Whether you’re hoping to increase literacy rates, fight hunger in your community or reduce pet overpopulation in shelters, you’ll need a clear roadmap to meeting your goals. However, developing the most optimal strategy to reenergize your operations and bring your mission to life can be difficult, especially when you’re juggling multiple responsibilities.

With the support of an expert fundraising consultant, you can identify opportunities for improvement in your existing fundraising plan, build new strategies or advance your nonprofit in a number of ways.

To identify the right consultant who can meet your organization’s unique needs, we’ve compiled a list of the leading nonprofit fundraising consultants:

1. Aly Sterling Philanthropy – Best Overall
2. Getting Attention – Best for Google Grants Management
3. Grants Plus – Best for Grant Research
4. Kwala – Best for Graphic Design
5. Greater Mission – Best for Religious Consulting
6. Loop: Design for Social Good – Best for Nonprofit Branding
7. GivingMail – Best for Direct Mail
8. Meyer Partners – Best for Multichannel Marketing
9. Artisan E-Learning – Best for Resource Development
10. DNL OmniMedia – Best for Nonprofit Tech
11. Whole Whale – Best for Data Analysis
12. Bristol Strategy Group – Best for Straightforward Services
13. Brian Lacy & Associates – Best for Annual Giving
14. Pursuant – Best for Mid-Level and Major Giving
15. The Helen Brown Group – Best for Prospect Research
16. Westfall Gold – Best for Event Planning
17. Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt – Best for Executive Team Development
18. Graham-Pelton – Best for Staffing Improvements
19. Donorly – Best for Small Nonprofits
20. Marc Pitman – Best for Educational Training
21. Aspire Research Group – Best for Wealth Screening
22. Heller Consulting – Best for CRM Users
23. Big Duck – Best for Marketing Collateral
24. The Alford Group – Best for Forming Corporate Partnerships
25. BWF – Best for Growing Alumni Relations
26. Ahern Donor Communications – Best for General Communications
27. JF Smith Group – Best for Project Management
28. Saad & Shaw – Best for On-Demand Solutions
29. Amy Eisenstein – Best for Major Gifts
30. The Sheridan Group – Best for Association Fundraising
31. Mission Minded – Best for Campaign Communications
32. CCS Fundraising – Best for Campaign Management
33. BrightDot – Best for Fundraising Coaching
34. Lindauer – Best for Executive Search
35. The Geis Group – Best for Data Mining
36. GOBEL – Best for Healthcare Nonprofits
37. DBD Group – Best for Board Governance

As you read through each consulting firm’s top features, reflect on the objectives you want to accomplish and consider which nonprofit consultant will be best suited to support your organization’s goals. We’ll cover a few tips for hiring the right fit for your nonprofit later on! Let’s get started.

1. Aly Sterling Philanthropy | Top Fundraising Consultant for Nonprofits

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Aly Sterling Philanthropy is a partnership-driven consulting firm providing fundraising planning, nonprofit strategic planning and board leadership solutions for nonprofits.

With a solid track record in supporting organizations of all shapes and sizes, Aly Sterling Philanthropy can help your nonprofit create a high-level plan and reenergize its strategies for continuous growth.The firm takes a holistic approach to creating solutions for clients, tailoring services and recommendations to meet nonprofit’s unique needs. From offering fundraising assessments and campaign feasibility studies to guiding donor communications and developing leadership, Aly Sterling Philanthropy is the ideal support system for any organization looking to improve its operations.

They do this by first listening and getting to know your organization, then developing a plan of action based on where you are and where you want to go. It’s that simple, and consultants from Aly Sterling Philanthropy have the expertise to help your nonprofit elevate its impact.

Aly Sterling Philanthropy’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Aly Sterling Philanthropy offers nonprofit consulting services in the following areas:

• Fundraising planning. This firm will help provide a deeper understanding of why donors give and fundraising strategies for helping your organization raise more money.
• Strategic planning. Aly Sterling Philanthropy consultants will guide your nonprofit through a thoughtful assessment to align goals with organizational values. They’ll create a bold plan of action, whether to build fundraising capacity year over year or to weather a particularly challenging season.
• Board leadership. This firm will help you assess, strengthen and energize your board members to overcome challenges and heighten productivity.

Through their many years of serving nonprofits and delivering impressive results, the expert consultants at Aly Sterling Philanthropy can guide your organization through all situations, rain or shine.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Aly Sterling Philanthropy doesn’t work for your nonprofit; the consultants work with you to address your organization’s unique needs. With their extensive experience in uplifting organizations to achieve their objectives, the firm’s consultants can help your nonprofit tap into new opportunities to engage donors, drive revenue and increase your overall efficiency.

“Consultants come and go, but if you’re looking for a true partner, an extension of your team, a group of individuals who care deeply about your mission and dive in and roll up their sleeves, then Aly Sterling Philanthropy is the firm.”

Benjamin S.M. Nicol, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer
Phi Kappa Psi Foundation

2. Getting Attention | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Google Grant Management

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Getting Attention is a fundraising consulting firm that focuses on helping nonprofits acquire and manage the Google Grant.

With the Google Ad Grant, 501(c)(3) nonprofits have access to $10,000 of in-kind search advertising from Google each month. However, taking full advantage of this resource amid the complexities and regulations of the program can feel like an insurmountable challenge.

With Getting Attention’s unparalleled Google Grant management services, you can trust that you’re maximizing your advertising dollars and effectively amplifying your nonprofit’s mission. Whether you want your ad campaigns to recruit volunteers, generate awareness, drive traffic to your website, or increase donations, their grant managers can help you reach your objectives.

Getting Attention’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Getting Attention delivers the following expert management services to help your nonprofit make the most of your Google Grant:

• Ad Grant acquisition. Between confirming your eligibility and filling out your application, Getting Attention will get your nonprofit approved for the Google Ad Grant.
• Google Grant management. This consulting firm will create ad campaigns for keywords that relate to your services, fundraisers, and relevant initiatives. They’ll keep a watchful eye on your campaigns to boost each ad’s performance and increase conversions.
• Compliance support. Getting Attention understands the ins and outs of Google’s rules and will keep you in compliance with all regulations.
• Account reactivation. If your account is lapsed or deactivated, Getting Attention will work with Google to get you back up and running in no time.

Many nonprofits are not aware of, not using, or not fully utilizing the remarkable power of the Google Grant. In other words—nonprofits are missing out on millions of free advertising dollars. With these services, Getting Attention is working to change that.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Getting Attention not only cares about your Google Ad Grant success, but they also help you align your Google Grant strategy with the rest of your nonprofit’s marketing and branding efforts.

3. Grants Plus | Top Fundraising Consultant for Grant Seeking

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Grants Plus is the national leader in nonprofit grant seeking consultation. Their professional team is highly skilled in developing grant seeking strategies and crafting persuasive grant proposals to submit to private foundations, corporate grantmakers, and government funders at every level.

Their philosophy is simple: when they partner with your organization, your team becomes their team. They take the time to understand your nonprofit’s unique situation so that you can overcome any obstacles you face when seeking grants.

Grants Plus’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Grants Plus offers a range of strategic consulting services, including:

• Grant prospect research. They’ll develop a strategic plan for locating the best opportunities for your organization so you can focus on pursuing the right funders at the right times.
• Writing tailored grant proposals. They’ll manage the complex process of applying for a grant. They’ll develop a detailed work plan, create a competitive application, and submit it on your behalf.
• Reviewing and improving grant proposals. If you’ve taken the time to write a grant proposal, the experts at Grants Plus will review it for technical errors and make your application as competitive as possible.
• Training and coaching. Whether online or in-person, their interactive training programs are tailored to meet your unique needs. This way, you can effectively build team member knowledge even if they have varying levels of experience.

Grants Plus continually updates their valuable grant seeking resources for all nonprofits, no matter what the economic or social situations are at the time. Explore those resources and get a glimpse of how Grants Plus can help you navigate any grant seeking challenges you may be facing.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

After years of experience, Grants Plus fully understands the grant seeking process. Since 2007, their expert team has helped nonprofit partners secure more than $165 million in new grant funding through thousands of grant requests.

They’ve developed a proven method for successfully identifying grant opportunities and building strong relationships with funders. As a result, their nonprofit partners see an average twelve-fold return on their investment. Contact Grants Plus to see how they can help elevate your grant seeking strategy.

4. Kwala | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Graphic Design

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Kwala is an unlimited graphic design company that works exclusively in the mission-driven sector. They partner with organizations to produce professional marketing and fundraising materials that amplify their causes—both in the digital and in-person space.

From nonprofit logos to fundraising letters, they’ll design everything you need to establish your nonprofit’s brand and spread the word about your campaigns.

When you partner with their design team, you’ll receive a dedicated graphic designer who will spend time understanding your nonprofit and its brand guidelines. Best of all, they offer unlimited design requests and revisions, meaning they’ll keep designing your fundraising materials until you’re happy.

Kwala’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Kwala offers a wide range of graphic design services, including those for:

• Physical marketing materials. From fundraising flyers to banners, Kwala will help prioritize your print marketing efforts.
• Digital marketing designs. Kwala will help strengthen your online presence with graphics for your website, social media, and digital ads.
• Nonprofit logos. Your nonprofit logo is one of your most crucial marketing assets. Kwala knows how to design a timeless, eye-catching logo that will capture your cause.
• Product designs. If you want to level up your fundraising products, let Kwala create your t-shirt graphics, hat designs, and other product designs.

When you partner with Kwala, you’ll pay a flat monthly fee for as many graphics as your dedicated designer can create. Whether you want to strengthen your in-person or digital efforts, Kwala’s team has you covered!

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Graphics play a vital role in your fundraising campaigns. And unlike generic graphic design firms, Kwala understands how nonprofits work and what it takes to stand out in the mission-driven space.

5. Greater Mission | Top Religion-Specific Consulting Firm

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Greater Mission is a religious consulting firm specifically working with organizations within the Catholic Church.

The firm focuses on two primary fundraising efforts: capital campaigns and capacity building. Further, with a concentrated commitment toward engaging the Latino Catholic community, almost half of Greater Mission’s staff is Spanish-speaking to accommodate a wider population.

The firm’s services cover everything from initial feasibility studies to major gift acquisition.

Greater Mission’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Greater Mission offers a variety of services, including:

• Feasibility studies, development audits and mission advancement planning. The firm will help your church plan for one-time efforts, such as capital campaigns, as well as ongoing efforts such as capacity building.
• Constituent rating, major gift appeals and legacy giving appeals. Greater Mission will help your church discover the congregants most likely to make a large, impactful gift.
• Cohort campaigns. The firm will draw on the organizational structure of the Catholic Church to increase the efficiency of large scale fundraising efforts.

Greater Mission’s services were created through the lens of the Catholic Church and are therefore perfectly tailored to serve that audience.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Churches are classified as nonprofits, though their fundraising needs and efforts are much different than other types of nonprofits. In addition to specializing in church-related needs, almost half of Greater Mission’s staff is bilingual—positioning them to genuinely help English and Spanish-speaking churches.

6. Loop | Top Nonprofit Branding Consulting Firm

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Loop: Design for Social Good is a full-service creative agency that works with a wide range of organizations to provide branding strategy and web development services.

Their human-centered approach ensures that they understand your mission and vision, allowing them to effectively communicate what your organization needs to get across to your end users. They then work with you to increase your reach and awareness and create a brand that fits your organization.

Loop’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Loop offers nonprofit consulting services in a variety of areas, including:

• Nonprofit branding. Conduct a brand audit of existing materials and create a strategy for ongoing branding, including naming, tagline development, storytelling, promise, values, and personality.
• Graphic design. Optimize your visual identity to align with your mission and audience with logo design, typography, colors, icons, graphics, and more.
• Web development. Create a powerful online experience for users that effectively brings your brand to life and tells your story. Plus, receive ongoing support and training so your team has a sustainable strategy going forward.

The Loop team can even provide assistance with creating custom integrations between your nonprofit’s website, CRM and donation platforms for an all-around streamlined fundraising process.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Loop stands out among fundraising consultants because of their dedication to nonprofit branding and design optimization. With so much of an organization’s business taking place online, it’s more critical than ever to prioritize an effective web presence—and Loop’s team is here to help.

7. GivingMail | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Direct Mail

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

GivingMail is a direct mail marketing and fundraising provider dedicated to assisting nonprofits in creating and sending high-quality direct mail appeals to their supporters. This consulting firm focuses on equipping fundraising organizations with the resources they need to secure much-needed financial support.

By working with GivingMail’s team of direct mail design and nonprofit consultants, you can get the word out about your organization and its mission to make impactful change in your community.

GivingMail’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

GivingMail offers a variety of services in the following key areas:

• Direct mail design help. Using their intuitive design app, fundraisers of all shapes and sizes can create visually appealing mailings even without extensive knowledge of graphic design.
• Fundraising letter templates. GivingMail provides organizations with several customizable fundraising letter and postcard templates to easily draft powerful, personalized donation requests.
• Direct mail marketing and fundraising packages. Choose from a number of marketing and fundraising packages including fundraising letters, postcards, informational letters, and more.
• Donor list rentals. If you’re not sure who to send your fundraising appeals to, consider renting one of GivingMail’s up-to-date donor lists. They can even help you narrow down lists of prospective donors into those who have shown interest in similar causes!

When you work with GivingMail, you can ensure high-quality fundraising appeals are sent to the right audiences in the most efficient way possible.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

If you’re looking to send out direct mail fundraising appeals to your supporters, working with GivingMail can actually save you money. Their mailings start at only $1/piece, which is less than you would have to spend on paper, envelopes, ink, and postage on your own! Plus, they provide expert guidance as you draft, design, and send your fundraising letters.

8. Meyer Partners | Top Fundraising Consultant for Multichannel Marketing

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Meyer Partners is a full-service nonprofit marketing agency that can help your nonprofit reach (and exceed) its fundraising goals.

With a data-driven, multi-channel approach to nonprofit communications, Meyer Partners will work with your organization to build the best fundraising campaigns possible. From outreach to retention, they know how to build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with donors.

When it comes to direct mail campaigns, Meyer Partners can handle everything from the ground up, from list building to copy, creative, production, and mailing.

Meyer Partners’ Nonprofit Consulting Services

Meyer Partners is an all-in-one nonprofit marketing consultant, so you can count on them to provide a variety of services, like:

• Direct response fundraising. With years of experience in direct response fundraising, Meyer Partners executes effective print and digital marketing campaigns to help you meet your fundraising goals. Whether it’s an annual campaign, upgrade campaign, or capital campaign, you can count on Meyer Partners’ storytellers, designers, and strategists to maximize results from all of your fundraising efforts.
• Data analytics. Donor file audits, predictive modeling, and campaign analytics are just some of the data services Meyer Partners offers. They’ll help you turn your nonprofit’s decision-making into a precise, data-driven strategy, so you’ll know exactly where to allocate more resources and how to improve your outreach efforts.
• Email marketing. Whether you’re crafting a digital year-end appeal or circulating a newsletter, Meyer Partners can help you strategically segment your email lists and craft the perfect emails for each group. This way, each donor—no matter their stage in the fundraising cycle—will be in the best position possible to further engage with your organization.

With Meyer Partners on your team, your organization will better reach your donors where and how it matters to them, leading to increased fundraising and more impact on your cause.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Meyer Partners is genuinely dedicated to making the world a better place—and that means helping your nonprofit achieve every fundraising goal you set. They’re real partners in your mission, not just another vendor. You can count on them to get personally invested in your cause and work diligently to exceed your expectations.

9. Artisan E-Learning | Top Training Resources Development Consultant

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Artisan E-Learning has worked with businesses, associations, and nonprofits just like yours. This firm believes in training that yields higher-performing employees. And, large nonprofits such as the American Red Cross and Goodwill have trusted them with exactly that.

Artisan E-Learning is an e-learning content development firm. So, when it comes to leveling up your strategies, Artisan will create the training courses, job aids and interactive experiences that empower your staff and volunteers to fundraise more effectively.

The Artisan E-Learning team works with your nonprofit’s subject matter experts. Pair this with the firm’s expertise in course design and development, and you access valuable resources to train staff members across your team. They’re invested in creating valuable e-learning experiences for all learners.

Artisan E-Learning’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

In the realm of fundraising, Artisan E-Learning develops the training materials you can use to prepare staff and volunteers. This team will:

• Develop custom e-learning courses. Artisan can create effective e-learning courses and aids to support your team, whether you’re onboarding “Vera the Volunteer” or training “Mary the Newly Appointed Matching Gifts Coordinator.”
• Translate and localize existing training. The Artisan E-Learning team can translate and localize your existing training materials to ensure they’re relevant, applicable, and relatable for all learners. This is especially impactful for nation- or worldwide nonprofit organizations that are training staff and volunteers across cultures.
• Create templates and prototypes. The Artisan team can create templates and prototypes that you can use to create and/or update training materials going forward. The world of nonprofit fundraising is always evolving, and this firm isn’t going to make comprehensive fundraising training materials and then leave your team in the dust.

And, if your team has existing training that’s outdated, the Artisan team can update it to meet your current needs. For example, if you need a Flash-based course converted into HTML-5, call on Artisan E-Learning!

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Artisan E-Learning creates useful e-learning training that teaches your learners how to do something better. This firm isn’t going to draw on trendy e-learning techniques just because they’re able to. They’re going to find which training techniques will best serve your team and go from there.

Plus, they’ll equip your nonprofit with all source files, meaning you can continue updating these courses to use them for years to come.

10. DNL OmniMedia | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Nonprofit Tech

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

DNL OmniMedia is a full-service consulting firm that helps nonprofits achieve their missions through the effective use of technology. Their experienced consultants will work closely with your staff to understand where your organization has the greatest opportunity for growth and develop a strategy to help you acquire, steward, and grow your donor base.

Team DNL can directly guide your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy by consulting staff on how to implement the leading fundraising tech solutions. However, they can also indirectly support your fundraising efforts by helping your nonprofit create an effective web presence and organized internal operations system.

DNL OmniMedia’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

DNL OmniMedia consultants help nonprofits:

• Choose and implement new software solutions. Whether your nonprofit is interested in a robust solution like Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge NXT or a handful of integrated tools, Team DNL can help your organization make the move to new fundraising software.
• Discover areas for improvement in your tech stack. DNL OmniMedia can discover areas of dissonance within your technology stack and develop a plan to make the most of your solutions.
• Develop omnichannel fundraising campaigns. Donor preferences for giving platforms vary from supporter to supporter. That’s why DNL OmniMedia helps nonprofits take an omnichannel approach to fundraising campaigns.

DNL OmniMedia believes that when nonprofits have the right technology and the knowledge to use it, they can build successful fundraising campaigns that support their missions.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

DNL OmniMedia works with various nonprofit technology providers including Blackbaud, Salesforce, and Drupal. They take a holistic approach to fundraising to help nonprofits like yours develop digital strategies that drive donations and make an impact. Contact DNL to receive expert advice on your fundraising efforts.

11. Whole Whale | Top Fundraising Consultant for Data Analysis

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Whole Whale is a nonprofit fundraising consulting firm focused on harnessing the power of data to improve the digital fundraising strategy of nonprofits.

This nonprofit fundraising consulting firm will provide a digital impact assessment to help your nonprofit understand where they stand in terms of fundraising according to the data. This approach helps your nonprofit understand its performance compared to other organizations in the industry.

From this performance evaluation, Whole Whale consultants will provide recommendations to maximize your nonprofit’s digital impact to better achieve funding from your donors.

Whole Whale’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Whole Whale will help with just about any digital or data analysis strategies that your nonprofit needs adjusted. Some of their incredible features include:

• Content marketing and SEO. Your consultant will work with your organization to leverage SEO tools to analyze your nonprofit’s organic website traffic. They’ll help you develop the skills you need to boost this traffic and expand your potential donor audience.
• A/B testing. By using A/B testing, Whole Whale’s consultants can maximize conversions for your donation page and other goals. They accomplish this by trying various design approaches or running comparisons for content strategies.
• Digital training. Consultants at Whole Whale want to build “data cultures” within the organizations they work with. They’ll help you better understand the data your nonprofit collects and how to use that data to enhance your fundraising campaigns.

Whole Whale recognizes the power of data and offers various package options for nonprofits to choose from to help them succeed.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Whole Whale stands out from the crowd because they will help with more than just fundraising. Their data-driven strategies are designed to help your nonprofit become more successful through a complete overhaul of your digital presence.

12. Bristol Strategy Group | Top Consulting Firm for Straightforward Services

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Bristol Strategy Group focuses on improving and strengthening the fundraising and financial strategies of mid-sized and large nonprofits with innovative analytics.

Ellen Bristol, founder of Bristol Strategy, says her mission is to provide nonprofits and NGO’s worldwide with strategic fundraising management disciplines to compete effectively for increasingly scarce financial resources.

Bristol Strategy Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

The team’s flagship solution is the Leaky Bucket Fundraising Management Assessment, an intelligent dashboard providing continuous improvement to the client’s ability to achieve mission impact. The Leaky Bucket uses familiar language and tools to gather insights from the organization’s governing board, senior leadership, and the entire development team, identifying “leaks,” pockets of inefficiency that drive fundraising costs up and income growth down.

Bristol Strategy also provides expert advisory services to solve the strategic challenges of fundraising, ensuring that staff leadership and board will hold the development team to high standards of performance excellence.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Bristol Strategy Group stands out due to the various tools and resources they’ve developed for nonprofit use. To get a sense of what working with this firm would look like, check out their website. It’s a great resource for nonprofits unfamiliar with the consulting process.

13. Brian Lacy & Associates | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Annual Giving

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Brian Lacy & Associates (or BL&A) focuses specifically on annual giving campaigns. Your nonprofit’s annual giving program is key for bringing in unrestricted funds to finance the most immediate needs for your nonprofit.

BL&A will help you take a well-rounded approach to your annual giving strategy. This will help you develop the leadership, marketing, digital, and stewardship elements of your annual fundraising campaign.

Plus, the strategy your nonprofit forms with your fundraising consultant is built to last, ensuring a sustainable annual giving program.

Brian Lacy & Associates’ Nonprofit Consulting Services

BL&A’s nonprofit consulting services are designed to help your annual giving program by forming effective partnerships with other advancement programs and building an efficient team.

Their program includes the following elements:

• A strategic audit. A strategic audit with your nonprofit consultant will give your nonprofit a chance to review your historic annual campaign strategy including elements like your leadership appeals, direct mail, telemarketing, online giving, and more.
• Forming a strategic plan. Based on this audit, your fundraising consultant will help you form a new and improved plan for annual giving to help your organization grow.
• Training staff. BL&A will help train your staff members to best implement the strategic plan. This includes enhancing your staff members’ marketing, research, communication and management skills.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Brian Lacy and Associates offer data and prospect research services that help bring your fundraising efforts to the next level. They’ll help you identify prospects using software partners to provide gift, wealth, and relationship information about supporters.

They also help identify opportunities to develop a matching gift program at your nonprofit. With top software provider partners like Double the Donation, you can boost your donations through corporate philanthropy programs.

14. Pursuant | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Mid-Level and Major Giving

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Pursuant is a top nonprofit consultant that focuses on mid-level and major giving strategies. They are a data-driven organization that uses donor analytics and their nonprofit expertise to advise nonprofit strategies.

Your fundraising consultant will help your nonprofit grow and nurture your database by leveraging your nonprofit’s data to enhance your direct mail and digital campaigns.

Pursuant’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Building a solid mid-level and major giving program begins with a strong relationship base with new donors. Before diving into anything, your Pursuant fundraising consultant will help you analyze your nonprofit’s donor data.

From that data, your nonprofit can strengthen your approach to acquiring new donors for deeper connections. This builds a strong base of support right off the bat with your new supporters.

After your nonprofit has an effective strategy in place to acquire a new donor pool, your fundraising consultant will help you to:

• Retain donors. You don’t just want donors to give once, but to give over and over again for the years to come. With a deeper analysis into the data, your consultant will help you come up with a plan to appeal to your donors’ motivations and build relationships for better retention.
• Increase digital engagement. Your nonprofit consultant will help you take an omnichannel approach to digital engagement. They’ll help you identify, understand and reach your donors where they are through online resources.
• Move donors up the pyramid. Pursuant fundraising coaches will help your nonprofit’s major gift officer solidify strategies to identify and talk with prospective donors. These counsel services will help your nonprofit boost your low-level donors to become mid-tier and your mid-tier donors to become major donors.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Pursuant fundraising consultants will help your nonprofit optimize your strategy by analyzing real-time reports. They’ll help you monitor campaign performances and identify changes that will help support your programs and objectives.

15. The Helen Brown Group | Top Fundraising Consultant for Prospect Research

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

The Helen Brown Group is a nonprofit fundraising consulting firm that focuses on enhancing strategies through effective prospect research skills.

With this firm, a consultant will work with your nonprofit part-time or full-time to identify new prospects and compile research reports tailored to your nonprofit.

Your consultant will provide research reports, suggest prospect identification strategies, and help manage relationships with data analytics.

The Helen Brown Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

The Helen Brown Group offers services to format and sustain an effective prospect research strategy in order to enhance your fundraising efforts.

The various consulting services offered by The Helen Brown Group include:

• Dedicated research support. This service is designed for nonprofits of any size. A fundraising consultant will share their resources and knowledge to help with a particular project or general prospect research strategies. This frees your nonprofit staff up to complete other work related to your mission.
• Wealth screening assistance. With wealth screening assistance, your Helen Brown Group nonprofit consultant will find opportunities for potential major donors, planned giving or annual fund prospects. The final report will provide a roadmap with suggested next steps for your best prospects.
• Research training. When it comes to research training, a fundraising consultant from The Helen Brown Group will work side-by-side with your team members to fully understand the tools available for prospect research. With these tools, your nonprofit will be set up for research success.

Prospect research is more than just typing a name into Google and seeing what pops up. The Helen Brown Group has the tools and experience to bring your prospect research strategy to the next level.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

The Helen Brown Group offers an alert system personalized to your nonprofit. They will track your top prospects and scour social media and the news for updates about those prospects. These updates will be compiled into a personalized report and sent to your nonprofit on a daily or weekly basis.

They even offer an easy-to-use dashboard for your nonprofit to track multiple prospects and check in on their updates any time you want.

16. Westfall Gold | Top Events Fundraising Consultant

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Westfall Gold is a fundraising consulting firm specializing in creating event experiences for a nonprofit’s most impactful supporters—major donors.

Their method involves creating 3-day weekend event experiences through which your nonprofit connects with potential major givers. Far beyond simple event planning, Westfall Gold uses your donor data to craft the perfect event for your audience.

When you surround your major supporters with community for a full weekend, they forge valuable relationships that can last for years to come.

Westfall Gold’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Every aspect of Westfall Gold’s nonprofit consulting services revolves around the event experience. They break their services out into three key steps:

• Creating the case. In addition to helping your organization develop a compelling case for giving, Westfall Gold transforms that case into materials for your event. This includes event graphics, video and physical collateral and even scripts for speakers.
• Inspiring trust. Your consultant will dive deeper into the event experience, examining donor analytics to help you build attendance and select the best possible speakers and talent. Then, at the event, they’ll handle logistics—giving you time to focus on supporters and build that trust.
• Building community. While Westfall Gold specializes in weekend-long events, they incorporate elements to build community long beyond when the event begins. Whether it’s with networking and engagement elements or small personalized details, they aim to inspire supporters for life.

For nonprofits looking to focus on major donor stewardship through events, Westfall Gold has a plan.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

The specificity of their services makes Westfall Gold the premier event-planning consultant for nonprofit organizations. They’ll plan the perfect 3-day event to connect with major donors and give you tips to continue those relationships after the fact.

17. Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Executive Team Development

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt (TWB) fashions itself as an all-around nonprofit consulting firm, offering services in fundraising consulting and data research and analytics. However, where they thrive is in their work with nonprofit leadership.

TWB specializes in improving the internal operations and leadership of nonprofit organizations. They’ll evaluate your overall internal operations and discover which areas are holding you back from reaching your goals. This could mean discovering gaps in your nonprofit’s board or even discrepancies in your budget.

From there they’ll formulate a plan to get your organization functioning at its highest capacity—and they’re prepared to step in and act as a team member if needed in the interim.

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

TWB can help your organization seek new members or fortify your existing team with the following services:

• Organizational analysis. TWB will evaluate your current objectives and discover the areas where your organization needs to improve. Whether it’s bringing on new staff members and volunteers, fortifying your office space, or even improving your HR efforts—this consultant will dive in.
• Board development. This firm will assess your board and its by-laws, discovering areas for improvement. With a focus on board member retention, they will help create a functional structure and train board members.
• Executive recruitment. TWB is prepared to step in during the meantime if your organization finds itself without development leaders. This allows you to maintain fundraising revenue and continue improving your processes before new leadership is brought in.

This nonprofit consulting firm can handle all aspects of leadership development, from recruiting board and staff members to improving your internal operations for those staffers to work within.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt aims to improve your nonprofit’s fundraising capacity from the top-down and the outside-in. When your organization’s leadership is operating at its best, the results will filter down and your outward donor stewardship will improve as a result.

18. Graham-Pelton | Top Fundraising Consultant to Improve Overall Staffing

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Graham-Pelton serves a variety of organizations across the nonprofit sector, from social advocacy organizations to healthcare. While they offer a variety of nonprofit consulting services—such as campaign direction and prospect research—they stand out due to their nonprofit staffing consulting.

There are a few different organizations that offer staff consultation, but it’s often focused in the board and executive member realms. In contrast, Graham-Pelton offers staffing services for every aspect of your nonprofit, from board development to volunteer training.

Beginning with operational and talent assessments, the consultants at Graham-Pelton discover gaps in your staff and go from there.

Graham-Pelton’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

The consultants at Graham-Pelton use the following services to improve your staff’s abilities:

• Operational assessment. With this assessment, the consultants at Graham-Pelton examine your overall fundraising structure. Are there any unrealized opportunities that could be reached with an improvement in staffing?
• Talent assessment. Through this assessment, your nonprofit’s leadership attains all of the information it needs to make informed decisions for your organization’s team.
• Training and staff engagement. Graham-Pelton will work with your leadership to develop a plan for training the whole team—from board members to staff members and volunteers.
• Interim staffing. If your organization finds itself in the middle of a staff transition, the consultants will provide interim staff members for a seamless transition.

Whether it’s creating educational, engaging programs for volunteers or stepping in during the board member search, Graham-Pelton covers it all.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Graham-Pelton stands out due to the fact that they address discrepancies in your entire team, from top to bottom. With an empowered staff, your organization can reach fundraising goals like never before.

19. Donorly | Top Fundraising Consultant to Expand Small Nonprofits

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Donorly’s entire fundraising consulting approach is built on donor research.

Their services are meant to feel like an extension of your existing team—so small-to-medium nonprofit organizations can fundraise beyond the capacity of their current staff. They conduct extensive research into your current and prospective donors, discovering questions to your most pressing fundraising questions.

From there, they’ll create a plan of action. Applying their research to a variety of activities, they can guide your organization through varied fundraising activities from capital campaigns to grant writing efforts.

Donorly’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Donorly’s services are oriented around research, with nonprofits able to add on services as they choose. Their platform can be explained as the following:

• Donor research. Donorly’s services begin with a set number of hours each month, specifically aimed to expand your pool of donors through specialized research.
• Research application. After the research process, Donorly lets your organization decide how to apply the insights. Their team will work with you to develop strategies using what you’ve learned.
• Tiered pricing. Donorly provides a range of pricing options, serving nonprofits small and large. Depending on the level of consulting you need, they can simply provide the research or assign your organization a dedicated researcher.

If your organization is looking for answers to your most puzzling donor questions, Donorly will put in the research.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Donorly’s greatest selling point and key service is its donor research capabilities. Your organization can just opt into this research service, or you can expand for more in-depth consulting—it’s a choose-your-own-adventure relationship.

20. Marc Pitman | Best Nonprofit Consultant for Training Courses

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Marc Pitman, of The Fundraising Coach and Concord Leadership Group, specializes in helping nonprofit organizations reach their highest fundraising potential.

Pitman’s services are not always fully customized to your organization. Rather, Pitman has created training programs and will guide your organization’s staff through the courses.

Simply organize a training session (or speaking engagement) that best fits your organization’s needs.

Marc Pitman’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Pitman offers courses to improve your staff overall as well as the leaders at the top. His key services are:

• Speaking engagements. Speaking at conferences and nonprofit engagements, Pitman speaks on leadership, marketing and fundraising topics among others.
• Nonprofit training. Pitman conducts nonprofit training sessions, in which he meets with your nonprofit’s staff and instructs them on best practices. Offering a variety of courses, popular topics have been how to ask for gifts without fear, how to use storytelling in fundraising and even the basics of fundraising.
• Executive coaching. A more personalized approach, Pitman will work with your nonprofit leaders one-on-one to help them realize their full leadership potential.

In addition, Pitman maintains two educational blogs. Visit either of his two websites to learn about fundraising (The Fundraising Coach) and nonprofit leadership (Concord Leadership Group).

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Marc Pitman has worked with nonprofits around the world to improve their fundraising practices. A celebrated speaker, Pitman is sure to inspire your organization to raise more.

21. Aspire Research Group | Best Consultant for Wealth Screening

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Aspire Research Group is a consulting firm specializing in prospect research.

They aim to grow your donor base using data. With both campaign assistance and a-la-carte offerings, they can provide as much (or as little) information as your organization needs to succeed.

Looking at a variety of wealth and philanthropic indicators, Aspire can discover major gift opportunities within your donor base as well as prospective supporters not currently involved with your organization.

Aspire Research Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Aspire offers a variety of donor data services to improve your organization’s fundraising capacity, including:

• Wealth screening. This service examines the wealth of your supporters to discover those with the ability to make larger gifts.
• Relationship mapping. By mapping relationships between your supporters and others in their network, you can discover potential new supporters for your organization.
• Profile building. Create a full donor profile to discover your organization’s top prospects.
• Capacity building. With both monthly and a-la-carte plans, nonprofits can work with Aspire to build their fundraising capacity over time.

Discover prospects and major gift opportunities with Aspire Research Group’s help.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Data can be overwhelming—especially for organizations that haven’t relied heavily on the information in the past. Aspire’s services allow your organization to access as much information as is helpful to expand your donor base at the rate you’re able.

22. Heller Consulting | Top Nonprofit Consultant for CRM Solutions

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Heller Consulting is a technology consulting firm that’s been in the business for 20+ years. They specialize in the development and implementation of constituent relationship management (CRM) strategies.

Helping nonprofits make the most of their comprehensive donor databases, Heller focuses on developing an organization’s ability to navigate what can be robust solutions. They create CRM solutions for nonprofits to improve fundraising, volunteer management, programming and outreach efforts.

They break their services out into 4 key groups: Strategy and Planning, Implementation, Business Process Redesign and Change Management.

Heller Consulting’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Heller’s services aim to guide nonprofits through every step of the CRM migration and implementation process. Check it out:

• Strategy and design services. This category of services includes their CRM Roadmap and Solution Selection offerings, through which they help organizations choose the right technology to anchor their efforts.
• Implementation services. Heller will help your organization implement your new CRM, including data migration, integration into your overall tech ecosystem and keeping your project on schedule through it all.
• Business project services. Heller recognizes that new technology isn’t the be-all-end-all solution for all nonprofit conflicts. They will redesign your overall business strategy and align your new tech with your overall methods to maximize impact.
• Change management services. This includes making sure the users within your organization are prepared to use your new CRM solution and that any launch efforts go smoothly.

While Heller focuses on CRM solutions, they offer quite a few different services under that tech umbrella.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

There are a few different consulting firms that specialize in nonprofit technology, but Heller Consulting’s specific CRM mission is what makes them unique. As experts in nonprofits’ most crucial technology, they’re a good choice for organizations looking to improve their internal systems.

23. Big Duck | Top Consulting Firm to Develop Your Brand

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

While Big Duck offers a variety of nonprofit consulting services, including campaign development and internal infrastructure improvement, the consulting firm truly excels in its branding services.

This should come to no surprise—with the name “Big Duck,” you’d expect nothing short of creative branding. These consultants prioritize a strong brand voice above all else. If your organization is struggling with a murky, disjointed branding, they’re the solution for you.

Their approach involves a deep-dive into your organization’s branding, delivering improvements in a comprehensive brand guide designed to overall your internal and external voice for the long-haul.

Big Duck’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Big Duck’s “brandraising” is broken out into three key tiers:

• Organizational. They’ll examine your vision, mission, values, audience, personality and other aspects of your organizational identity to create a brand that aligns with your key identity.
• Identity. This involves working with your visual identity (think: images) and the platforms you use to deliver your message for a cohesive brand voice.
• Experiential. This involves developing marketing collateral across online, print, in-person and mobile media that expresses your cohesive brand.

This firm combines long-term strategic planning with a rebranding to create a brand identity for your nonprofit. They even create a plan to maintain that brand going forward!

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

While Big Duck does offer other nonprofit consulting services, their branding is what makes them stand out. Reworking your entire brand identity, Big Duck helps nonprofits move from a whisper to a roar.

24. The Alford Group | Top Nonprofit Consulting Firm for Corporate Partnerships

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

While The Alford Group offers a variety of nonprofit consulting services, including strategic planning and general fundraising services, they stand out due to their work with corporate philanthropy.

Through corporate philanthropy programs, businesses flex their philanthropic muscles and support nonprofits in some manner. This includes corporations giving directly to nonprofits, matching an employee gift, or even coordinating volunteer efforts.

The greatest challenge to accessing these programs is a general lack of knowledge from each party involved. The Alford Group’s services combat that.

The Alford Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

The Alford Group offers services specifically to companies themselves, helping them create programs for:

• Corporate giving, including creating a business case for support justifying philanthropic actions.
• Employee volunteerism, including creating strategies to engage employees in philanthropic efforts.
• Corporate responsibility, including outlining sustainability and diversity programs.

Of course, these services are mostly helping businesses reach their philanthropic goals. However, because the firm outlines these philanthropic programs for corporations, including guidelines and evaluation structures, they’re also uniquely poised to help nonprofits seeking corporate gifts. They offer fundraising services to nonprofits seeking this funding and can help them successfully navigate the world of corporate philanthropy.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Few nonprofit consulting firms specialize in corporate philanthropy, let alone directly work with corporations to get such programs up-and-running. The Alford Group provides a valuable inside look at this type of fundraising for nonprofits interested.

25. BWF | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Alumni Relations

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Colleges and universities have unique fundraising needs, and BWF understands that.

The firm’s alumni relations services are designed to help educational institutions make the most of the support from their former students, both as volunteers and donors. They begin by assessing the current status of alumni giving at your institution, before developing a plan to increase engagement across the board. By integrating alumni giving with your other fundraising initiatives, colleges and universities should see increased engagement within all of their programs.

Finally, they quantify the results and use that data to inform future strategies. For organizations looking to increase alumni giving, BWF has a plan.

BWF’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

BWF offers a wide variety of fundraising consulting services, including those addressing annual giving, communications and donor stewardship. However, they stand out for their alumni-based services, including:

• Program assessment. BWF will assess your program as it currently stands, as well as the evolution that brought you to that point. With that information, they’ll create a strong strategy to go forward.
• Program integration. This firm won’t look at alumni involvement as a separate tier of giving, but rather integrate it with all of your other efforts (annual giving, regular communications, ongoing campaigns) for a comprehensive strategy.
• Alumni engagement. BWF will create a plan to engage alumni as donors and as volunteers, creating meaningful areas for these past students to give back.

Higher education alumni giving has to be approached with a strategy unique from general nonprofit fundraising, and BWF has put thought into that.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Because BWF offers general nonprofit fundraising, healthcare philanthropy services and alumni giving—they’ve collected experience across the spectrum of nonprofit fundraising. This experience is valuable for colleges and universities looking to raise funds.

26. Ahern Donor Communications | Top Fundraising Consultant for Communications

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Tom Ahern has fashioned himself an expert in donor communications. With a career spanning sales, copywriting, fiction writing and now donor communications—he has wide experience with wordsmithing.

After 15 years in nonprofit communications, Ahern now dedicates his time to helping organizations improve their efforts (when he’s not writing books about the process).

From audits to cases for support writing and training, Ahern has services helping nonprofits in their current communications and those for years to come.

Ahern Donor Communications’ Nonprofit Consulting Services

While Ahern Donor Communications focuses solely on nonprofit communications, he also offers quite a few different services in that field:

• Communications audit. Ahern will evaluate your current donor communications and recommend areas for improvement.
• Capital campaign case writing. Often the most important collateral in a capital campaign, Ahern will craft a donor-centric case for support for your campaign.
• Staff training. This consultant will do online or in-person training to ensure your staff maintains donor-centric communication best practices for years to come.
• Direct mail appeals. He will create donor-centric fundraising appeals that you can send directly to supporters in the mail.

In addition, you can check out Ahern’s books for some of his top tips.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Tom Ahern has extensive experience in a very specific field—written communications. For nonprofits struggling to convey their message in words, he’s the silver bullet to address that.

27. JF Smith Group | Top Nonprofit Consulting Firm for Project Management

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

JF Smith Group fashions itself as a project management firm specializing in fundraising, rather than fundraising consultants.

They emphasize that their consultants become members of your team, providing hands-on assistance to nonprofits along every step of the campaign cycle. With that, they also emphasize the necessity of staff members rather than relying on volunteers and therefore dedicate time to training your staff using their 5-step method.

While campaigns are often time-bound, these close working conditions lead JF Smith Group consultants to build long-term relationships with the nonprofits they work with.

JF Smith Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

The firm’s campaign management services include:

• On-site project management. JF will staff one of its associates on-site during your campaign, to help manage the project, train staffers, advise on campaign direction and keep the overall effort on track.
• Fundraising assessments. This firm will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your nonprofit’s current fundraising abilities to discover any weaknesses and opportunities.
• Electronic screening. JF provides electronic prospect research screening through a partnership with DonorSearch.

For a nonprofit looking to conduct a major campaign and in need of assistance, this project management consulting firm can help.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

JF Smith Group’s hands-on nature is great for nonprofits that need help navigating the waters of a major campaign. Whether a seasoned organization looking to step up their game or a newer organization conducting a major campaign for the first time—this firm offers the project management to make the campaign succeed.

28. Saad & Shaw | Top Nonprofit Consulting Firm for On-Demand Solutions

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Saad & Shaw is a consulting firm aiding a variety of clients, including nonprofits, colleges and universities, faith-based organizations and for-profit businesses. The firm offers a variety of fundraising services, including campaign planning and overall nonprofit strategic planning.

However, what makes Saad & Shaw stand out for the most is the firm’s on demand consulting services.

The consultants are available whenever questions arise for your organization, allotting a set number of hours each month where they provide on-the-spot consulting services. This is perfect for smaller organizations that may not be able to invest in in-depth assistance.

Saad & Shaw’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Saad & Shaw’s on-demand consulting services work as follows:

• Five hours of consulting per month. Nonprofits can invest in five hours of no-strings-attached consulting services to answer any questions that arise during operations. These calls can be one-on-one or involve staff members and board members.
• Available whenever needed. The consultants are available whenever you call—no advance scheduling necessary.
• Coaching on a variety of subjects. During these calls, receive guidance on case for support creation, fundraising capacity issues, donor engagement efforts, and even campaign design. Whatever you can think of!

These on-demand services are perfect for nonprofits with a lower consulting budget or even those that are just exploring the options before investing in a longer-term consulting relationship.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Saad & Shaw stands out for its accessibility. With services tailored for nonprofits large and small, whenever you need them—there’s sure to be a consulting plan to fit your nonprofit’s needs.

29. Amy Eisenstein | Top Fundraising Consultant for Major Gifts

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Amy Eisenstein is a fundraising consulting firm that specializes in transformational change to better meet your nonprofit’s goals.

With a special focus on major gift acquisition and retention, Amy Eisenstein can empower your organization to identify major gift candidates, nurture relationships with them over time and solicit large-scale gifts to power your capital campaigns and your annual fund.

From equipping your board to conduct major gift outreach to tailoring your stewardship efforts, Amy Eisenstein knows how to build long-lasting relationships with major donors. 

Amy Eisenstein works directly with your team to provide an action plan for success. By meeting with your organization’s leaders on a regular basis, Amy will become an expert on your nonprofit’s current state and provide insights and steps to enhance your operations. Whether you need support managing your capital campaigns or strategies to energize your staff to ask for gifts year-round, Amy Eisenstein can help you reach your objectives.

Amy Eisenstein’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Amy Eisenstein provides the following services to spur your organization’s growth:

• Data insights about your current operations. By taking a deep dive into your current approach to fundraising, you’ll receive a detailed analysis of what’s working and where you have room for improvement.
• Creating a strategic plan. Based on these insights, Amy Eisenstein will create a detailed action plan for enhanced fundraising.
• Training staff members. Amy Eisenstein will help your development staff tackle fundraising and management obstacles head-on and energize your board with best practices to solicit gifts.

This firm takes the time to get to know organizations before diving into strategies. When you partner with Amy Eisenstein, she’ll work to fully understand the ins and outs of your organization, then channel this knowledge into tangible change.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Amy Eisenstein knows that every nonprofit is different and requires a unique approach to improving its fundraising. As a result, this consulting firm develops actionable strategies based on a data-powered analysis of your nonprofit, leading to an understanding of how you can best reshape your operations for success.

They also help create strong annual appeals that tap into donors’ unique motivations for supporting your nonprofit. From conceptualizing fundraising campaigns to supporting your donor cultivation efforts, Amy Eisenstein will walk your organization through the entire process of increasing donations.

30. The Sheridan Group | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Association Fundraising

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

The Sheridan Group is a fundraising consulting firm that has helped its clients raise over $1 billion. They have earned their place as experts by designing and executing on large campaigns with up to $20 million fundraising goals.

Associations, schools, and an array of other nonprofits have benefitted from The Sheridan Group’s capital campaign services.

The Sheridan Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

To help launch your capital campaign, The Sheridan Group assists with:

• Conducting capital campaign feasibility assessments. The Sheridan Group will help your organization determine your campaign goals and define which goals are reasonable.
• Planning out a campaign and adjusting when needed. Running a fundraising campaign is a dynamic process. This consultant will help you develop strong foundations as you set your sights on future growth.
• Analysis of stakeholder interviews. Their team will carry out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of interviews to set your campaign up for success.

This consulting firm will provide you with the confidence needed to run a successful campaign.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

The Sheridan Group is deeply committed to working closesly with clients to further their missions through fundraising program and capital campaign assessments. They provide services tailored to each client because they understand that each organization requires an approach that complements its unique structure and mission. While they serve a variety of nonprofits, they have special expertise in associations.

31. Mission Minded | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Campaign Communications

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

While Mission Minded provides a number of nonprofit services, from branding to strategic planning, this consulting firm has a unique and skilled approach for campaign communications that makes it stand out.

The experts at Mission Minded understand the significance of communicating your organization’s mission and fundraising goals—after all, this is what converts prospective donors to loyal supporters of your organization and ultimately drives donations. By creating on-brand communications, Mission Minded helps nonprofits pull at donors’ heartstrings and inspire people to give.

Their approach involves getting to know your organization’s voice and amplifying its message with high-quality communication materials.

Mission Minded’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

To help your campaign communications reach the right audience, Mission Minded consultants develop the following creative tools:

• Case for support brochure. This consulting firm familiarizes itself with your organization’s unique branded elements, from its color scheme to its messaging, and applies it in a dynamic brochure that effectively inspires donors to take action.
• Campaign videos. By developing an engaging video packed with impactful visuals and authentic messaging true to your organization, Mission Minded helps you emphasize the impact of your campaign and why donor support is integral.
• Campaign microsite or landing page. A custom-built webpage is exactly what your nonprofit needs to capture more support for its fundraising campaign, and the consultants at Mission Minded can help you bring it to life.

This consulting firm will increase your brand visibility so supporters not only trust your organization, but feel moved to support your fundraising efforts year after year.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Mission Minded wants to be your nonprofit’s partner through it all, from developing a robust strategic plan for fundraising success to reenergizing your communication strategy. With its wide variety of services, Mission Minded is dedicated to taking nonprofits to new heights and has vast experience in powering effective fundraising campaigns.

32. CCS Fundraising | Top Fundraising Consultant for Campaign Management

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

CCS Fundraising is a top nonprofit consultant that focuses on planning and managing effective capital, endowment and comprehensive fundraising campaigns. Using data-driven analysis along with audits and assessments of your existing strategies, CCS Fundraising will develop a fundraising plan tailor-made to your nonprofit’s current state.

CCS Fundraising will act as your accountability partner throughout the entire fundraising process, from creating weekly benchmarks to tracking them on your behalf. As a result, this partner can introduce strategic adjustments as needed to bring your fundraising to the next level.

With their vast experience in managing over 200 fundraising campaigns each year, CCS Fundraising knows how to develop appeals framed towards your target audience and effectively grow your finances.

CCS Fundraising’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

CCS Fundraising’s campaign management services fall under four categories:

• Case. CCS Fundraising will get to know your organization’s voice and what it stands for. Then, they’ll develop a compelling case for support and marketing documents that express urgency and the impact of your campaign.
• Leadership. This consultant ensures that you have the proper internal and external support for your campaign by recruiting leaders to join a Campaign Planning Task Force. By working directly with your task force, CCS Fundraising ensures that your campaign is on track to reach its goals.
• Prospects. CCS Fundraising will help you identify potential donors and roll out a personalized cultivation strategy that will retain their support for the long run.
• Plan. As your fundraising plan progresses, CCS Fundraising will actively track data metrics and optimize your approach along the way.

For a nonprofit seeking a dedicated fundraising partner to guide you through each step of the process, this campaign management firm can help.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

CCS Fundraising’s hands-on and integrated approach is perfect for organizations new to the fundraising scene or ones that simply need a leg-up in their revenue generation. Along with campaign management, CCS Fundraising also offers support in interim development management, training and leadership development and specialized development projects.

33. BrightDot | Top Consultant for Fundraising Performance Coaching

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

BrightDot understands the importance of equipping your staff with the skills and expertise they need to skyrocket your fundraising potential. As a result, this consulting firm was developed with a prime focus on leadership coaching. BrightDot empowers nonprofits to raise money by increasing staff retention, improving staff-donor relationships and energizing board members to engage with donors at a higher level.

BrightDot emphasizes that they’re not just an external part of your team. Instead, they serve as dedicated coaches eager to breathe new life into your internal operations and work side-by-side with your staff to optimize their approach.

Since your organization needs a constant revenue stream to power its operations, BrightDot can help you nurture relationships at an efficient pace, even cutting donor cultivation time in half.

BrightDot’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

BrightDot’s coaching services cover several key aspects of fundraising, including:

• Staff assessments and training. BrightDot will equip you with best practices to hire the right staff members. Through offering comprehensive training materials, this consulting firm helps you develop your new and existing staff into efficient, resilient team members.
• Strengthening donor relationships. If your nonprofit isn’t seeing the fundraising results you hoped for, BrightDot can help you build relationships quicker and turn first-time donors into lifetime supporters.
• Improving communications. Donation appeals require a personalized touch to truly motivate donors to act. BrightDot consultants understand how to craft powerful messages that will resonate with supporters and can teach your staff to optimize their communications.

BrightDot believes that with the right donor-focused strategies, your staff can boost donor engagement and grow a thriving support network.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

BrightDot is a key player in the nonprofit sector because their consultants care deeply about your staff and want everyone to feel enthusiastic about fundraising for your campaign. After all, happier employees result in higher levels of productivity. BrightDot works to engage your employees while decreasing staff turnover rates, leading to personal and team-wide success for your whole organization.

34. Lindauer | Top Fundraising Consultant for Executive Search

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

Guided by their promise to “Set the Standard in Search and Talent,” Lindauer supports nonprofits across all sectors in finding qualified leaders. Lindauer understands how critical the executive search process is to organizations’ overall success, and as a result, takes time and care to find the perfect fit for your executive positions like President, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, and any other open roles.

Lindauer’s team of nonprofit consultants use a partnership approach to navigate boards and search committees through the selection process, facilitate the transition from veteran team members to new team members in your executive positions and lead your organization through new leadership eras.

Lindauer also prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion in their search process to ensure that your leadership team reflects a wide range of perspectives and experiences. As a result, your nonprofit will be able to effectively address challenges, serve your community and drive social change.

Lindauer’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

Lindauer’s nonprofit consulting services include:

• Onboarding. Lindbauer will help your new executive leaders seamlessly transition into their roles with a thoughtful and strategic onboarding process. This will help to boost your new leaders’ sense of belonging and increase retention rates.
• Talent management. This firm deeply understands what goes into an effective talent management plan. Using their expertise, Lindbauer will help you develop, implement, and maintain a talent plan that aligns with your vision for the future.
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) consulting. Lindauer supports nonprofits in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where transformational leaders can thrive. Using their network of skilled and diverse professionals, Lindauer can help you identify and train successful hires from various backgrounds and lived experiences.

Lindauer applies these key services to nonprofits in a number of areas, including education, advocacy, arts and culture and faith-based organizations.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

Since its founding, Lindauer has helped create more than 1,250 successful placements with over 450 clients, with 70% of those placements being people of color or women. Lindbauer’s commitment to integrity, ethics and diversity carries over into their wide range of search and talent management services.

35. The Geis Group | Top Nonprofit Consultant for Data Mining

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

The Geis Group takes a unique approach to data analytics to support prospect research and identify qualified leads. First, they start by synthesizing your donor data and adding an affinity score to your prospect list. Then, their team of nonprofit consultants helps you develop a customized solicitation plan to take the guesswork out of which prospects are worth your time and resources. Finally, they’ll support your team in closely adhering to this plan to optimize results.

The Geis Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

To support your prospect research efforts, The Geis Group offers these key services and tools:

• Assay, their signature prospect research tool. Using Assay, The Geis Group helps you develop a prioritized donor list so your major gift officers can put their efforts where they matter most.
• List management. The Geis Group can narrow down bulky donor contact lists into just hundreds of qualified supporters.
• Prospect scoring. This nonprofit consulting firm will give each of your prospects a unique score by leveraging wealth information and philanthropic history.

The Geis Group recognizes how important your nonprofit’s already limited time is. To streamline your major gift efforts and maximize results, they’ll work with you to reenergize your prospect research and cultivation strategy.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

The Geis Group uses data to guide all of its prospect recommendations. This way, you can feel confident that the top prospects they’ve identified are qualified candidates for your next fundraising campaign.

36. GOBEL | Top Fundraising Consultant for Healthcare Nonprofits

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

GOBEL is a nonprofit consulting firm that specializes in the healthcare industry. With more than 1,000 healthcare clients, GOBEL expands patient philanthropy programs in order to ramp up giving and create a predictable donation pipeline. Their team takes a data-driven approach to identify the right prospects, segment supporters and strategically plan philanthropic campaigns.

As part of their data and analytics services, GOBEL works with your existing health system to maximize the data available to you. Alternatively, they can build and maintain a data warehouse on your behalf, taking this big responsibility off of your team’s plate. This way, you can save time and strategically leverage data to bring in more revenue and donors for your organization.

GOBEL’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

GOBEL supporters healthcare organizations with the following key offerings:

• Database and philanthropy services. GOBEL helps to build and maintain information services and systems for optimal data capturing, tracking and reporting. This helps to streamline processes and ensure organizations always work with the most up-to-date data to inform their strategies.
• Grateful patient programs. GOBEL trains your clinicians and healthcare staff to engage in philanthropy so you can harness the full power of patient gratitude. Plus, this consulting firm will work to grow and segment your patient pipeline, increase your gift officer productivity and measure the effectiveness of your program over time.
• Campaign management. GOBEL’s team of consultants will help you review your historical campaign performance to identify future goals, conduct feasibility studies, develop a campaign budget and oversee your volunteer program.

To support healthcare organizations’ fundraising efforts, Gobel also uses its signature machine learning technology called Gratitude to Give (G2G). Using G2G, Gobel is able to identify top prospects by looking at data like patient satisfaction scores and wealth data.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

GOBEL doesn’t just take a deep dive into your existing performance and offer suggestions. This consulting firm will actively support your organization in crafting a fundraising plan and making adjustments as needed to improve your results.

37. DBD Group | Top Fundraising Consultant for Board Governance

Overview of This Fundraising Consulting Firm

DBD Group helps nonprofits thrive by offering a wide range of consulting services, including financial management, strategic planning and board governance. However, their focus on board governance stands out because of their dedication to engaging your leaders. DBD Group aims to make your board members more engaged and efficient in progressing towards your goals.

To accomplish this, their team of consultants will help to rally your key leaders around your organizational vision and priorities. This involves creating an environment where board members can speak up, feel respected and understand their purpose in your nonprofit’s overarching goals.

DBD Group’s Nonprofit Consulting Services

DBD Group will walk your organization’s board and leadership team through:

• Self-assessments. DBD Group uses a board self-assessment process to encourage members to reflect on their work and take ownership of ways they can improve for the future. This involves asking your board members best practice questions regarding fiscal management, strategic planning, advocacy, impact and other key areas.
• Strategic thinking. This consulting firm will help your nonprofit’s board build strategic thinking capacity and prepare them to navigate challenges in order to better meet your objectives.
• Strategic reboots. After evaluating your current board structure and performance, DBD Group will help you revamp your current operating model and implement any necessary changes to maximize success.

DBD Group can also help your nonprofit create a culture of inquiry so board members feel more motivated to ask questions, engage in discussion and make informed decisions.

Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out

DBD Group stands out because they take a holistic approach to understand your nonprofit’s current pain points. Then, they’ll work to strengthen all areas of your operations for greater fundraising success.

How to Hire a Nonprofit Consultant

Once you have an idea of which nonprofit consulting firms you’re most interested in, it’s time to kick off the hiring process among your top candidates. Use these tips to pick the best choice for your organization:

1. Consider your needs and goals.

As you scanned through this list, you likely noticed that each of these consulting firms has their own specialty services where they really shine. However, you need to consider what services your organization actually needs in order to push your goals forward and maximize your partnership with a consultant.

Start by thinking through these questions:

• What are the specific goals and objectives you want to achieve with the help of a nonprofit consultant?
• What challenges or problems is your organization currently facing that could benefit from external expertise?
• Do you have a particular project in mind that you want to accomplish with a consultant?
• Are you seeking more holistic services to reenergize all facets of your operations, or would you benefit from a niche partner that specializes in a specific area or industry?

As you reflect on your needs and goals, remember to involve your board and development committee in these discussions. Your board will fund the project with your consultant, so it’s critical that you secure their buy-in to ensure a smooth partnership.

2. Research and meet with your top nonprofit consulting candidates.

Conduct further research on the fundraising consultants that stood out to you in this list. Specifically, take a deep dive into their:

• Founding philosophies. Take a look at the consultant’s mission statement and purpose. By choosing a consultant whose values align with your own, you’ll be much more likely to have a productive partnership.
• Testimonials and references. These can provide powerful social proof into whether your fundraising consultant was able to achieve outcomes that you’re hoping to accomplish for yourself. Reach out to the organizations that left testimonials on a consultant’s website and ask them about their experience working with this firm.
• Past projects. Past projects are another great way to assess whether a consultant has the necessary skills and expertise you’re seeking to take your nonprofit to new heights. Consider the scope of the projects, the initial goals, and the results.
• Location. Consider whether it would be more valuable to work with a local consulting firm or a remote firm, as each has their own advantages. While local firms likely have an in-depth familiarity with your cause and the community you serve, remote firms can bring a fresh perspective to ways to improve your operations. Think through what makes the most sense for your intended project.

If there are any gaps in your research, you can address these by meeting directly with your candidates. Not only can you learn more about their background and experience this way, but you can also assess whether your team and a prospective nonprofit consultant have good chemistry.

Keep in mind that the right nonprofit consulting firm should work with you and form a true partnership model. Therefore, it’s critical that you get to know your candidates as much as possible to assess whether they will be the right fit.

3. Request a nonprofit consulting firm proposal.

A proposal is a document that overviews your consultant’s approach to accomplishing your specific project and outlines the associated costs. A solid proposal should include the following elements:

• An understanding of your organization’s needs and goals
• Suggestions on how to fix the problems your nonprofit is facing
• A sample timeline for the course of the project
• Estimated fees

Provide your candidates with clear instructions on what you’re looking for in the proposal and any information you’d like to receive, such as additional references.

4. Review your proposals and sign a contract.

During this stage, you can note any changes you’d like to make with your consultant until you settle on a proposal that works for your nonprofit’s team and the consultant. You should both be on the same page for the following elements:

• Time frame
• Costs
• Responsibilities for your consultant and your nonprofit’s team
• Specific services
• Goals and objectives
• Measures of success

Once you’ve set up agreeable terms and are excited about a consultant and their approach, move forward with signing a contract and completing the hiring process. As you embark on a partnership with your consultant, remember to trust their advice and work together to support your goals.

Nonprofit consultants can work with your nonprofit to promote fundraising success, improve your internal operations and develop a roadmap to your goals. Do your research to find the firm that will be a partner in your journey and support your organization every step of the way.

Eager to learn more about strengthening your fundraising plan? Explore these additional resources on how you can improve your nonprofit’s operations:

• Build Your Fundraising Strategy From the Ground Up: 10 Steps. An effective fundraising strategy will lead to long-term, sustainable financial growth. Explore this guide to developing a robust fundraising pipeline so your organization can continue hitting its goals year after year.
• The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning. A nonprofit strategic plan provides a dynamic performance roadmap for success. Learn about the ins and outs of a successful strategic plan and the benefits it can bring to your nonprofit.
• The Ultimate Guide to Donor Stewardship for Nonprofits. A critical piece of a successful fundraising plan is stewarding one-time donors into recurring givers. Use this guide to create a predictable donation pipeline and inspire donor loyalty.