A New Chapter: The Story Behind Neralake

It’s been a busy few years here at Blueprint, and I’m grateful for this moment to connect with all of you—our incredible community of clients, collaborators, and champions who’ve supported us over the past 15 years. Together, we’ve tackled big challenges and helped organizations align around bold visions.

But even with the best strategies in hand, one challenge has persisted: getting plans off the page and into action.  

Time and time again, we’ve seen organizations struggle with a disconnect between strategic planning and execution. Bold plans often stall in the realities of day-to-day operations, leaving teams overwhelmed and progress out of reach.

It was around this time, while wrestling with these challenges myself, that I met Matt Dirks. A mutual colleague, Joanna Nickerson, brought us together over coffee at Little Sister in Osborne Village. From the very first conversation, it was clear we were tackling the same problem, but from two very different perspectives. I’d spent years helping organizations create values-driven strategic plans. Matt, coming from a background in operations and systems, was focused on bridging the gap between strategy and execution.

Today, Matt is the Managing Partner of Neralake, and he is exactly the right person for the job. His process-driven mindset, combined with his ability to ask the right questions and build practical, effective systems, has been instrumental in bringing Neralake to life. He’s passionate about empowering organizations to achieve real outcomes and making their bold plans truly actionable.

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Our initial conversations led to countless others—brainstorming over coffee, sketching out ideas on whiteboards, and testing solutions within Blueprint.  

Shortly after, we entered a formal pilot with a wonderful group of partners who trusted us and were incredibly patient as we refined and iterated on our ideas. To those partners—thank you. Your willingness to collaborate, share feedback, and stick with us was invaluable. You helped shape what Neralake is today, and we’re so grateful to have had you on this journey.

The result is Neralake—a new approach to strategic planning that connects vision to execution, empowering organizations to not just dream big but also deliver results.

Neralake is designed for nonprofits, small businesses, and community-driven organizations. It’s about creating strategies that don’t just sit on shelves but thrive in practice—helping teams stay aligned, adapt to changing needs, and track progress in real time. By leveraging technology thoughtfully,  

Neralake lifts the heavy, repetitive work that slows teams down, leaving them free to focus on what matters most: impact.

This journey is just beginning, but the impact starts now. Neralake will officially launch in Fall 2025, and we’re already working with organizations eager to turn their bold visions into real, lasting outcomes.

If you’ve ever struggled with moving a strategy from plan to action, we invite you to join us on this journey. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn, join our waitlist on Neralake’s website, and explore how Neralake can help your team adapt, thrive, and deliver meaningful results.

Thank you, as always, for being part of the Blueprint community and believing in what we’re building together.