Services & Impact - Yesler Partners

Impact

The impact of our work includes

Philanthropic Strategy and Impact

$300M Financial Inclusion Strategy

Helped design the financial inclusion strategy for a major foundation, based on an in-depth analysis of the changing provider and technology landscape and an evidence-based theory of change, securing $300M+ in funding to expand affordable digital financial services in the developing world.

Global Philanthropic Strategy for a Faith-Driven Foundation

Developed the international granting strategy, drawn from landscape diagnostics across multiple regions and sectors, to guide grant making for leadership formation and poverty alleviation.

Ecosystem-Building Strategy for the John Templeton Foundation

Developed an ecosystem-building strategy for JTF’s virtue ethics programs, based on extensive diagnostic interviews, collaborative workshops, and case study research on philanthropic-funded norm change. The strategy included a clear theory of change, strategic pillars, and pilot initiatives.

Organizational Redesign for Global Foundation

Supported the organization redesign and effectiveness effort for a major global foundation. Led the day-to-day team that helped launch multiple new foundation program teams, as well as redesigned major strategy, planning and budgeting processes for greater subject-matter expertise and cross-functional collaboration.

Higher Education Transformation

Growth Transformation

Have worked with a wide range of university presidents and cabinets to reverse enrollment declines, improve student outcomes, and to launch new academic programs in emerging fields. Representative efforts include the growth diagnostic for a mid-sized public university that led to a 14% year-over-year improvement in new student enrollment, and a multi-year transformational change program for a liberal arts university that delivered a 7 percentage point increase in student retention rates.

Student Success

Co-led McKinsey’s Student Success service line including a complete redesign of student support tools and approach to focus on holistic student success (e.g., physical and mental well being, belonging, academic success, and post-graduation success).

Research and Thought Leadership

Co-authored McKinsey’s “Strengthening Higher Education Outcomes” and contributed to its flagship report: "Fulfilling the Potential of US Higher Education".

Social Venture Leadership

Growth and Innovation at The Veritas Forum

Led The Veritas Forum, a twenty-five year-old, global non-profit founded at Harvard University into a new era of growth and innovation. In addition to growing core programming, led the design and development of Veritas’ faculty pipeline initiative, to identify and equip future faculty to thrive in tenure and tenure-track roles at leading universities via mentorship cohorts, annual convenings, and targeted fellowship dollars and research funding.

Economic Development Field Operations

Managed the launch of field operations for Millennium Promise across eight sub-Saharan African countries, serving 350,000 rural poor, including launching in-country teams and designing and implementing the performance management system.

Testimonials

From Our Partners

Working with David Hobbet gave our team the clarity, alignment, and momentum that we needed—when we most needed it. He brought decades of leadership and organizational experience to the table—but more importantly, he applied that experience with humility and precision to our unique problems and potential. We’ve been so impressed with David’s results that we continue to work with him to tackle our high-priority challenges and opportunities.

Kara Powell, PhD

Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Seminary

I worked extensively with David to refresh the strategy for the Gates Foundation’s Inclusive Financial Systems team. David helped our team identify clear, measurable goals, design a series of mutually-reinforcing interventions to advance those goals, and establish a team org structure to design and implement those interventions. Throughout the process, David displayed tremendous creativity, strategic acumen, and diplomatic finesse. The strategy was enthusiastically approved by foundation leadership and was widely recognized across the organization as an exemplar of a clear, well-designed strategy. I would recommend David and his team without hesitation.

Daniel Radcliffe

Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications – The Gates Foundation

David is an invaluable consulting partner for our work at Pinetops Foundation. We work with David to help address the biggest opportunities and questions facing our foundation. His proven social sector leadership and strategic, data-driven support has helped shape Pinetop’s investment approach and impact across multiple program areas.

Joshua Crossman

CEO & board member – the Pinetops Foundation

David is an insightful and thoughtful leader who is equally adept at analyzing enrollment analytics and honoring the distinctive mission of a faith-based institution. He understands the trends facing higher education, cares deeply about actual impact, and brings integrity and purpose to all of his client work.

Erin Hoffmann Harding

Vice President for Strategy and Legal Affairs and Chief of Staff, Saint Mary's College
Former Expert Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
Former Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Notre Dame

We worked with David on a key strategic pillar of our work, and he was a fantastic partner—clear in his thinking, deeply professional, and highly attuned to our goals. His ability to bring structure and insight to complex questions made a real difference. I’d work with him again without hesitation.

John Cunningham

Director, Public Engagement – The John Templeton Foundation

Working with David Hobbet fundamentally reshaped how I think about strategy and impact. He brings the rare ability to listen deeply, ask the right question at the right time, and gently steer conversations toward clarity and alignment. What began as an exploratory conversation quickly became the foundation for an entirely new framework, one that now shapes how we define success, allocate resources, and measure outcomes across our initiatives. David is not just smart (he is); he’s also wise, collaborative, and deeply invested in helping leaders do work that matters.

Kimberly Thornbury

VP of Programs and Partnerships – M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Our needs required a unicorn with experience in higher education, non-profit leadership, product management, and strategic planning--all bundled together with the highest levels of personal integrity and professional drive. David has fit the bill, and then some! We hoped he would help us take two or three significant steps forward in our most complex and highest-potential initiatives, and he quickly helped us take four or five sustainable steps. I highly recommend David for any organization or leader seeking to take the next step toward full potential.

Jake Mulder

Executive Director, FULLER Equip
Senior Advisor, TENx10 Collaboration and Fuller Youth Institute

Working with David is a gift. He’s a creative problem solver who challenges assumptions with clarity and care. He listens deeply, and brings both imagination and trustworthiness to every conversation.

Bethany Jenkins

Vice President of Media – The Veritas Forum

David is a deeply-trusted partner for the Pinetops Foundation. He understands the real-world realities of investing for positive social change and his humble, listening-first approach brings clarity to our work.

Anne Crossman

board member – the Pinetops Foundation

From Strategy to Impact

The impact of our work includes

From Our Partners

Reach out to get increased clarity and conviction for your mission, team, and work