Top 8 Nonprofit Fundraising Consultants for Your Cause
Whether your nonprofit is planning to embark upon your next capital campaign, restructure any aspect of your fundraising efforts, or widen your network of supporters, a fundraising consultant can apply their professional expertise to help you achieve your goals.
Your organization will benefit from the experience and perspective that your fundraising consultant will provide as you work to shape your next strategies.
While some criteria for hiring a fundraising consultant are important for any organization and any type of fundraising effort, you’ll make the most progress when you choose the right consultant for your particular nonprofit. Look for consultants who specialize in nonprofits of your size or mission or those who focus on the type of campaign or initiative you’re starting.
Fundraising consultants can help your organization get started on a capital campaign, revamp your online fundraising strategy, identify new supporters through prospect research, or improve any other aspect of your fundraising efforts.
Below, you’ll find our list of top nonprofit fundraising consultants for a variety of causes. Read through to explore all of the possibilities your organization has.
1. Averill Fundraising Solutions
Ready to find the right fundraising consultant for your cause? Let’s dive into these top experts in the field.
1. Averill Fundraising Solutions | Best Overall Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant
One of the most comprehensive fundraising consulting firms around, Averill Fundraising Solutions brings over 75 years of experience in nonprofit-sector fundraising consulting to your organization.
Your fundraising consultant will tailor Averill’s proven methods to suit the unique goals and needs of your nonprofit.
Your Averill fundraising consultant will provide insight and guidance throughout the process of planning and implementing your next fundraising campaign. From helping your team plan its next capital campaign to guiding your nonprofit through the capacity building process, your fundraising consultant will help your organization reach its potential.
Averill’s Nonprofit Consulting Services
While Averill’s nonprofit fundraising consulting services can transform your organization’s next capital campaign, this isn’t the only area in which you can benefit from an Averill fundraising consultant’s expertise. They can also help your organization increase giving to your annual fund, identify new supporters, and provide training for your team.
No matter how your organization wants to expand or update your fundraising strategy, your Averill fundraising consultant can help you achieve the results you’re looking for. Among their comprehensive consulting services are:
- Capital campaign planning and direction. From creating a plan for your capital campaign to testing your case for support to identifying potential major gift donors, your fundraising consultant will help ensure that your organization benefits from this intensive effort.
- Annual fund direction. Your fundraising consultant will work closely with your organization to identify new supporters for your annual fund and attract wider audiences interested in contributing to your mission.
- Leadership learning. Averill’s workshops and retreats can help your executives, team members, and volunteers revitalize their commitment to your cause to ensure an approach to fundraising that’s both enthusiastic and effective.
- Executive search. Choosing your organization’s next leaders is crucial to your future success. Because your fundraising consultant works closely with your organization, they’ll be able to find you Chief Development Officer candidates who can contribute their extensive experience while fitting in with your nonprofit’s unique culture.
Your Averill fundraising consultant can help your organization grow, increase giving, and work toward achieving your mission no matter what type of fundraising effort you’re choosing to undertake.
2. DNL OmniMedia | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Technology
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Technology Consultant
Whether you’re reaching out to networks of supporters online and via mobile or keeping your contributors’ information stored and organized in your CRM, your nonprofit is dependent upon technology to further your mission.
A fundraising technology consultant can help your organization make the most of each of your software systems and their features.
From choosing the right systems to using those you’ve already implemented to their fullest potential, DNL OmniMedia’s fundraising technolog consultants can help your organization use technology more effectively. They’ll help your nonprofit design the perfect website, communicate more effectively with your supporters via online channels, and help ensure that you’re making the best use of the data you gather.
DNL OmniMedia’s Nonprofit Technology Consulting Services
A fundraising technology consultant can help your nonprofit shape every aspect of your software usage and online presence. This makes daily operations easier and more efficient for your team and increases giving to your organization.
DNL OmniMedia’s fundraising technology consultants can help your organization strengthen various components of your tech strategy, including:
- Your software system use. From your CRM to the platform on which you build your organization’s website, your fundraising technology consultant can help you choose the right systems and maximize their value to your nonprofit.
- Your online fundraising efforts. Your fundraising technology consultant can help you improve your email and social media communications with donors as well as direct giving methods such as your online donation page and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
- Your data usage. Transfer your data to new, more effective software systems and learn how tools such as Google Analytics can provide you with the information you need to craft more effective strategies.
With the help of your DNL Omnimedia fundraising technology consultant, your organization will be able to stay more organized and reach wider audiences online with effective outreach strategies.
Why This Nonprofit Technology Consultant Stands Out
DNL OmniMedia’s team of fundraising technology consultants can help your organization improve every technological component of your fundraising strategies and day-to-day operations. This benefits both your team and your supporters!
The help of a top nonprofit consulting firm also frees up the members of your organization to focus on other aspects of nonprofit fundraising and marketing, from telling the story that will appear on your website to planning events.
Whether you’re expanding your capabilities or want to get more value from your current systems, your organization can benefit from a fundraising technology consultant’s expertise.
3. Grants Plus | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Grant Seeking
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant
Grants Plus is the behind-the-scenes engine that powers nonprofits’ grant seeking efforts. Their team is dedicated to providing mission-based organizations with the guidance they need to steward funders and reach their grants goals.
Grants Plus has a proven track record of success. Since 2007, their expert team has helped its nonprofit partners secure more than $165 million in new grant funding, making Grants Plus the national leader in nonprofit grants consulting. Due to this experience, you can rest assured knowing they’ve seen any potential obstacles that nonprofits run into.
Grants Plus’s Nonprofit Consulting Services
A grant seeking consultant like Grants Plus can help your nonprofit gain the competitive advantage it needs to steward relationships with funders and create a sustainable future for your cause.
Grants Plus can help your team develop its own strategic grant seeking plan by providing the following services:
- Comprehensive Grant Prospect Research. Through deep and targeted research, they’ll help your team find the most likely grant prospects to fund your key priorities.
- Writing Grant Proposals. Grants Plus will develop a detailed project plan, craft a competitive application package, and submit it on your behalf.
- Reviewing and Improving Grant Proposals. If you’ve written a complex grant proposal, their team will review it to catch technical errors, suggest content edits, and provide recommendations to make it as competitive as possible.
- Short-Term Management of the Grant Seeking Program. If you’re undergoing staffing transitions or other changes in the grants office, Grants Plus will step in and bridge the gap, so your grants program can stay steady.
- Long-Term Management of the Grant Seeking Program. As your full-service grants team, they’ll support every aspect of your long-term grants campaign, including building a targeted grants calendar, advising you on funder strategy, and submitting strategic grant proposals.
In addition to these services, Grants Plus offers interactive virtual coaching to teach your team lasting best practices and guide you through the current economic challenges. With their help, you’ll learn proven techniques that will put you on the fastest pathway to maximizing your grant seeking potential.
Why This Nonprofit Grant Seeking Consultant Stands Out
Nonprofits are facing unprecedented fundraising challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis. Despite these obstacles, they must not stop stewarding relationships with funders and striving to fulfill their missions.
In response to the pandemic, the Grants Plus team is working diligently to help nonprofits maintain a strong and stable funding strategy during this uncertain time. Their expert consulting team is consistently updating their crisis grant funding resources page to help their nonprofit partners make it through. Explore those resources and see how Grants Plus can help you navigate any obstacles you may be facing during this time.
With Grants Plus on your side, you’ll gain the peace of mind and competitive advantage needed to stand out and steward better relationships with funders.
4. Heller Consulting | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Small Nonprofits’ CRM Strategy
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising CRM Consultant
For smaller organizations who want to learn how they can make the most effective use of their donor data, a fundraising CRM consultant such as Heller Consulting may be able to provide the guidance they’re looking for.
Fundraising CRM consultants can help small nonprofits develop strategies for using their CRM and the data within it to increase giving.
With the help of a fundraising CRMconsultant from Heller Consulting, smaller nonprofits can define the relationships they want with their supporters and explore the ways in which the right CRM can help them achieve these goals. They’ll also get help implementing their new CRM, transferring data from any previous systems they have been using, and developing their online marketing strategy.
Heller Consulting’s Nonprofit CRM Consulting Services
Smaller nonprofits have unique needs that the right fundraising CRM consultant can help them
A fundraising CRM consulting firm such as Heller Consulting can help smaller organizations with such crucial components of nonprofit management and effective online fundraising as:
- CRM strategy and implementation. Choosing and implementing the right CRM is essential for managing your organization’s supporter data and using it to create effective outreach strategies.
- Online
fundraising . New to raising money online? Your fundraising CRM consultant can help your organization develop and implement the strategies that will best resonate with your supporter base.
- Change management. While new systems and strategies are essential to your organization’s development and growth, they’re not always easy to adjust to. With the help of your fundraising CRM consultants, your team can learn how best to adapt to these beneficial changes.
Determining the steps you need to take to achieve your nonprofit’s goals can be difficult. Your fundraising CRM consultants can help you put the plans in place to get there.
Why This Nonprofit CRM Consultant Stands Out
The effective collection and use of supporter data are essential to effective fundraising efforts, but this may be a new process for smaller or younger nonprofits. A fundraising CRM consultant that specializes in helping you get started with your donor database may be a good choice for organizations in these earlier stages of development.
5. Whole Whale | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Data Strategy
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Data Consultant
For organizations gearing up for their next project and wanting to make sure that their intended strategies are the right ones, a fundraising data consultant such as
This fundraising data consulting firm is focused on shorter-term projects and dedicated to creating a data culture at your organization.
Whole Whale’s fundraising data consulting services are intended to help your organization make better use of your data to improve your fundraising efforts. They’ll help you understand the information you have collected and put it to good use in your next fundraising campaign.
Whole Whale’s Nonprofit Data Consulting Services
Whole Whale’s fundraising data consultants can help your organization gather data more efficiently, make sense of the data you already have, and create definable goals for your next fundraising effort.
Whole Whale’s services are designed for shorter projects rather than lasting partnerships with your organization.
If your organization is ready to start shaping your next fundraising effort, Whole Whale’s fundraising data consultants can help your organization with:
- Technology consulting. A well-designed website can draw new supporters to your organization. If you’re new to the process, your fundraising data consultants can assist you in creating or improving your website.
- Data analysis. As a fundraising data consulting firm, Whole Whale’s focus lies in training your team to better understand your organization’s data, from the supporter information in your CRM to website insights from Google Analytics.
- Advertising and marketing. Your fundraising data consultant can help you spread the word about your organization online in ways that are both effective and safe.
With a better understanding of the information your organization already has available, you’ll be able to maximize the success of your next fundraising effort.
Why This Nonprofit Data Consultant Stands Out
Whole Whale’s team of fundraising data consultants focuses their efforts on data and how your nonprofit should collect, interpret, and use this information in your next fundraising effort. Their services are intended to teach nonprofits to conduct future campaigns on their own after the end of a 6 or 12-month project with Whole Whale.
6. NextAfter | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Research
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Research Consultant
For nonprofits looking to improve their outreach strategy by researching online fundraising trends, a fundraising research consultant such as NextAfter can help you reach more potential donors and increase giving.
NextAfter may be a good choice for smaller nonprofits learning how to boost their online fundraising strategy.
NextAfter’s team of fundraising research consultants are interested in studying the motivations and trends behind online fundraising, answering questions as to why people give and how they prefer to give online. When your nonprofit better understands your supporters’ motivations, you’ll be able to reach them more effectively.
NextAfter’s Nonprofit Research Consulting Services
NextAfter’s fundraising research consultants aim to create an online fundraising research lab containing the information, studies, and tools that your nonprofit needs to successfully boost fundraising on your own.
NextAfter’s structure emphasizes a do-it-yourself rather than a full-service approach to fundraising consulting.
Among the resources that NextAfter is able to offer your nonprofit are:
- Past studies. Learn more about recent trends in online fundraising so that you can adapt these strategies to your own organization and your goals.
- Online courses. Webinars and other videos can help your organization instruct your team in new practices to maximize your online fundraising efforts.
- Email and donation page tools. Wondering how to make your emails more engaging? Many of NextAfter’s materials are focused on the finer points of nonprofit email strategy.
Especially for smaller nonprofits who may not yet be ready to commit to a lasting partnership with a full-service fundraising consultant, NextAfter offers valuable and easily accessible resources to help you make the most of your online fundraising efforts.
Why This Nonprofit Research Consultant Stands Out
NextAfter’s open-source structure and variety of useful materials in its Digital Fundraising Resource Library make it easy for nonprofits, especially smaller organizations, to access the information they need to improve their fundraising strategies. For many organizations, this approach may be a good entry point into the world of fundraising consulting.
7. Big Duck | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Communication Strategy
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Communications Consultant
You know that your organization’s mission is crucial and deserving of support, but how well are you communicating this to potential donors? When it comes to engaging supporters, branding and outreach are essential components of an effective strategy.
A fundraising communications consultant such as Big Duck can help your organization refine your communications and your overall brand image.
Big Duck’s fundraising communications consulting firm is focused on improving communication strategies and branding for your nonprofit. It may be a good choice for smaller nonprofits still developing their brand or organizations looking to update their message to potential supporters.
Big Duck’s Nonprofit Communications Consulting Services
Targeted at nonprofits that are growing or changing, Big Duck’s fundraising communications consulting services are intended to help organizations develop their branding and messaging, clarifying their mission and strengthening their connection to donors in the process.
Big Duck may be a good fundraising communications consultant for organizations, especially smaller ones, whose brand identity has not yet solidified.
Heavily focused on design and writing, Big Duck’s fundraising communications consultants can help your nonprofit with:
- Branding. If your organization is unclear about your central message or how best to communicate your mission, your fundraising communications consultant can help you develop effective ways to present this information.
- Fundraising campaigns. Big Duck’s approach to fundraising campaigns focuses on acquainting donors with your nonprofit’s brand and your mission. Your fundraising communications consultant can partner with your organization throughout the process or allow you to conduct most of the campaign on your own.
- Training your team. Your fundraising communications consultant can help train your team members to better communicate your nonprofit’s mission
and help you hire the right new team members for your organization.
Because they are faced with a wide variety of organizations to support, your potential donors need to understand exactly what your nonprofit’s goals are and how you plan to achieve them. With the help of your fundraising communications consultant at Big Duck, you’ll be able to share your mission more clearly.
Why This Nonprofit Communications Consultant Stands Out
Big Duck’s fundraising communications consulting service is dedicated to creating a brand image for your nonprofit and communicating your goals more effectively. Especially for smaller and younger nonprofits, branding and communication improvements are essential for getting donors to notice you. Your fundraising communications consultant can help your organization define both specific goals and a broader overall vision to engage supporters.
8. Pursuant | Best Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant for Developing Donor Relations
Overview of This Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant
Predicting the future is no easy task, especially for smaller or younger nonprofits without a wealth of past experiences to draw on as they make their next plans.
If you’re looking to plan out your organization’s future and strengthen relationships with donors in the process, a fundraising consultant such as Pursuant may be the right choice to help you achieve your goals.
Pursuant’s fundraising consulting service is focused on assessing your nonprofit and gathering more information about your donors so that you can communicate with them on a more individualized—and thus more effective—basis. Their objective is to help your organization chart a path toward your specific goals.
Pursuant’s Nonprofit Consulting Services
It’s likely that your nonprofit is able to define several goals for the near future, but you may not have a plan in place to reach them yet. Pursuant’s fundraising consulting services are designed to help your organization develop these plans so that you know the steps to take toward achieving your mission.
Many of Pursuant’s fundraising consulting services are intended to help strengthen your relationship with donors, which can be especially useful for younger nonprofits lacking a large and established support base. Pursuant’s offerings include:
- Assessments of your organization. Your fundraising consultant can help you create a plan for growing your nonprofit in the coming years, which can influence your next fundraising strategy.
- Journey mapping. Planning out your donors’ interactions with your organization can improve their experience and increase giving.
- Donor segmentation. The communications your donors receive are important to your donors’ experience with your organization. Your fundraising consultant can help you create an outreach strategy that addresses different donors’ reasons for supporting your cause.
For organizations just getting to know their supporters, a fundraising consultant such as Pursuant can help you plan the most effective ways to reach out to them.
Why This Nonprofit Consultant Stands Out
Pursuant helps your nonprofit develop strategies for both your fundraising and outreach efforts, ensuring that you build on past successes and avoid common mistakes. Their approach is heavily informed by prospect research and donor data so that your nonprofit can address different donors’ unique reasons for supporting your organization and your cause.
The right fundraising consultant can maximize the success of your organization’s next campaign and help ensure the success of your future fundraising efforts. For more information on the processes of selecting and working with a fundraising consultant, you can consult the following additional resources:
- Hiring a Capital Campaign Consultant: 5 Strategies. Your nonprofit’s next capital campaign will benefit from the guidance of an experienced consultant. Learn how to choose the best one for your organization with Averill’s helpful guide.
- 7 Steps to Encourage Church Donors During Your Annual Appeal. Is your church looking for more gifts during the annual appeal season? Learn the steps you need to take to drive more support–including working with a Catholic fundraising consultant!
- Fundraising Consultant Fees: The Ultimate Nonprofit’s Guide. Visit Averill’s guide to understand the details of the investment your nonprofit is making when you hire a fundraising consultant.
