Three ways to work together, depending on what you're facing and how much support you need.
When you're on retainer with Cordell Advisory, you're not calling a consultant. You're calling someone who already knows your district.
Calls are answered immediately, or returned within one hour, twenty-four hours a day. Not because it's in a contract. Because when something happens at 10:15 p.m., waiting until morning isn't an option, and you shouldn't have to explain your district from scratch to someone hearing about it for the first time.
That context is the real value of the retainer. I spend time learning your community: how your board operates, how your community actually communicates, and what your specific pressure points are, before you ever need me in a crisis. That means when something does happen, we're not starting cold. We're building on everything we already know about each other.
Retainer clients also get something a project-based engagement can't offer: prevention. We work together before the crisis, preparing for the situations no one wants to think about, building emergency communication plans you hope you never have to use, and helping you find a decision-making process and a public voice that actually fits your district, not a generic template.
$2,500 – $6,000 / month
Scope depends on district size, availability needed, and complexity of current communications challenges. Invoiced monthly in advance.
If you're not ready for an ongoing relationship, Crisis Counsel is built for the moment you're in right now. I respond quickly, we talk through exactly what you're facing, and we build a plan around it using the same principles that guide every retainer client, tailored to your specific situation.
The difference isn't the quality of the counsel. It's the depth of context going in. A retainer client and I have already done the groundwork together. A Crisis Counsel client and I are doing it in real time, together, starting now.
$3,000 – $8,000
Scoped to the situation. Available on short notice for existing and new clients.
A focused, one-time conversation for a specific decision. Useful when you need an outside perspective before you act, not an ongoing relationship.
Included: A confidential 60 to 90 minute session, a follow-up summary with recommendations, and email access for a short window afterward for clarifying questions.
$500 – $1,200
A practical way to test fit before committing to a retainer.
Start with a confidential conversation and we'll figure out the right scope together.
Schedule a call