Board Development and Training

The role of a non-profit board can be complicated. All board members should bring their own experiences and resources to the organization with a goal to further its mission. Board members also need to accept responsibility for governance, financial oversight and need, and organizational strategy.

Services include:

• Board self-evaluations

• Evaluating the board’s experience and personal relationships and their ability to further the mission

• Helping to ensure good governance by reviewing board documents and drafting new documents as needed to clarify responsibilities

• Board recruitment

• Training including in the areas of governance and fundraising

Fundraising Services

Philanthropy is at the heart of financial success for most nonprofits. Whether the concern is how to update and energize an existing development function or how to develop and execute a targeted fundraising campaign, J Ellis Consulting can help.

Services include:

• Assessments including programs, goals, staffing, database, and messaging

• Advancement planning

• Annual giving

• Campaign counsel

• Campaign planning

• Interim management

• Online fundraising

• Donor qualification

• Fundraising communications

Donor Software Consulting

J Ellis Consulting can assist an organization analyze the effectiveness of its fundraising database through:

• Evaluating how your organization is utilizing the database and make recommendations for improvement

• Train staff to improve their usage of the software to improve fundraising efforts

• Assess software alternatives and make a recommendation about a new system

• Develop a plan for the transition/conversion to a new database and assist with implementation

Prospect Research and Wealth Screening

Every nonprofit needs to know as much as possible about current and prospective donors. Donor research and wealth screening is time consuming and many nonprofits, certainly most small nonprofits, do not have either the financial ability or staff time to devote to managing this important effort. J Ellis Consulting subscribes to multiple information sources.

Services include:

• Confidential wealth screening, evaluating net worth and giving capacities based on data from numerous sources

• Detailed high-level prospect research with the production of individual donor profiles on a select group of individuals, those prospects and current donors most important to your organization

• Plans for effectively using the information

• Research and wealth screening training

Strategic Planning

Most successful nonprofits regularly take a step back to examine their mission, purpose, value and methods. The best strategic plans allow a nonprofit to move forward, minimizing risk while setting priorities and a clear direction. Strategic planning processes should unite staff and board as look to the future of the organization.

Service include:

• Designing and facilitating all elements of the planning process

• Engaging board, staff, and other stakeholders in the strategic planning process

• Providing information that will inform the planning process

• Drafting overall directions and goals to guide the next three to five years

• Working with leadership to define strategies and timeframes, creating an action plan to ensure goals are reached in a timely, efficient, and financially responsible way

• Writing the plan