200-hour yoga teacher certification, JP Centre Yoga
  • Facilitative Leadership Training, Interaction Institute for Social Change
  • MA in Urban Planning and Public Policy, Tufts University

I am a queer, anti-zionist Jew, aunty, and amateur dancer, working toward landback and more liberated futures for everyone.

What I do.

Five interlocking practices — most organizational engagements weave several together, and coaching is available for individuals navigating transition.

01Practice

Facilitation

I design and facilitate engaging, inclusive processes that help groups build shared understanding, navigate complex conversations, and move from ideas to action. My facilitation is grounded in popular education and emphasizes inclusion, shared power, and meaningful participation.

  • Strategic planning retreats and team alignment sessions
  • Staff and board retreats
  • Community engagement workshops and public meetings
  • Trainings and learning sessions
  • Conflict mediation and facilitated dialogue
02Practice

Project Design + Implementation

I bring extensive experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives from inception through completion. I balance big-picture strategy with strong operational execution, ensuring projects move forward smoothly and in alignment with organizational values.

  • Project scoping, work planning, and timeline development
  • Coordination of staff, partners, and stakeholders
  • Development of project management systems and tools
  • Meeting design and facilitation
  • Implementation and accountability support
03Practice

Strategic Planning + Program Evaluation

I support organizations in developing clear, actionable strategies rooted in their values, goals, and community context. I specialize in synthesizing complex information — including community input, research, and organizational priorities — into practical strategies that support effective decision-making and long-term sustainability.

  • Strategic planning design and facilitation
  • Program design and evaluation
  • Operations and governance structures
04Practice

Content Expertise

Deep subject-matter knowledge applied across the strategy and facilitation work — informed by 15+ years of practice and a Master's in Public Policy and Environmental Planning.

  • Climate resilience and adaptation planning
  • Sustainability, decarbonization, and nature-based solutions
  • Youth development and leadership
  • Workforce development
  • Community engagement and participatory planning
  • Organizational capacity building
  • Fundraising strategy and grant development
05Practice

1:1 Coaching

Individual coaching for people sitting on a decision, possibility, or project that needs focused attention — and for those processing grief, building courage, and stepping into new transitions.

  • Career transitions and professional pivots
  • Launching a new project or initiative
  • Building courage to step into unfamiliar territory
  • Processing grief and change
  • Exploring your role in interrupting oppressive systems

Selected projects.

A few collaborations that show how the work travels — from climate planning to neighborhood gardens to civic learning.

Featured · Community Celebration

Wake Up The Earth Festival

A community-led festival and celebration of local activism and art. Featuring two parades, dozens of performers, hundreds of local vendors, and thousands of attendees.

Penobscot Climate Action Executive Summary project timeline showing Phase 1 and Phase 2 activities from May 2022 through Implementation Workshops in early 2024.Slide titled Climate Action Strategies listing Buildings and Energy, Transportation Systems, Environment/Water/Waste Systems, Local Economies and Livelihoods, and Health, overlaid on an aerial photo of a Maine town.
Featured · Climate Resilience

Penobscot Climate Action

Multi-year community-led climate planning across the greater Bangor region — designing bilingual workshops, listening sessions, and participatory research that surface what residents actually need to feel safe, cared for, and ready for what's coming.

The work produced publicly accessible toolkits and resources for municipalities and community-based organizations to ground decision-making in community priorities long after the climate action planning process ends.

Reports & resources Visit project
Featured · Community Storytelling

Gardens of Egleston

A community storytelling project about gardening, food, culture, and resilience in Boston's Egleston neighborhood. We worked with residents of Egleston Square to map the gardening commons and remember the wisdom of Egleston's gardeners as the neighborhood navigates social, environmental, and economic challenges.

Made possible alongside the Egleston community, Friends of the Egleston Square Branch Library, the Citywide Friends of the Boston Public Library, the Leventhal Map Center and Community History Department of the Boston Public Library, and MassHumanities.

Visit project
A smiling person in a yellow cap and olive shirt crouched beside a hand-painted Gardens of Egleston / Jardines de Egleston signboard at the Egleston Community Orchard, surrounded by leafy vines and bilingual painted fence boards.Illustrated Gardens of Egleston neighborhood map with hand-drawn streets, sunflowers, and a legend listing community gardens, food forests, and educational gardens across the Egleston area.
A graphic recording on butcher paper titled Imagining Collective Futures with hand-lettered phrases about sustainable organizing, liberation, food forests, and imagining as realizing praxis.A workshop chart titled What is PopEd? with quadrants labeled AHAs, I LIKED, QUESTIONS, and HOW ABOUT, covered in handwritten reflections from popular education session participants.
Featured · Civic Education

Teaching Democracy

An annual training for Tufts students, faculty, and community partners to build their capacity in popular and community-based education methods.

Read the blog
Featured · Civic Engagement

Resilient Together: El Punto

A climate action planning and community resilience project centering environmental justice in Salem's El Punto neighborhood. We used participatory civic engagement and popular education techniques to build resident capacity to engage in the City's resilience initiatives.

Visit project
Bilingual workshop flip chart asking 'What kinds of things or experiences make you feel NOT at peace or NOT secure? / ¿Qué cosas o experiencia no te darían paz o seguridad?' covered in handwritten responses in English and Spanish about being far from family, losing cell service, ghosting, lack of trust in aid, and authority intervention.Close-up of a multi-generational group around a printed neighborhood map, marking locations and discussing priorities.
Let's work together

Let's build what's next, together.

Available for facilitation engagements, strategic planning processes, longer-term consulting partnerships, and 1:1 coaching.

sarahsaydun@gmail.com305 · 458 · 8159
© 2026 Sarah Marie SaydunGrounded in equity & justice