Strategic Consulting for Nonprofits

Data-driven insights for sustainable, high impact results.

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HI THERE. WE’RE BISON RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT.

Nonprofit organizations continue to struggle with the widening gap between demand for services and stable funding. We work with you to address these challenges and promote sustainable growth.

Bison Research & Development is a strategic consulting firm that uses data-driven insights to help nonprofits achieve sustainable growth and high-impact results.

Bison Research & Development was founded by Jared Star, a health and social science researcher and consultant with two decades of experience.

Our team specializes in transforming complex challenges into clear strategies that build resilience and long-term impact.

We help organizations across Canada and the United States build capacity, secure funding, and increase their cultural and social impact.

Learn About Our Team

OUR PROCESS

Study. Plan. Do.

Study

We start with research. We listen, gather evidence, and dig into the issues to fully understand your organization, your community, and the challenges you face.

Plan

We work alongside you to develop a strategy. Our planning is collaborative, grounded in evidence, and tailored to your goals, resources, and context.

Do

We move ideas into action. Sometimes that means delivering the project ourselves; other times, it means equipping your team with the tools, training, and support needed for implementation. Either way, we stay committed until we reach our shared goals.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO

Frequently Asked Questions

We primarily work with nonprofit and social-impact organizations, ranging from small community-based groups to larger public institutions. Our clients work across areas such as health, social services, education, and community development. We support organizations throughout Canada and the United States.
You don’t need to have the solution—or even a fully defined project—in mind before contacting us. We’ll start by learning about your organization, the challenge you’re facing and what you hope to achieve. From there, we can recommend the right combination of research, planning, evaluation, capacity-building, or implementation support.
Our work follows a clear and practical process: Study, Plan, and Do. We begin by listening, gathering evidence, and understanding the issue. We then work collaboratively with your team to develop a strategy and help turn it into action through practical tools, recommendations, training, or hands-on implementation support.
Yes. Every project is designed around your organization’s goals, resources, timelines and internal capacity. We can adjust the scope, level of stakeholder engagement, and type of support to create an approach that is both useful and realistic for your team.
Project fees are developed collaboratively based on your organization’s needs, budget, and capacity. We can adjust the scope, timeline, or payment structure to create an approach that is both practical and financially manageable for your organization.
Complete our contact form and tell us a little about your organization and the problem you’re exploring. We’ll connect with you to learn more and discuss whether we’re a good fit.

Notes From Our Clients

"Bison Research and Development has been an invaluable asset, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the social services landscape. Jared’s exceptional track record in securing grants is a result of his instinct for current trends in the industry. He is highly skilled at conducting in-depth analysis and provides meaningful, data-driven recommendations that have significantly benefited our organization."

Lise Leflour, Executive Director of Taking Charge!
"We are deeply grateful to Bison Research and Development for their exceptional partnership in helping our organization conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment. From the very beginning, Jared and Chris approached the project with professionalism, compassion, and a genuine commitment to understanding our mission and the people we serve and appreciation for the work that we do. Their ability to listen, engage with community members, and translate complex information into meaningful insights was invaluable. Thanks to their thoughtful guidance and expertise, we now have a clearer understanding of our community’s priorities and a strong foundation to guide our future programs and advocacy efforts. Jared and Chris' work went far beyond the data collection. The process built trust, sparked important conversations, and gave voice to those who needed to be heard. We couldn’t have asked for a more compassionate or capable partner in this process."

Amanda McNally, Executive Director of Peace Arch Hospice Society
“We are deeply grateful to Jared Star at Bison Research & Development for his transformative contributions to Mount Carmel Clinic. In our work together, we have been able to strengthen our clinic’s contribution in the North End and beyond. The attention to detail, strategic thinking, and deep understanding of community health have made a lasting impact. Bison Research & Development has been a true ally in our mission to provide high quality, equitable, community-centered healthcare. Jared, thank you for standing with us and helping us continue in our mission of healthy, strong, children, youth, adults, Elders and communities.”

Bobbette Shoffner, Executive Director of Mount Carmel Clinic