About Laurel Field

Laurel Field Consulting Pty Ltd is the registered business name under which we deliver operational consulting to Australian nonprofits, charities, and membership associations.

Established 2014

The practice began when founder Margaret Laurel left a regional community foundation board role and saw the same pattern repeatedly: passionate volunteers, thin staff, and operational gaps that no strategic retreat seemed to fix. What organisations needed was someone who could sit with the treasurer, the volunteer coordinator, and the committee chairs — and translate between them.

From a small office on the Gold Coast, we have since supported landcare networks, professional associations, arts collectives, sporting bodies, and health charities across Queensland and interstate. Our work stays close to the ground: rosters, reporting cycles, delegation frameworks, and the paperwork that keeps grants acquitted.

Who we are

Margaret Laurel leads engagements and holds a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership (QUT) with prior roles in association management and grant administration.

James Field joined as associate consultant in 2019, bringing experience in volunteer program design from a national mentoring charity and facilitation training through ANZSOG.

We do not subcontract to large firms. When specialist input is needed — for example, legal review of constitution clauses — we name that clearly and help you brief the right adviser.

How we relate to clients

We treat every engagement as a handover, not a dependency. Our reports are written so your board can action them without us in the room. We favour plain language, annotated templates, and short implementation windows over lengthy slide decks.

We decline work where the organisation is not ready to implement recommendations, and we say so early. That honesty has kept long relationships with clients who return for a governance refresh or a new volunteer intake season.

Values in practice

• Mission first — operational advice must serve the people your organisation exists for.
• Board-appropriate — materials suit volunteer directors with limited time.
• Australian context — ACNC obligations, state incorporation acts, and sector norms inform our framing.
• Sustainable load — we design processes staff can maintain after we leave.