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.