Planning in advance of a campaign is the key ingredient to success. Sound planning, coupled with dedicated individuals can yield remarkable results.

PDS is committed to providing clients with strategic development consultation that ensures both short and long-term program stability. Working with client leadership, our goals include but are not limited to:

• Achieving consensus among board and staff members regarding the importance of a consistent fund raising effort and identification of funding sources.
• Develop and cultivate an active advisory and volunteer leadership that will assist with short and long-range funding strategies for the organization.
• Evaluate current and future funding sources and approaches.
• Clearly assess and forecast current and future organizational needs and develop a sustainability plan to meet those projected needs
• Develop a 3-5 year plan that combines optimism and enthusiasm yet provides a realistic and achievable chance for success.
• Provide the process and procedures to regularly monitor progress of development activities against goals

Fundraising Planning/Feasibility Studies:

PDS typically conducts a preliminary planning and feasibility study to determine if the organization’s proposed fundraising campaign has the capacity to be successful. The study identifies the level of funding the organization can expect to reasonably raise, then provides a time frame projection to complete the process, and a proposed budget for managing the campaign.

The PDS study defines organizational strengths and weaknesses that will impact the campaign, identifies potential lead donors, and creates a strategic giving chart that projects the number of gifts required at each giving level in order for the campaign to reach its goal. This preliminary planning study will form the platform for an effective campaign strategy and outline the necessary steps to initiate, facilitate, and bring the campaign to a successful close.

The preliminary planning/feasibility study is conducted by PDS senior staff associates and consists of:

• Confidential interviews with organization leadership, staff, key supporters and prospective donors
• Gathering information about donor interest, willingness and capacity to support the campaign
• Identification of new high capacity donor prospects with a demonstrable affinity for/interest in the work of the organization
• Local/regional/national (as appropriate) needs assessment to ensure that the increased services or expanded facilities, equipment, programming, etc. targeted by the fundraising campaign are not duplications of already existing community resources

The planning/feasibility study summarizes and documents the information learned through the study in a candid and confidential written analysis of the organizations capacity to successfully engage in and meet the goals of the proposed fundraising campaign.

Campaign Management:

PDS supports the philosophy that a successful campaign organization is not confined to the work of a single individual (or small group of individuals) or the sole responsibility of on-site development counsel. Fundraising campaigns are designed to raise the money required to attain specific goals within an organization: goals that may enhance or enlarge the organization, but ultimately are meant to benefit society as a whole. Therefore, every campaign is a collaborative process, requiring the active engagement of many people within and outside of the originating organization.

A committed campaign leadership is essential to effectively articulate the campaign goals, needs, and vision for the future. In support of leadership, a campaign committee must be identified, recruited, trained and organized to inspire and solicit prospective donors from a variety of giving levels and categories. PDS helps identify and train individuals within the organization to carry the organizational vision forward and act as community ambassadors for the campaign.

Every campaign is subject to timelines, benchmarking and outcome measurements. PDS performs oversight functions, maintains records, schedules and facilitates campaign meetings, and ensures continuous momentum of campaign activity through ongoing communication and contact.

Effective recruitment and management of volunteers is at the core of a successful fundraising campaign. Volunteers represent a critical element because as stakeholders, they:

• Can communicate the organization’s story effectively and passionately.
• Are closest to the organization, either as a member or recipient of services/benefits
• Can speak first-hand about the need filled by the organization.
• Have the capacity to model visible leadership through their personal generous support

PDS works in close partnership with campaign leadership and volunteers.

Planned and deferred gifts can result in the larger and more sustained giving to non-profit organizations. These gifts can be directed towards programming or project support, general operating support, capital or equipment costs but are most often utilized for endowments and special purpose initiatives. Planned gifts can help organizations generate income to cover increased operating costs or decreases in support during economic downturns. Planned and deferred gifts can help secure the future of the organization.

PDS helps donors navigate the complexities of rapidly changing tax regulations and create legacy gifts that align with their own funding priorities as well as the priorities of the organizations they support.

Grant writing and foundation proposal development varies widely depending on the purpose of the grant and the requirements established by the individual foundation.

Identifying, researching and preparing successful grant applications begins with the capacity to communicate the organizations goals and objectives to the funder in a clear and concise manner. Although often thought of as a linear process (from idea to proposal to award), it is, in fact, a circular process that incorporates cultivation, communication, conceptual flexibility, feedback and precise timing.

PDS is fortunate to have a nationally recognized grant specialist as a senior associate with the firm, with a background of longstanding positive relationships with private foundations, corporate funders, and government entities across the US. PDS is pleased to provide specific foundation proposal services as part of our comprehensive consulting practice.

PDS can offer clients data processing expertise should those services be required. We can suggest methods to maximize your current internal development software or we can quickly deploy tracking and reporting software programs that can be utilized for the duration of the fundraising campaign and beyond. A donor database that can be easily maintained and updated can provide the organization with the tools to ensure ongoing and long-term support through accurate quantitative and qualitative constituent tracking.

PDS provides a full service capability in the area of collateral material development including an in-house video team that can provide multi-media video production from on-site video to final editing and deployment on web sites and social media vehicles.