Early in my career when I was working for a large national conservation organization, we needed help funding a specific program. Given that the regional fundraising bandwidth was very thin, we decided to hire a consulting firm to lead the effort. We ended up contracting with a large national fundraising consulting firm that had a solid reputation. The consultant assigned to us had spent 25 years working for a national Boston area university, primarily in major gifts.
It was a huge mistake. While we didn’t question the consultant’s credentials, even the consultant admitted that the fit was all wrong. All he knew was the type of fundraising that he had done year after year for the university. He had a built-in constituency of graduates year after year, and never had to raise funds from an undefined, brand new set of prospects that first needed to be identified in terms of interest and capacity. The consultant could not adapt to these challenges, and furthermore, there was little to no passion or interest in our organization’s mission.
This experience was a wake-up call. I told myself that if I ever was going to become a consultant, I would need the depth and breadth of multiple different experiences to be successful. Since fundraising is so experiential and subjective – you really can’t learn from a book and there are no college-related degrees– I also realized I needed experienced mentors. I was fortunate to find three influential professionals that over time taught me many of the nuances of fundraising.
Over the course of my career in the non-profit sector, I frequently had to hire consultants to run capital and land acquisition campaigns. I’ll never forget one firm that I interviewed. All the principal had ever done was to serve as a consultant. He had no frontline, “out the door” experience and he had never even solicited a gift! How could he possibly help plan the strategy to solicit and close campaign gifts?
Our consulting firm, Philanthropy Squared, was founded on the idea of building a team of highly experienced fundraisers that have worked for multiple organizations in different sectors– regional, national, and international. We have compiled a team that loves the art and science of raising money for important causes. We literally bring hundreds of years of experience and have closed millions of dollars in gifts. We are all outstanding strategists, connectors, builders, and major gift officers. We also bring broad expertise — from individual major gifts and foundation proposal writing, to development operations, social media campaigns, and capital and annual fund campaigns.
Unlike other firms that tell you how to do work, we show up, coach, and join you in the work. Whether it is writing a campaign case for support, undertaking a capital campaign feasibility study, or recommending a CRM database, we serve as your partners.
We are committed to helping NGOs build effective and high functioning development programs through best practices, including creating a culture of philanthropy within your organization to ensure you are maximizing the fundraising talents of all staff and volunteer leaders. Most importantly, we are not just development professionals. We are advocates for the causes we take on. We are motivated by a genuine commitment to meeting ambitious goals and challenges to ensure the delivery of mission impacts.
Why retain Philanthropy Squared? We can assess and fine-tune your program in order to accelerate your fundraising. We will bring creative and innovative ideas, and most of all, we are eager to share our years of experience to support your fundraising successes.
