While my clients and my experience cover a range of organizations, I hear many of the same questions and concerns. If any of these resonate with you, please get in touch.
Will anyone care about our cause?
Yes! Even though I don’t know you yet, I can say this with confidence. Why? Because if you’re reading this website, you care about your cause. And enough people cared about your cause that they formed a board of directors. And enough people cared about your cause to give money to form a non-profit organization. Based on these facts alone, I can safely conclude that you have a potential donor pool. I’ll help you develop the best strategy to find your potential donors quickly.
What are the keys to increasing our fundraising?
Certain basic elements, like a compelling cause, a dedicated board and a solid plan are foundational for all nonprofit organizations. From there, I assess your unique situation and develop a customized plan to help you increase your fundraising efforts and results.
We spend all of our time planning and running special events. How can we find time for anything else?
I help you review your entire fundraising program objectively and strategically to assure you are spending your time where it will produce the greatest returns. If events make sense for you, I can show you how to manage them so they support your entire plan without BECOMING your entire plan.
We had a very successful special event. What do we do now? How can we keep those donors engaged all year?
I help you turn your event into an ENTRY point for donors, not an END point. I will help you develop an effective and achievable event follow-up plan that will turn those one-time event donors into year-round champions for your organization.
Many of our board members don’t help with fundraising. How can we get them to be more involved?
I help you and your board understand the best role they can play in helping you raise more money, including ways they can give and engage others that won’t be scary or intimidating. And I help you train them so they feel less fear and more confidence.
How can we integrate our direct mail, special events and major giving programs so they support each other and build momentum?
Everything you do in fundraising begins with strong communications. I help ensure you have a clear, focused message that will inspire people to become involved. Then I make sure those messages get out in a way that supports your goal and reaches potential donors at just the right time.
Do we need to hire (or add to our existing) development staff?
With decades of experience building fundraising programs and managing development staff, I can quickly assess where you are experiencing a lack of capacity, where you can shift your focus to become more efficient, and where you may be able to achieve your goals through more cost-effective outsourcing.
How can we incorporate planned giving? Are we ready for that?
More organizations are ready for planned giving than they realize, and getting started with planned giving is a lot less complicated than they think. With a quick initial assessment I can help you decide if this is a good next-step for your organization.
We are thinking about launching a capital campaign. How do we know if we are ready?
I help you ask the right questions and look at the right data to determine if a campaign is the best next step for you. From pre-campaign planning, where I look at your development infrastructure and basic information about your proposed project, to a full-blown feasibility study, where I interview 30-40 of your key potential supporters, I help you take an objective view and get all the right pieces in place so you have the greatest possible chance of success.
Why should my organization hire Crooker Consulting for our next job search, instead of doing the search ourselves?
First, to free up your valuable time! My clients have told me this is the number-one value to them. Spend your precious time bringing in a new donor while I apply my expertise to help you bring in that new team member.
Second, to help you take an OBJECTIVE look at what you really need. I get to know your organization and identify the crucial skills and duties required for this position for your organization.