Strategic Fundraising Consulting

We all wish we could just figure out: how can we raise more money?

Our mission is great! Our people are great! The need is so obvious. How come we cannot translate our why into more revenue?

Well, we would say to you – what’s your plan? Have you reviewed your retention and acquisition rates? Do you have a donor pipeline? What does your data tell you?

We welcome the opportunity to work with Executive Directors, Development Directors, and Nonprofit Boards to make an actionable and achievable plan to set you up for success and raise the necessary funds to serve your mission.

But what does that look like?

  • So what’s this going to cost me? And how long will it take? What’s included? What type of fundraising guidance and support would it be? Is there a guarantee?

    Is it possible that you had these questions?

    While each nonprofit organization will receive a custom proposal that outlines deliverables, activities, and expectations, here are some basics.

  • Pricing for Fundraising Consulting work generally starts at $10,000. The total cost will be dependent on the scope of work and the length of the project.

  • Working together will last a minimum of three months. Fundraising takes time to see real results, so we recommend at least six to nine months of partnering together.

  • While each project will be custom to the needs, budget and staff of the nonprofit organization, you can expect to meet regularly with Susan Kahan, Founder/Principal, and have full access to the toolkit of Sapphire Fundraising Specialists.

    Our work together will likely include the following and will be tailored to meet your needs:

    1) Develop a persuasive and clear case for support and talking points

    2) Craft a strategic and achievable fundraising plan

    3) Train your staff and lay leaders on how to ask for funds from individuals

    4) Set up business processes to be prepared for the future

    5) Review how the updates are going and adapt to ensure the plan is successful

  • While your fundraising success is dependent on a lot of factors, there are a few things we can assure you, if you are committed to making real changes to your fundraising and pushing yourself and your team:

    ✅ Increase YOUR confidence when soliciting and meeting with YOUR donors

    ✅ Develop YOUR major and planned giving strategies for prospecting, cultivating, and stewarding

    ✅ Find clarity around YOUR messaging so that it is persuasive, repeatable, and genuine

    ✅ Organize YOUR business processes so YOU are more efficient and effective for fundraising and YOU know what to track

  • Check out what some of the project types could look like for your individual and major donors.

  • "Susan has been enormously helpful in prioritizing our outreach, crafting persuasive language for the campaign, keeping us on task and providing reality checks along the way. Susan has effectively led our strategic planning and not shied away from pushing back and asking important questions as we strategize to be effective and efficient with our efforts. We would happily recommend Sapphire Fundraising Specialists to anyone seeking a personalized, high touch approach to their fundraising needs."

    Past capital campaign client

Planned and Legacy Giving

Do the words “planned gift” or “bequest” scare you or your fundraising team?

We are in the midst of the greatest transfer of wealth the U.S. has ever seen as the baby boomer generation ages. Philanthropy in general is changing as tax laws have encouraged more people to form donor advised funds and family foundations. Moreover, donors (and their advisors) have become very sophisticated in their gift planning.

Let’s work together to remove the fear and take advantage of the current donor landscape to secure resources that will help your organization for years to come. We will also help you evaluate your current supporters to find top legacy giving prospects (hint – take a look at your long-term donors!).

Capital Campaigns

Transformational change can happen to an organization only if there is a clear vision and a good fundraising plan to support it. But where to begin?

Always start with why – Why is this cause important? Why is additional funding needed now?

Let’s work together to craft great answers to these questions, and to put together a plan to catalyze your mission into actionable and achievable fundraising steps to make that transformational change a reality.

We will work together on campaign feasibility assessments, board & donor presentations and proposals, donor research, and external communications.

Major Gifts

How many times have you heard, “Oh, that person has immense capacity. We should get them to support us. Then our fundraising will be easy!”

But – has that person ever indicated they care about your cause?

Instead of focusing on one potential big donor, let’s work together on how you can cultivate your current donors to support your organization at a major giving level AND steward them so they continue to give at that level for years to come.

We can also work with you on building your pipeline of prospects and creating donor engagement opportunities.

Mid-Level Gifts

What is a mid-level gift? The amount varies from organization to organization, but most importantly – this is the donor that COULD be a major donor and COULD leave a legacy gift.

Does your organization have a separate plan for these donors? How are they being stewarded to continue or potentially increase their giving?

Let’s make a plan to cultivate some of your most dedicated donors.

Gift Entry and Fund Operations Strategy

Raising money is not easy, but a key to any successful fundraising endeavor is the organization’s ability to process, track and thank each gift.

What are your organization's processes on this topic? Does each person of your team behave as though a gift of any amount is a token of a donor’s hard-earned money, and deserves to be processed correctly, efficiently and gratefully?

Let’s review how you currently operate and devise a plan that works for your team. 

End-of-Year Fundraising Appeals

Have you ever looked at your database and reviewed when most of the money from individual donors comes in? We would take an educated guess that a large proportion of the dollars raised are in the last quarter of the year.

But what are you doing to acquire those dollars? Do you have a clear message to your donors? Are you attracting new donors? Are your donors from last year donating again?

End-of-year fundraising appeals are incredibly important as so many people tend to do their charitable giving at the very end of the year.

Let’s work together to create a strategic messaging fundraising campaign to reach your donors at the optimal time. We will work on developing your message, utilizing social media, tracking metrics, and ensuring your organization closes the year successfully.