Fundraising Audits
A critical step in our relationship with a new client is conducting a development “audit.” Over the course of three days, an experienced team of BCC consultants dives deep in every aspect of your development program. We sit down with your CEO, development director, staff members and key volunteer leaders to learn more about your history, culture, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and dreams of the future.
We offer ways to quickly increase return on investment, often through simple adjustments to your current fundraising programs. Our final report also identifies new revenue producing opportunities, untapped audiences and unique ways to build on the good work that you do.
Areas under the BCC microscope include:
- Board operations and fundraising
- Mission and vision
- Strategic and operating plans
- Financial statements
- Marketing and communications
- Annual fundraising and acquisition strategies
- Major gifts and planned giving
- Donor acknowledgement and recognition
- Messages and calls to action
- Internal systems and support
Campaign Planning & Execution
At BCC, we often refer to a capital campaign as a “timed sequence of events” – meaning that they follow a carefully orchestrated series of decisions and actions designed to move seamlessly from feasibility to planning to leadership recruitment to major gifts, campaign kickoff and mass public solicitation.
Over the past twenty years we have built our reputation on managing this process for our clients, serving as both strategic advisors and surrogate campaign staff. With over fifteen campaigns completed and millions of dollars raised, we have the experience and the knowledge to help your organization achieve its goals.
Market Research, Planning and Program Development
BCC is proud to partner with OpinionWorks, a full-service research and strategy firm, founded in 2001 and located in Annapolis, Maryland.
Founder and CEO Steve Raabe and his team are expert at conducting opinion studies for non-profit organizations in the Chesapeake Region and around the country and have worked with BCC since 2008. Their specialty is understanding audience motivations, identifying barriers to action, and testing messages and techniques to overcome those barriers and bring about engagement and change.
Successful BCC/OpinionWorks partnerships have included the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Galapagos Conservancy and the Adirondack Council.
BCC also provides support in program and long-range planning to help non-profits build organizational capacity. We work with staff and boards to help organizations determine the best plans and programs that will attract new audiences as well as enhancing the relationships with current supporters. A highlight of the services we offer includes:
- Helping to determine program direction: goals and objectives
- Assisting in the formulation of a short-term focus that aligns with a long range plan and is consistent with mission
- Developing key indicators of success and measuring intended outcomes and results
- Coordinating the program planning team and devising a process to maximize the engagement of external stakeholders and thought leaders
Annual Giving – an Organization’s Life Blood
A robust annual giving program is the bedrock of your fundraising program, supplying you with much needed operating income and providing the base of supporters from which will come major donors and planned givers. We work with you to analyze your file, create fundraising copy, develop effective strategies, create the annual fund workplan, determine recognition strategies, and broker relationships with printers, designers, and other essential vendors.
Major Gifts and Planned Giving
At BCC, we have all ‘cut our teeth’ on major and planned gifts, and so we can lead you through the process of creating or improving your program for maximum results. We help you identify who within your pool of donors is capable of making a major gift, devise cultivation and solicitation strategies that involve and engage prospective major donors, and advise you on how best to make the ask. When it comes to planned gifts, we have seasoned specialists ready to assist you with the technical details of marketing and closing on bequests, gifts of property, charitable gift annuities and other charitable trusts. We can help you start up your program, or take it to new heights. Plus, we can work directly with your donors if you need added bench strength.
Board Development and Training
We conduct interactive board training sessions to take the fear out of fundraising and to help board members and volunteers become better at soliciting by learning how to say the right words, handle prospect objections, and close on gifts. Some say we even make soliciting fun. We also teach board members and volunteers about the many ways gifts can be made, something that is highly overlooked by boards—and how board members can help in ways other than soliciting—from opening doors and reviewing lists to hosting events and, of course, making gifts themselves.
Prospect Research
What you know about your prospect determines the level of your success. And since many organizations lack the resources to do their own in-depth research, BCC provides this service, along with an analysis of information uncovered and recommendations for it’s use.
Research is an essential component to any major gift ask strategy, with information on stock ownership, property values and other important financial information. Research also uncovers important connections your donor or prospect has, including service on other boards, either corporate, foundation or non-profit, that can help increase your reach and uncover new donors for your cause.
We offer both in-depth and summary profiles on individuals, corporations and foundations.