Our Advancement Services Assessment provides a comprehensive evaluation of your organization’s infrastructure for supporting fundraising success. Through this systematic review, we identify strengths to leverage and opportunities to enhance your operations.
The assessment begins with a thorough review of your current practices across five key areas: data management, data governance, gift administration, prospect development, and reporting/analytics. We examine policies, procedures, workflows, and systems through document review, stakeholder interviews, and direct observation.
Following this comprehensive review, we provide detailed findings and recommendations prioritized by impact and implementation feasibility. Our recommendations incorporate industry best practices while acknowledging your organization’s unique context and constraints. The final deliverable is a strategic roadmap for advancement services enhancement, complete with specific action steps, resource requirements, and timeline recommendations for implementation.
Our Prospect Pool and Portfolio Optimization process ensures your fundraising team is focused on the right prospects at the right time. We begin with a comprehensive analysis of your current prospect pool, evaluating the quality, quantity, and distribution of prospects across various giving levels and engagement levels.
Working collaboratively with your team, we’ll assess your current portfolio assignments, examining factors such as portfolio size, prospect quality, and alignment with fundraiser expertise. Through this analysis, we’ll identify opportunities to rebalance portfolios for maximum effectiveness, ensuring each fundraiser has a manageable number of prospects with appropriate giving potential to meet their expected performance metrics.
We’ll develop a strategic framework for ongoing portfolio management, including clear criteria for prospect assignment, movement between portfolios, and removal from active qualification. This framework will incorporate best practices while accommodating your organization’s unique culture and priorities.
The optimization process will result in more efficient resource allocation, with your most promising prospects receiving appropriate attention and your fundraisers empowered to focus their efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact. Deliverables include a comprehensive assessment of your current prospect pool, detailed recommendations for portfolio restructuring, and implementation guidance to ensure a smooth transition to the optimized structure.
Our Frontline Fundraiser Performance Analysis provides your organization with a data-driven approach to setting and evaluating fundraiser goals. Recognizing that effective metrics vary based on experience level and portfolio composition, we develop customized performance indicators that set your team up for success.
We begin by analyzing historical performance data across your fundraising team, identifying patterns and benchmarks specific to your organization. For each fundraiser, we consider tenure in the role, portfolio capacity, and relationship history to establish appropriate expectations for both activity metrics (such as visits and solicitations) and outcome measures (including dollars raised and gifts closed).
Based on this analysis, we provide detailed goal recommendations tailored to each fundraiser’s unique circumstances. These goals balance ambitious targets with realistic expectations, creating a framework that motivates performance while acknowledging varying portfolio potential.
Beyond individual metrics, we’ll recommend team-level performance indicators that support your overall fundraising strategy, fostering collaboration while maintaining individual accountability. The final deliverables include a comprehensive performance framework with customized metrics by role and experience level, individual goal recommendations for each fundraiser, and guidance for implementing a sustainable performance management system.
Through Professional Coaching we provide targeted support for advancement professionals seeking to enhance their effectiveness and advance their careers. Recognizing that each individual brings unique strengths and faces distinct challenges, we offer personalized coaching that addresses specific development needs.
The coaching relationship begins with a thorough assessment of current skills, performance patterns, and growth opportunities. Working collaboratively with the participant and their supervisor (as appropriate), we establish clear goals for the coaching engagement aligned with both individual aspirations and organizational needs.
Regular coaching sessions provide a structured yet flexible forum for skill development, problem-solving, and reflection. Between sessions, participants apply new approaches and insights to their daily work, with accountability measures supporting continued progress. Throughout the process, we maintain confidentiality while fostering open communication about development priorities.
Coaching may focus on various aspects of advancement work, from technical skills like portfolio management or solicitation strategies to leadership capabilities such as team development or strategic planning. The flexible nature of the coaching relationship allows us to respond to emerging needs while maintaining focus on core development goals.
The engagement concludes with a summary of progress against established goals and recommendations for continued growth. Participants complete the coaching process with enhanced skills, greater self-awareness, and actionable strategies for ongoing professional development.
In this role we provide experienced management during transitional periods, ensuring operational continuity while positioning your organization for future success. Whether bridging a leadership gap during a search process or managing through a significant system change, our interim leadership brings stability and strategic guidance.
The engagement begins with a rapid assessment of current operations, identifying immediate priorities and establishing clear lines of communication with both the advancement services team and key stakeholders across the organization. We’ll maintain essential functions while implementing targeted improvements that address pressing challenges.
Throughout the interim period, we work collaboratively with your team, developing staff capabilities and strengthening operational foundations. We’ll establish or refine processes, enhance documentation, and ensure knowledge transfer to prepare for a smooth transition to permanent leadership.
As the engagement concludes, we provide a comprehensive handoff to incoming leadership, including status reports on key initiatives, recommendations for future development, and transition support as needed. Our goal is not just to maintain operations during the interim period but to leave your advancement services function stronger and better positioned for long-term success.
Our Report Development service transforms your advancement data into actionable insights through customized reports and dashboards. We begin by assessing your current reporting capabilities and identifying critical information needs across various stakeholder groups, from frontline fundraisers to executive leadership.
Working closely with your team, we’ll design and build reports that provide the right information to the right people at the right time. For frontline fundraisers, this might include portfolio management tools and contact tracking systems. Development leaders may receive pipeline analysis and performance dashboards, while executive leadership benefits from high-level outcome measures and trend analysis.
Throughout the development process, we prioritize both usability and accuracy, ensuring reports are intuitive while maintaining data integrity. We’ll conduct thorough testing with end-users, refining designs based on feedback to ensure maximum utility.
The final deliverables include a suite of custom reports tailored to your specific needs, comprehensive documentation for maintenance and updates, and training for your team on effectively utilizing these tools. Whether implemented in your existing CRM system or through standalone reporting tools, these reports will enhance decision-making and drive fundraising success across your organization.
Contact Alexander Haas today to learn how we can help your organization meets its goals.
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Piedmont Place
3520 Piedmont Road NE Suite 450
Atlanta, GA 30305-1512
404-525-7575
info@fundraisingcounsel.com
