Meet your strategic partner
Meet Afton DeVos
Afton DeVos partners with nonprofit leaders to build organizations where people flourish and missions advance. With twenty years of lived experience scaling nonprofits, she brings the clarity, structure and coaching that transform reactive teams into resilient ones.
Afton launched her consulting practice in 2022 after sixteen years in nonprofit development and operational leadership roles including organizations like Gilda’s Club and Kids’ Food Basket. That depth of experience leading through complexity, scaling an organization and building teams that sustain the work gives her a perspective uncommon among consultants.
Her calling is simple: to remove barriers to human flourishing by strengthening the leaders and teams who do that work.
VALUES
What guides
Afton’s work
These are the convictions Afton brings to every engagement. They’re true of who she is, and they’re what clients can expect when they work with her.
Dignity & Worth
Afton believes every person carries a dignity and worth that no title or circumstance can add to or take away. That shapes how she shows up with leaders, their teams, and the people they serve. It’s also why she leads with curiosity and treats lived experience as expertise: the voices closest to the mission help leaders make wiser decisions from the start.
Brave Yeses & Noes
Afton helps leaders get clear on their priorities and put their time, energy, and resources toward what matters most. That often means stepping into new territory and honest conversations, the kind many avoid, and Afton goes there alongside them. She practices this herself: she says yes to the work where she can serve well, and when she’s not the right fit, she helps leaders find the partner who is. Every yes is also a no, and both take courage.
Everyday Excellence
Afton brings her best thinking, creativity, and care to every engagement. Excellence isn’t reserved for big moments; it shows up in the preparation, the details, and the follow-through. She holds high standards and extends grace, because the people doing this work are human, and their best may look different from day to day.
Lighthearted & Wholehearted
Afton brings her whole self to the work, with a healthy dose of humor. She looks for moments of joy, delight, and celebration to share with the teams she serves.
More about Afton
Education & Credentials
MPA in Nonprofit Leadership, Grand Valley State University
BA, Butler University
Everything DiSC Practitioner
Board Service
Children's Healing Center
Grand Rapids Christian School
Writing
Taking Heart
Substack on leadership, resilience and faith
How We Work Together
Every engagement starts with understanding where your organization is and where you want to go. From there, Afton works alongside you to build a clear strategic plan, align your team and establish the structures that sustainable growth requires.