How I Built My Fundraising Consultancy - the stories behind the people driving results in the nonprofit sector

Michael Rubin is the Principal and Founder at Michael D. Rubin & Associates. Michael has been running his consultancy since 2002 and has built his business to support 4 other consultants, which help meet his client’s needs.   Learn more about his consultancy at www.mdrubin.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Scott Koskoski is a Senior Performance Mentor at BrightDot. BrightDot focuses on coaching fundraisers to reach their goals. Scott got into fundraising because of his experience getting a scholarship and meeting the donor who enabled him to go to college and shares from this unique perspective as a fundraiser directly impacted by a donor. Learn more about BrightDot at www.thebrightdot.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Mary Cahalane is the Principal at Hands-On Fundraising. Her consultancy focuses on copywriting and teaching nonprofits a donor first approach to fundraising. Learn more about Hands-On Fundraising at www.handsonfundraising.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Hannah Zollman is the Founder and Principal at Mission Driven Fundraising. Her focus is on helping mission-driven organizations build their fundraising departments to be self-sufficient and successful. Learn more about Mission Driven Fundraising at www.missiondrivenfundraising.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Amy Varga is the president of the Varga Group. Learn about her background as a fundraiser and a university professor to future fundraisers. We also dive into how she determined what services to offer and how to create a successful and profitable consultancy. Amy is a very thoughtful business owner and she shares some invaluable information for those looking to start your own business. Learn more about The Varga Group at www.TheVargaGroup.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Elise Saltzberg is the owner of Saltzberg Consulting and is an expert at grants and shares the ins and outs of running a business focused on researching and writing grants in this episode. Learn more about Saltzberg Consulting at www.saltzbergconsulting.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Dan Shephard (the Frontline Fundraiser) is the owner of the Shephard Group. He focuses on teaching fundraisers how to have a conversation with donors about charitable gift planning. Learn more about the Shephard Group at www.thefrontlinefundraiser.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Arlene Cogen is a Philanthropic Leadership Consultant, Author, Speaker, Trainer, and Coach. She works primarily with professional advisors, nonprofits and their clients to build deeper relationships and engage the next generation through leadership and philanthropy. Learn more about Arlene Cogen at www.arlenecogen.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Joe Tumolo is the CEO of Gift Planning Development. He is an expert at building relationships and helping nonprofits focus on a donor-centric approach. Learn more about Joe Tumolo at www.giftplanningdevelopment.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Sherry Quam Taylor is the Founder and President of QuamTaylor, a fundraising consulting group based in the Chicago area. Sherry’s company really strives to work with nonprofits on a donor-centric mindset and has expanded into helping nonprofits during the hiring process to ensure nonprofits really are hiring people that align with the nonprofit and donor’s interests. Learn more about Quam Taylor at www.quamtaylor.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Learn not only about starting and running a successful fundraising consultancy, but also some fascinating insights from one of the industry’s leading researchers on what it’s like to be the donor and the experiences that they expect and want from you the fundraiser. Penelope Burk is the president of Cygnus Applied Research and the author of “Donor-Centered Fundraising” and “Donor-Centered Leadership”. Learn more about Penelope Burk and Cygnus Applied Research at www.cygresearch.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

T.J. McGovern is the president of the McGovern Consulting Group. He was formerly the Development Manager at Fairbanks Hospital and Development Director at Ivy Tech Community College. T.J. focuses on helping nonprofits develop their message. Learn more about McGovern Consulting Group at www.mcgimpact.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Cathy R. Sheffield is a fundraising executive with over 20 years experience, specializing in major gifts and gift planning. She founded ThinkGiving in June of 2017. Cathy has experience in healthcare and education for organizations such as All Saints Health Foundation, Texas Health Resources Foundation, Cook Children’s Health Foundation, Texas Christian University, The University of Texas at Arlington and the American Diabetes Association. Learn more about ThinkGiving at www.thinkgiving.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Jay Frost has been a fundraising consultant and speaker for the past 28 years and shares a wealth of knowledge in this episode. Learn more about Jay at www.FrostOnFundraising.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Emma Kieran is the principal of Pilot Peak Consulting, which she started in June of 2014. Learn how her background as both a teacher and a fundraiser has influenced what she set out to do with Pilot Peak Consulting. Learn more about Pilot Peak Consulting at www.pilotpeakconsulting.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Sarah Jackson is the president of Sarah J Consulting found at SarahJConsulting.com. SJC has been in operation since January of 2012 and is based in the Boston area. Prior to starting her own business Sarah worked at a variety of nonprofits in the Boston area and has a BA in communications from Emmanuel College. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com. Sign up for the consultant's version of FundraisingReportCard at www.fundraisingreportcard.com/consultants.

Claire Axelrad, principal at Clairification, comes from a background of almost 30 years in the nonprofit fundraising world before starting up her business in 2009. You may know her by the name of Clairification Claire. Topics discussed include her focus in education, how her business has changed over the years, where the name Clairification came from, and much more. Learn more about Clairification at www.clairification.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Matthew Dubins is the founder of Donor Science. He is a developer and programmer who helps nonprofits through his data science consultancy. Learn more about Donor Science at www.donorscience.ca. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Sam Laprade of Gryphon Fundraising is the host of the radio show “An Hour to Give” and has been working in the nonprofit sector for the past 15 years. She recently transitioned to becoming a full-time consultant. We discuss that transition, what her biggest challenges are and much more. Learn more about Gryphon Fundraising at www.gryphonfundraising.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Andrew Olsen is Senior Vice President at Newport One, a direct response fundraising agency headquartered in Duxbury, MA. Prior he was an independent fundraising consultant and is the author of Rainmaking: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Landing Big Gifts. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com. Learn more about Newport One at www.newportone.com.

Sheila Dwyer Schwartz is the founder and principal of Dwyer Philanthropy. She started her consultancy because she wanted to work for mid-level nonprofits. Her experience was in working for larger organizations and this was her way of working with a bunch of organizations she felt she could make an impact with. You can find more information about her business at dwyerphilanthropy.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at imarketsmart.com.

Missy Gale is president of M. Gale & Associates. She has been running her business since 2009 and builds on her experience in the healthcare sector and her marketing and advertising education. M. Gale & Associates showcases what a great team based consultancy can look like. You can find more information at www.mgaleassociates.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Nadine Gabai-Botero has been the principal of Focus Fundraising for the past 9 years. Her background is in fundraising for arts organizations, but as you’ll hear in the interview she has expanded to help different types of nonprofits meet their goals by focusing on creating a great strategy. You can find more information about Focus Fundraising at www.focus-fundraising.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Jeff Brooks is a fundraising consultant and Fundraisingologist at Moceanic. His expertise is in writing and you’ll learn some great tips in this episode on how writing for fundraising is different from other industries. You can find more about Jeff Brooks at www.jeff-brooks.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Jim Langley is president of Langley Innovations, which he started 8 years ago. He has extensive experience in the higher education sector. You can find more information about Langley Innovations at www.langleyinnovations.com. He also runs a philanthropic training company that you can find at www.langley-sells.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Michael Rosen is president of ML Innovations, which he started 18 years ago. Learn how he built his business and how his journalism background has impacted his consultancy. You can find more information about Michael’s consultancy at www.MLInnovations.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Andrea Kihlstedt has been running Capital Campaign Masters for the past 4 years and prior worked with Gail Perry and other consultants at a few different consultancies. She has over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit fundraising world where she’s focused on capital campaigns. I think you’ll find this interview informative as we discuss Andrea’s unique approach to running a business that focuses on preparing a client to be ready to hire a consultant. You can find more information about Capital Campaign Masters at www.capitalcampignmasters.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Amy started her business in August 2008 and prior was director of development for a few different nonprofits. Amy Eisenstein has done a fantastic job creating a personal brand that fundraisers recognize. In this interview you’ll hear some invaluable tidbits on creating evergreen content that will bring you business. You can find more information about Amy’s consultancy at www.AmyEisenstein.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Kelley McGeehan is the founder of McGeehan Research. Kelley brings an interesting perspective to the show as her consultancy focuses on prospect research. We dive into some of the details in running a business that focuses just on the research aspect of fundraising. You can find more information about Kelley at www.mcgeehanresearch.com.

Today on the show is Richard Perry, co-founder of the Veritus Group. Richard has been running the Veritus Group since 2005 and prior ran the Domain Group for 15 years, which also helped non-profits. In today’s interview Richard shares from his wealth of knowledge helping non-profits for over 25 years now. You can find more information about the Veritus Group at www.VeritusGroup.com. Learn more about MarketSmart by visiting www.iMarketSmart.com.

Today on the show is Steven Screen, co-founder of the Better Fundraising Company and co-host of the Fundraising is Beautiful Podcast. The interview today is loaded full of great tips including why it’s important to create a menu of services, the value of free content offers, and is a great example of someone doing everything right in his first few years of running a consultancy. You can find more information about Steven at at www.BetterFundraising.com. Learn more about MarketSmart by visiting www.imarketsmart.com.

Today on the show is Lori Kranczer, founder of Everyday Planned Giving. Lori brings an interesting perspective to the show as her consultancy is now only 5 months old. Her information should be especially beneficial for others looking to start their own consultancy. You can find more information about Lori at at www.EverydayPlannedGiving.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Today on the show is Greg Lassonde, Principle of Legacy Program Specialists. Greg has been running his business for 11 years now and prior had extensive experience by working in a wide variety of environmental and arts based non-profits. He even served on the board of the Oakland Zoo to gain some perspective while running his consultancy. You can find more information about Greg at at www.GregLassonde.com. Visit www.iMarketSmart.com to learn more about MarketSmart.

Today on the show is Marcy Heim, President and Founder of the Artful Asker. Marcy has been running her business for now over 12 years and prior had extensive experience by working as the director of development at the University of Wisconsin for over 20 years. In today’s interview you’ll hear how she got her start consulting by working with CASE, and how her business has transformed to include coaching and public speaking. You can find more information about The Artful Asker at www.MarcyHeim.com. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Today on the show is Larry Raff, President of Copley Raff, Incorporated.
 Larry has extensive experience helping healthcare related organizations raising funds and led a 200 million dollar campaign entitled “The Only Cure is a Remedy” for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In today’s interview you’ll hear about the benefits of running a consultancy with a team of consultants supporting you instead of just yourself. You can find more information about Copley Raff Incorporated at www.copleyraff.com Visit www.iMarketSmart.com to learn more about MarketSmart.

Today on the show is Gail Perry, Founder of Fired Up Fundraising found at www.firedupfundraising.com.
 Gail has built a successful business driven by following her passions from consulting, to speaking, and mentoring consultants. Fired Up Fundraising was founded in 1995. Learn more about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.

Today on the show is Katherine DeFoyd, Founding Partner of Growth for Good found at www.growthforgood.com.
 Katherine has built a successful consultancy that focuses on New York City and New Jersey based nonprofits where she is located. She now after 13 years of building her consultancy has a team of 8 people that work at Growth for Good.

Today on the show is Kathy Swayze, President and Creative Director of Impact Communications found at www.impactdc.com.
 Kathy has built a successful consultancy that now includes a strong staff of writers and Creative personnel. On today’s show we learn the importance of specialization and about some of the tools used to run a consultancy with a staff.

Today on the show is Phyllis Freedman, President and Founder of Smart Giving found at www.smart-giving.com. Phyllis has run a successful consultancy for the past 17 years and will be retiring at the end of 2017. On today’s show I ask her how she created such a successful consultancy and what tips and ideas she has for others wanting to get their start.

Today on the show is Julie Carter, President of Carter Consulting Group.
 Julie has built a successful consultancy through helping non-profits focus in on major gifts and likes to remind each nonprofit she works with of their core values and mission. You can find more information about Carter Consulting Group at CarterConsultingGroup.biz.

Today on the show is Diane Remin, Founder and President of MajorDonors.com.
 Diane has built a strong consultancy through teaching non-profits to tell compelling stories to potential donors with in-person visits and teaching non-profits how to ask for major gifts.

Today on the show is Tom Ahern. You’ll learn the importance of developing a strong content marketing strategy, how to determine your hourly rate, and much more. For more information about Tom Ahern visit www.aherncomm.com. Learn about MarketSmart at www.imarketsmart.com.  

Today on the show is David A. Mersky, Founder and Managing Director of Mersky, Jaffe & Associates.
 Hear from a fundraising consultant with 25 plus years of experience. Learn how to gain clients early on in your consultancy and how to build a strong referral based business. Learn more at www.imarketsmart.com and www.merskyjaffe.com.