Zazie Schäfer Advisory
Good ideas need backing.
For more than 25 years, I’ve seen international organisations from almost every angle — from country programmes to headquarters, from the field to the UN Secretary-General’s office, and across countries and continents. Different places, different politics — but remarkably similar questions: Where are we going? Who needs to come with us? What will it take to get there? And did it actually work?
I’ve worked where some big ideas became institutional change: on One UN and the thinking that paved the way for UN Women, in Ban Ki-moon’s office, and as a co-founder of UN Global Pulse when big data for development was still an experiment. At UNDP, I worked on global strategies, results and reform — including the separation of the Resident Coordinator system — and with some of the organisation’s largest government funders.
At UNESCO, I brought strategy and fundraising together. I joined as a major Member State returned with significant new resources and led the team that reshaped the programme to put them to work. Then that Member State left — and we reshaped it again with considerably less. Strategy in real time.
That experience has taught me that strategy, money, politics, partnerships and evidence don’t politely stay in separate boxes. The interesting work is getting them to move in the same direction.
That’s what I now bring to the table from the outside.
How I can help
STRATEGY
When the direction
needs sharpening.
Develop or refresh strategies, set priorities and clarify positioning. Turn broad mandates and ambitions into choices that people can actually act on.
• Strategy development & review
• Organisational positioning
• Funding priorities
• Governance & UN reform
• Leadership retreats
COMMUNICATIONS
When you want to make a good idea irresistable.
Turn complex ideas, evidence and institutional priorities into narratives that people understand — and want to support.
• Strategic narratives
• Positioning
• Results communication
• Reports and flagship products
• Stakeholder engagement
FUNDRAISING & PARTNERSHIPS
When good ideas need backing.
Build the case, identify the right partners and create the conditions for funding and long-term support.
• Resource mobilization strategies
• Donor intelligence and positioning
• Funding propositions and proposals
• Partnership development
EVALUATION & LEARNING
When “because it worked” isn’t enough.
Understand what is working, why, and what should change. Turn evidence into better decisions — and stronger communication of results.
• Evaluations & strategic reviews
• Results frameworks
• Performance assessment
• Learning and adaptation
• Evaluation communication
Who I work with
Governments & public institutions
Foundations & funders
International organisations
Nonprofits & mission-driven organisations
Businesses & leaders
20% for impact
I dedicate up to 20% of my advisory capacity to pro-bono and reduced-fee work with organisations and initiatives whose ideas deserve backing but whose resources are limited.
FOR IMPACT
01
STRATEGY & PARTNERSHIPS
How can a country use its living heritage for something bigger in a world of bubbles and polarisation? Not simply to preserve traditions, but to create encounters, strengthen belonging and open spaces where people who might otherwise never meet can find common ground.
02
EVIDENCE & COMMUNICATION
How do you turn complex, data-heavy evidence into a clear story that decision-makers will act on? By moving beyond more data, more charts and more findings — and finding the story that makes the evidence understandable, relevant and hard to ignore.
03
FUNDING & STRATEGY
How do you decide what’s really worth backing when budgets are tight and priorities are multiplying? Not everything that matters can be funded. The harder question is where limited resources can make the greatest difference — weighing evidence and impact against urgency, comparative advantage and what others are already doing.
If something needs sharpening, backing, funding, explaining — or a fresh look at whether it’s working — let’s talk.