Looking for the best nonprofit consultants who can help your organization get off the ground? We've got you covered.

Whether it’s managing day-to-day operations, improving the financing and resources, or launching a solicitation campaign, an expert consultant can increase your chances of success by two-folds.

In this article, we will take you through the top 30 Nonprofit consultants in the market, their services, and what sets them apart. We also have some tips to help you choose the best firm for your organization.

Quick Reads

• What Is a Nonprofit Consulting Firm?
• How Can a Nonprofit Consulting Firm Help Me?
• Tips for Hiring a Nonprofit Consulting Service
• Nonprofit Consulting Firms: The Most Comprehensive Directory
• With a Consultant, Your Organization Might Be In Need of a Software Too

What Is a Nonprofit Consulting Firm?

A nonprofit consultant firm is an agency that helps nonprofit organizations achieve their short and long-term goals. It includes teams of specialists who manage fundraising campaigns, develops marketing strategies, and plan events for them.

Many nonprofit consulting firms are all-rounders, providing A to Z services, while others are specialized in a specific area, for example, planning and executing capital campaigns, creating case statements, or setting up high-converting Grand Ads.

Many of these agencies also offer capacity-building services, which include coaching staff and board members on improving their organization's operations to reach the next level.

How Can a Nonprofit Consulting Firm Help Me?

A nonprofit organization is difficult to start, but what is more challenging is to collect funds to run all your operations smoothly. With several NGOs asking for donations for different reasons, why would donors choose your organization over theirs? This is where a nonprofit consulting firm comes in.

Instead of wasting your valuable resources on experimenting, you can simply hire a fundraising consulting agency to help you achieve your goals. Since it's difficult for nonprofits to have a full-time consultant all year round, you can opt for specific services from the agency such as tech, marketing, or HR support.

Tips for Hiring a Nonprofit Consulting Service

Selecting the right consultant for your nonprofit is as important as getting your organization tax exempted. If you are on the lookout for the right specialist, make sure they meet all the requirements in the following checklist.

1. They specialize in the area you need help with. For instance, if you are planning an endowment campaign, you should be looking for a firm that has good relationships with donors, is well-versed in planning and strategizing, and has a track record.
2. Check the duration of the firm. How long they have been in the market, do they have positive reviews online, for what services they are best known for? In such scenarios, it's best to check who other nonprofits are hiring. This will help you in getting a better idea of the top firms in the market.
3. Make sure they fit your budget. The costs of consulting are usually too high to consider, especially when you have to justify your expenditures to donors. In such cases, see what works best for you. You can either decide on a project-based salary, a contractual agreement or simply pay them for their advice based on your budget.

Nonprofit Consulting Firms: The Most Comprehensive Directory

Ready to take your organization to the next level? Let’s dive into a complete list of nonprofit consulting firms (including full-service and specialized).

1. The Alford Group

The Alford Group is an all-rounder consultancy firm for nonprofits. Established in 1979 in Chicago, the agency has partnered with over 3000 NGOs to make a positive impact on society. They are experts in six flagship services for charity-based organizations including Strategic & Organizational Planning, Fundraising, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Governance & Leadership Development, Interim Staffing, and Data Management.

Services Offered

• Providing training, conducting DEI training, and coordinating DEI tasks.
• Utilizing donor information and surveys to develop deep insights into your supporters.
• Assisting in fundraising campaigns with feasibility studies, campaign implementation, and solicitations for major gifts.

What Makes Them Different?

The Alford Group delivers effective consulting services customized to each organization’s unique circumstances. Having over 40 years of experience, they understand what challenges mission-based organizations face and what are the proven strategies to achieve successful results.

2. Campbell & Company

Campbell & Company is a well-known fundraising consulting firm offering a wide range of fundraising services to philanthropic clients. They have several offices in the US including Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, DC.

Services Offered

• Building and managing the fundraising campaigns and programs.
• Develop a clear vision and plan for the organizations.
• Assisting organizations in developing lasting relationships with donors.
• Identifying new prospects and performing wealth screening for them.

What Makes Them Different?

Campbell & Company provides a 360-degree consulting service to all of its clients. They provide a comprehensive menu of nonprofit services along with providing customized solutions for your challenges.

3. Contributor Development Partnership

Contributor Development Partnership (CDP) is an industry-specific philanthropic consultant agency, that assists public media groups such as national and local stations to reach their fundraising goals.

Services Offered

• Helping clients to acquire donors through personal interactions with their door-to-door fundraising program.
• Conducting wealth & philanthropy screening to reach out to the right donors at the right time, with an ideal solicitation quote.
• Providing the stations with real-time information using Using the National Reference File.
• Maximizing the use of paid digital search ads for maximizing conversions during each fundraising cycle.
• Planning and executing successful email marketing campaigns with a significantly lower cost per piece.

What Makes Them Different?

The CDP supports local radio stations in maximizing their fundraising efforts to sustain a strong media system. Till now, they have contributed to the success of 240 member stations throughout their network over the past decade.

4. Brian Lacy and Associates

Founded in 2002, Brian Lacy and Associates provides fundraising solutions and data services to philanthropic organizations. Their advisors have extensive experience and relationships with nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada. They have partnered with more than 400 nonprofit organizations to raise over $1 billion.

Services Offered

• Researching and connecting with the accurate philanthropic profiles in the industry.
• Offering access to leading consumer data processors for prospecting, donor, and constituent campaigns.
• Develop marketing posts and an e-magazine that will touch the hearts of the major lead donors.

What Makes Them Different?

Brian is best known for revitalizing annual and ongoing solicitation programs and providing clients with a vast portfolio of cutting-edge fundraising strategies.

5. Advancement Resources

Advancement Resources is another leading fundraising consulting firm that helps nonprofits in board development, program implementation, strategic planning, and creative thinking. The company has been in operation since 1999 and has trained over 110,000 professional fundraisers and partners.

Services Offered

• Developing strategies and tactics that can be immediately applied to maximize donor and prospective donor performance.
• Identifying gaps and developing a plan for long-term success.
• Providing training and coaching to development professionals at all levels to help them develop successful and fulfilling careers.

What Makes Them Different?

In addition to traditional consulting, the agency features a Referral-Based Medical Philanthropy approach to aid healthcare organizations to foster a cohesive philanthropic culture. Their consultants work with hospitals and health systems to explore hospital culture and propose solutions to achieve maximum results.

6. Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt is a Chicago-based fundraising agency that collaborates with NPOs to meet their organizational and fundraising goals. They have worked with startups as well as established firms, both locally and internationally.

Services Offered

• Formulating fundraising strategies for clients to help achieve their mission.
• Fostering long-term success with nonprofits.
• Transforming your fundraising through data analysis and enhancement.

What Makes Them Different?

The firm is specialized in providing nonprofits with operational and management solutions along with program development services. The company provides a wide range of services designed to meet each client's individual needs.

7. Dini Spheris

A long-established consulting firm, Dini Spheris has more than 50 years of experience working with nonprofits. Located in Houston, Texas, the company assists both local and international NGOs in achieving their missions. The firm's consultants believe in transformational fundraising that makes an organization more donor-friendly.

Services Offered

• Assessing organization development and creating strategic plans for nonprofits.
• Consulting and arranging fundraising campaigns.
• Teaching and training new board members about effective governance and fundraising.
• Coaching and fostering philanthropic culture among the team members, staff, and volunteers in the NGO.
• Counseling and arranging Annual Fundraising, Major Gift, and Planned Giving Programs.

What Makes Them Different?

Dennis Sphere takes a client-centric approach to develop plans and strategies that bring out the best in organizations. It attempts to differentiate the organizations it works with, giving them a distinctive identity and reputation. In addition to planning and running campaigns, the firm focuses on changing the organizational environment and behavior to create an environment that attracts lead donors.

8. Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates

Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates (JGA) began in 1994 as a small firm with six nonprofit clients. Since then, it has been empowering NGOs through optimizing their various phases fundraising cycle. JGA emphasizes the fundamentals of vision, leadership, and stewardship that govern philanthropic partnerships. This helps their clients achieve long-term and meaningful results, rather than just collecting funds.

Services Offered

• Conducting audits and assessments to build organizational capacity.
• Analyzing the strengths and challenges of the development programs.
• Performing post-campaign studies for future applications by compiling data and feedback.
• Optimizing short-term and long-term strategies to achieve successful results.

What Makes Them Different?

JGA introduced the concepts of acuity and catalyst for their nonprofit clients to help them meet their organizations’ goals. Through acuity, the firm evaluates the donor base to find the best sponsors for a particular project. On the other hand, it uses catalysts to generate institutional readiness reviews for identifying the best opportunities and aligning their strategies accordingly.

9. Alexander Haas, Inc.

Alexander Haas, Inc. is a fundraising consulting firm based in Atlanta. It features a group of consultants who are experts in Capital Campaigns, Annual Fundraising, major Gifts, Leadership Annual Giving, and Planned Giving. They majorly serve educational institutions, museums, performing arts, faith-based organizations, human services, pet-shelters, and environmental-based organizations.

Services Offered

• Pre-campaign counseling regarding goal-setting by estimating the costs of the programs to be sponsored.
• Identifying potential major donors through database screening and analytics.
• Training staff and board members for developing and implementing endowment campaigns successfully.

What Makes Them Different?

Alexander Haas offers nonprofits a winning strategy whether they are hosting a capital campaign for a high-budget project or conducting endowment campaigns for ongoing programs. Also, they assist nonprofits with board enhancements by providing ongoing guidance and assistance with the identification of improvement areas.

10. The Rome Group

With over 20 years of experience, The Rome Group is one of the top nonprofit consulting firms in the industry. It is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and works with both small and large organizations in achieving their endowment goals.

Services Offered

• Assisting organizations in increasing their annual fundraising.
• Conducting feasibility studies and wealth-screening tests.
• Organizational planning after a detailed analysis of the market, sponsor, and NPO’s missions.

What Makes Them Different?

While The Rome Group is an all-rounder, it mainly focuses on organizational planning and performance optimization. The team believes that a stronger nonprofit is a foundation for a prosperous community, hence they offer customized business plans and coaching for a thriving organizational culture.

11. Staupell Analytics Group

As the name suggests, Staupell Analytics Group helps nonprofits enhance their performance via custom analytics. With a philosophy of "Let the machine do the work.", they streamline all the decisions and strategies based on data-driven prospect studies.

Services Offered

• Conducting fundraising analytics via Donor Modeling and Engagement Machine Learning.
• Creating prospects’ segmentation for annual and capital fundraising.
• Optimizing portfolios to attract lead donors and increase project memberships
• Forecasting Annual Giving and formulating data-driven strategies.
• Providing conversion coaching and assistance to the organizations.

What Makes Them Different?

Staupell Analytics Group introduced a unique concept of using data for nonprofits strategy making. The firm teams up with the marketing department, IT services, lead generation, and data-mining staff to accomplish successful results through digital transformation.

12. Steier Group

Steier Group is a specialized consulting firm that helps nonprofits achieve their large fundraising goals through capital campaigns. Established in 1997, it has helped 1500 nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada. Steier Group aims to help schools, NGOs, and faith-based organizations to raise money for fulfilling their missions.

Services Offered

• Consulting nonprofits regarding their fundraising goals and campaigns.
• Planning and managing capital campaigns.
• Conducting feasibility studies, wealth screening, and marketing audits.
• Tailoring campaign strategies according to the goals.
• Designing brochures, case statements, video production, and grant writing.
• Planning and implementing pledge redemption strategies.

What Makes Them Different?

Steier Group is the most recommended nonprofit firm in North America for organizing successful capital campaigns. As well as helping organizations fulfill their capital missions, they also provide training in volunteer management and solicitation.

13. American Philanthropic

American Philanthropic is a full-services endowment consulting firm. Being in the market from 2009, the company has assisted several nonprofits with their grand writing, donor research, data analysis, and development training.

Services Offered

• Drafting grants and case statements for the NPOs.
• Researching about donors and prospects to find the best sponsors for long-term success.
• Performing data analysis and enhancement for the organizations.
• Managing capital campaigns and other endowment campaigns such as major gifts and planned giving.

What Makes Them Different?

Consultants at American Philanthropic believe that an organization's success depends on a healthy environment. As a result, they offer all-rounder services to foster a mission-driven culture for every client they work with.

14. Development for Conservation

Founded by a philanthropic consultant, David Allen, Development for Conservation is another well-known nonprofit advising firm in the US. Established in 2003, the company specializes in major gift audits and training.

Services Offered

• Conducting a development audit of the nonprofits including their activities, fundraising, and past outcomes.
• Generating short and long-term reports for improvement of their philanthropic culture.
• Developing Long-Range Fundraising Planning.
• Conducting periodic fundraising training for new and old staff.
• Coaching team members regarding the new practices and guidelines.

What Makes Them Different?

The firm believes that long-term success for any nonprofit largely depends on community involvement. Therefore, they analyze all their fundraising efforts and develop strategies to improve operations to enhance community participation.

15. Nonprofit Megaphone

Nonprofit Megaphone provides charities with a new way to raise money. They are Google Partners who help nonprofits take full advantage of Google Grant Ads by signing up and making effective use of them. The company is also one of nine inaugural Google’s Ad Grants Certified Professionals.

Services Offered

• Assists nonprofits in getting approved for the Google Ads Grant.
• Creating and managing ad campaigns for the nonprofit’s services and programs.
• Optimizing Google Grant Ads conversion rates to maximize profits for non-profit organizations.

What Makes Them Different?

Nonprofit Megaphone is a market leader in digitizing charitable marketing. They help their clients successfully apply for Google Grant Ads and receive 10,000 each month to spend on Google search ads. They also create ads campaigns to maximize the conversion for these organizations.

16. Meyer Partners

The Meyer Partners is a fundraising firm that specializes in fulfilling the marketing needs of its clients. Founded in 1989, the Chicago-based agency handles the multi-marketing channels for nonprofits.

Services Offered

• Selecting marketing channels based on the project's needs.
• Designing call-to-action materials for both print and digital media.
• Telling a story that impacts donors on an emotional level.

What Makes Them Different?

Meyer Partners are known for their marketing expertise for nonprofits. They provide tailored strategies by data analysis and predictive modeling. With the help of donor segmentation and ongoing house file maintenance, the firm creates effective fundraising and communication plans.

17. Byrne Pelofsky + Associates, LLC

Byrne Pelofsky + Associates, LLC is a team of expert fundraising consultants offering full-length services to their clients. They have worked with a wide range of social organizations, from schools to environmental groups. The team has raised more than $2.7 million for their clients so far.

Services Offered

• Performing campaign planning and feasibility studies.
• Organizing and managing the endowment campaigns.
• Plan and manage special events including auctions, charity runs, and luncheons.
• Consulting NGOs in resources and capacity building.

What Makes Them Different?

The agency is comprised of fundraising experts who perform planning and consulting for nonprofits. In addition to day-to-day operations, they also participate in hiring and orientation processes for stakeholders such as CEOs, Executive Directors, and Chief Advancement Officers.

18. Greater Mission

Greater Mission is a fundraising agency dedicated to faith-based NGOs. They mainly assist catholic charities, schools, and organizations in raising funds for their causes. Their team specializes in designing and developing endowment campaigns for churches and parish services.

Services Offered

• Formulating strategies to allocate resources and time most effectively.
• Conducting audits of all the fundraising activities for a holistic picture.
• Designing annual appeals and emails that yield positive results.
• Conducting capital campaigns and major gift donor campaigns.

What Makes Them Different?

Unlike other fundraising firms, Greater Mission only works with religious organizations. Their team has a track record of proven success in the field.

19. Westfall Gold

Westfall Gold is a major donor fundraising agency based in Atlanta. The firm specializes in creating a breakthrough strategy to convert donors from one-time to regular giving and make them feel connected to your cause. The agency has around 5:1 ROI with a 75% conversion rate.

Services Offered

• Performing donor analysis and creating outreach strategies.
• Consulting clients on building and improving their relationship fundraising.
• Providing marketing material such as case statements, grand writings, brochures, and social media posts for community engagement.

What Makes Them Different?

Westfall Gold offers a unique relational fundraising strategy. The Major Donor Experience is their three-and-a-half-day program that aligns donors with the deepest missions of nonprofits.

20. Visionary Philanthropic Consulting, LLC

Visionary Philanthropic Consulting, LLC specializes in guiding nonprofit organizations from the ground up. To deliver successful results, the team provides their clients with realistic objectives and predictable results. Whether it's healthcare or museums, they optimize their operations and development in the best way possible.

Services Offered

• Analyzing donor topography and philanthropic markets.
• Analyzing yield and forecasting charitable donations.
• Creating a strong community via social media engagements and messaging tools.
• Consulting regarding strategy making for successful endowment campaigns.

What Makes Them Different?

Its emphasis on virtual strategy consulting stands out from other nonprofit consulting firms because it allows clients to receive all necessary services from the convenience of their own homes. Additionally, the firm offers one-time consultancy to clients who do not wish to avail their full-time services.

21. Catapult Fundraising

Catapult Fundraising provides high-quality philanthropic consulting to its clients. The company is based in Nevada, with its offices located in Texas, New York, and New Jersey. The firm assists nonprofits in achieving their fundraising goals through capacity building, campaign management, and telephone outreach programs.

Services Offered

• Conducting prospect research and wealth screening tests with board members to determine the best prospects for campaigns.
• Improving the organization's infrastructure, performance, and administration via capacity building.
• Developing a recruitment plan for board members, staff, and volunteers including their roles and responsibilities.

What Makes Them Different?

The team prioritizes network building as a successful strategy for nonprofits' success. With the help of experienced, client-trained callers, they talk with prospects about the goals of the campaign and the importance of committing, usually over a multi-year period.

22. The Curtis Group

The Curtis Group is a philanthropic consulting firm that assists nonprofit organizations in their day-to-day affairs. Founded in 1989, the company has partnered with more than 200 NPOs, raising over 650 dollars. Their profile includes working for a wide array of organizations such as arts & cultural, educational, healthcare services, public and social sectors.

Services Offered

• Performing extensive planning studies for launching and managing campaigns successfully.
• Conducting capacity building assessment via analyzing developmental studies, structure, and fundraising results and guiding the next steps.
• Helping NPOs in fundraising marketing via both paid and organic methods.
• Training staff and board members to educate them according to each fundraising project.

What Makes Them Different?

Each client of The Curtis Group is considered a partner, making their success a personal one. Taking full ownership of the projects they undertake, the firm only works with a selected number of clients. Additionally, the team finds unique fundraising ideas for their clients, designs their marketing materials, creates impactful case statements, and refines their content strategies.

23. Amy Eisenstein

Amy Eisenstein is one of the best-known consultants for nonprofits. Besides having over 20 years of experience in the field, she is an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE). Apart from consulting organizations for the Major Gifts and Capital Campaigns, she helps them with her free resources and ebooks.

Services Offered

• Creating customized solutions based on an in-depth analysis of the current operations.
• Offering advice and support to executive directors and development staff on fundraising and management issues.
• Formulating detailed action plans for effective generation of funds.
• Analyzing fundraising programs to identify weaknesses and opportunities for future projects.

What Makes Her Different?

Unlike other firms, Amy deals directly with all her clients. She starts with one-on-one sessions with all her clients, addressing their questions before becoming their full-time consultant. She is also the CEO of Capital Campaign Toolkit, which offers tools, templates, and guidance for campaigns.

24. Changing Our World

Changing Our World is another specialized consulting agency in the nonprofit sector that is comprised of industry leaders. The agency started in 1999 and now has four offices in the US and one in England.

Services Offered

• Creating fundraising programs and campaign services to help clients meet their fundraising goals.
• Helping organizations foster a culture of excellence by capacity building.
• Conducting feasibility and planning studies to see what works best for the targeted project.

What Makes Them Different?

Changing Our World features a holistic approach when it comes to major gifts campaigns. The team does not only plan based on past behaviors, analytics, and activities but also takes into account what is expected on both sides, program leaders and gift officers.

25. Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF)

Bentz Whaley Flessner is known for empowering philanthropy through its persistent efforts. They have been in business for nearly four decades and have partnered with several charitable organizations around the world.

Services Offered

• Developing structural roadmaps that revolve around the nonprofit’s mission, goals, and investment options.
• Assisting them in obtaining a unique name, acquiring articles of incorporation, and seeking tax exemption.
• Providing direct contact with sponsors, building workflows, and collaborating with donors to develop an effective fundraising journey.

What Makes Them Different?

BWF is a leading agency when it comes to donor stewardship. The team connects nonprofits with top sponsors and builds long-term relationships with them.

26. Schultz & Williams

Schultz & Williams is a fundraising consulting firm with over 65 experts on staff and has worked with more than 1,000 nonprofits so far. Their client list includes community foundations, arts and culture organizations, educational institutions, conservation organizations, zoos, and aquariums.

Services Offered

• Developing and executing high-performance fundraising campaigns.
• Using analytical insights to make informed decisions for forthcoming fundraising efforts.
• Teaming up with their clients in times of staff transitions, managing special projects, or when starting development programs.

What Makes Them Different?

The team formulates customized funding strategies based on results-driven strategic planning, staffing solutions, and multi-channel marketing.

27. Marts & Lundy

One of the oldest nonprofit consulting firms, Marts & Lundy was founded in 1928. With the best consultants on staff, they deliver results-based solutions to both small and large organizations. They assist organizations working in healthcare, higher education, schools, arts, and environmental programs, as well as humanitarian efforts.

Services Offered

• Planning campaigns and annual fundraising based on budget and past results.
• Helping nonprofits in building internal capacity by recruiting the right resources and training them.
• Conducting marketing campaigns including storytelling, brochures, and grant writings.

What Makes Them Different?

In addition to being one of the oldest firms, Marts & Lundy collaborates with worldwide clients located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Among the things that set them apart from others are their successful track record, relentless innovation, and well-planned strategies for long-term success.

28. Carter Global

Carter Global is a full-service consulting firm consisting of respected philanthropic experts and skilled business executives. Though its headquarters are based in the United States, they collaborate with charity-based organizations globally including Mexico, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Services Offered

• Endowment campaign counsel and management.
• Major, mega, and planned gift counseling.
• Developing fundraising strategies, conducting audits, and outlining plans.
• Leadership development, volunteer and staff training.

What Makes Them Different?

For years, Carter Global has been creating effective strategies for philanthropists that yield high returns. They plan and execute plans necessary for running successful annual campaigns and other endowment campaigns such as major gifts, planned gifts, and grants.

29. Frost on Fundraising

Frost on Fundraising is a fundraising solution website created by Jay Frost, a Virginia-based consultant. He has been awarded as one of the Top 10 Fundraising Experts by America’s Philanthropy Media and has spoken at hundreds of meetings in the US, UK, Canada, Asia, and the Middle East.

Services Offered

• Delivering public presentations and training.
• Offering advice on capital and other fundraising campaigns.
• Conducted feasibility studies and development audits.

What Makes Him Different?

Jay Frost is a renowned consultant known for his public speaking. In addition to that, he is also an expert in handling capital campaigns for nonprofits.

30. Real HR Solutions

Real HR Solutions is not a fundraising consulting firm, but they assist nonprofits in building and improving their Human Resource Departments. The company works with associations of all sizes (both profit and nonprofit organizations) to align their HR practices and procedures with their goals.

Services Offered

• Building HR infrastructure for startups.
• Preparing compliance-focused baselines for HR policies and practices.
• Formulating hiring strategy and conducting executive searches.
• Training members and executive staff regarding leadership, management, and successful recruitment strategies.

What Makes Them Different?

Real HR Solutions provides outsourced HR Solutions for their clients. Moreover, they assist organizations in developing and implementing programs and practices to foster a positive culture.

With a Consultant, Your Organization Might Be In Need of a Software Too

Consultants ensure that you are taking the right steps towards your goals. However, you might need software to automate several day-to-day operations so you can focus on your core missions.

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