Use systems science tools to create lasting social change

Sticky, complex problems require thoughtful approaches.

Collaborative systems science methods can help your team and your clients get unstuck.

Sound intimidating? I promise it’s not. In fact, it can be quite energizing!

Let me help you step out of stale patterns and design dynamics that actually serve you, your colleagues, and your community. You’ll get:

  • More tools in your problem-solving toolkit.

  • More alignment in strategic decision-making (even when perspectives differ).

  • More impactful messaging that resonates.

Your work is fast-paced, complex, and meaningful, and you deserve the best tools and conditions to get it done.

Together, we can equip your team with a powerful (and universally applicable) approach to solution-finding that runs on the specifics of your/your clients’ contexts. All while pursuing and honoring diverse perspectives.

A round illustration of three colored circles and one square arranged in a circle with directional arrows between them.

Understand a system’s behavior to make better decisions for better outcomes.

Co-designing custom solutions to common challenges

Resources are limited for both your team and your clients. It’s important to make the right call about how they’re used.

  • You want to better leverage team strengths, but can’t figure out how.

  • You want to equip your team with a systems science approach to policy and program design.

  • You are (or a client you serve is) part of a collaborative exploring policy or program solutions, and the key players hold widely divergent values.

  • An underperforming program needs adjustment and will require an inclusive approach to informed action.

  • Your messaging is not aligned with your strategic plan and it might be hampering growth.

  • Siloes have formed and you can’t figure out how to create more cross-functional cohesion.

Answers exist, and they’re hiding in the dynamics of your system! We’ll uncover them together.

An illustration of an iceberg showing the small part above the waterline as "problems we know about" and the big part below as representing the underlying causes of those problems. 
“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall 
to the level of your systems.”

— James Clear

Solutions designed for real-world problems

Systems & Strategy

  • Better understand tension points

  • Identify highest leverage
    for change

  • See unintended consequences before they happen

  • Deepen understanding of dynamics at play

Illustration of a paper page with lines showing connection to three squares below representing things being connected in a system

Capacity Building

  • Improve ability to apply solution-finding tools to any context

  • Acquire shared language for solving problems and addressing conflict

  • Infuse shared mental models and habits in your approach to work and in organizational dynamics

Illustration of a small brick wall with one brick sliding in from the left to fill a gap, representing building or shoring up support

Strategic Comms

  • Systematize your communications workflows

  • Improve internal processes for content creation and distribution

  • Connect the internal to the external for maximum impact

  • Lead the narrative and tell your story through a systems lens

Illustration of a speech bubble with a cog wheel attached representing strategic communications
Image of report cover: "Listening Learning Making Change"

Featured work

Listening, Learning, Making Change: Kids’ Food Basket Stakeholder and Community Report

  • "Hayley has provided tremendous value to our company. She was particularly adept with pushing matters over the finish line with excellence. She is a trusted partner who works with a mission focus and a high level of integrity."

    Carrie Stewart, Co-Founder and Managing Partner

  • “Partnering with Hayley Butler to create a thoughtful and engaging talk was very rewarding. She asked great questions, helped me strategize how to discuss a complex topic, while also considering how to make the biggest impact for the audience. The talk got glowing reviews, and I truly couldn't have done it without her help!”

    — Meredith Beard, Clinical Social Worker and Therapist


  • "I still brag today about the beautiful work Hayley did for us and have not found anyone remotely as good or as talented."

    — Elizabeth Washington, Director of Grants and Education

  • "Hayley was a great collaborator. She was able to quickly plug into a system and process and provide valuable insights, thought partnership, and actionable recommendations. She suggested ideas and tools that were responsive to (often tricky) situations and the group's needs. And, her facilitations were thoughtful, organized, and thorough. I was grateful to have such a partner in the trenches!"

    Ellen Johnson, Senior Director

  • Very quickly, Hayley was able to drive our team to clarity, synthesizing stories, research, and perspectives to create a powerful tool that makes it easy for our team to share compellingly about our work.

    Katy Russner-Travis, Communications Manager

  • "As president and CEO of a thriving non-profit for the past 20 years, I have engaged with many consultants. It can often be a challenge to come to a deep understanding of the scope and complexity of our work in food equity. Hayley Butler was an exception. She was able to grasp the depth of our work and add value through her experiences, perspectives, and passions. We collaborated on a multitude of projects large and small. Through it all, Hayley was responsive, creative, and laser-focused on our mission. I’m thrilled for any organization that gets the opportunity to work with her."

    Bridget Clark-Whitney, President and CEO

I’m Hayley, your partner in finding clarity and crafting change.

I have one speed: “excellence or bust”. But I also love to get to know my clients. You’ll get a whole, relatable person (who just also happens to be results-driven). When we’re not focused on the work at hand, I’ll want to hear about your favorite places to travel, the most riveting books you’ve read lately, and the best dining experiences you’ve ever had.

Portrait of Hayley Butler standing outside.
Overhead photo of a desk with keyboard, pens, eyeglasses, and a notepad.
Hayley Butler brand logo of intertwined lines shape