Development Operation Assessment and Analysis

The goal of this assessment is to examine your current fund-raising operation. The result of this study will provide the basis for planning an effective and efficient in-house fund-raising program that will impact your organization’s ability to raise funds as well as strengthen external relationships.

Applying the old adage that “a house built on sand will collapse, but one that is built upon rock will endure”, The Beach Group will provide you with written observations and recommendations that will help you develop and implement what we refer to as the “Pillars of Success” for your development office.

These nine pillars will become the foundation upon which you will build your successful development operation. They are as follows:

The Development Mission
Human Resources: Internal and External
Communications
Information Management
Donor Cultivation
Special Events
Annual Fund Management and Execution
Planned Giving
Campaign Readiness

Leadership Assessment and Development Operations Audit

The Leadership Assessment and Development Operation is an analysis that combines an assessment of your development office (see Development Operation Assessment and Analysis) along with numerous interviews with corporate, foundation and individual leaders in your community to discuss the following:

The general knowledge of your organization in the community
The perceived value of the programs of your organization
The likelihood and extent of their potential support as investors in your organization
Identification of other private/public sector and individual community leaders who should be associated with any future Major Gifts initiatives

In addition to written recommendations that will help you strengthen your development office, the Group will provide you with candid comments from those interviewed as you seek consensus-building to determine external support for the Mission and Vision of your organization.

Campaign Engagement Assessment

The Campaign Engagement Assessment is an analysis that examines the readiness of your organization to commence a Major Gifts Campaign.

Specifically, this assessment reviews the following:

The Development Operation
Internal Leadership
Board of Trustees
Prospective Donors
Local Fund Raising Atmosphere

Based on personal interviews with top donors, potential leadership prospects and other key individuals - along with a thorough review of your annual fund history - we will recommend a specific campaign strategy and suggest an appropriate timeline.

We will spend a considerable amount of time in the analysis of your organization’s case for support among key constituents. That is:

Do your prospective donors identify with the goals and vision of your organization?
Is there coherence among:
1. Who you say you are?
2. What it is that you do?
3. What the perception of your message is in the community?

These critical questions must be answered prior to beginning a successful funding initiative.

As in all of our assessments, your organization will be provided with an in-depth report of our findings and recommendations.

Campaign Management

The Major Gifts Campaign is an intensive function designed to raise a specific amount of money in a specific time. It is one of the most important activities for a nonprofit organization, as it allows you to project your organization’s values, mission, hopes and dreams into the community as you solicit philanthropic support.

In our role as Campaign Counsel, we divide the entire initiative into three manageable steps. The steps and their various components are as follows:

Campaign Preparation
- Analysis and Strategy
- Case for Support
- Prospect Assessment and Evaluation
- Goal Setting
- Presentation Materials Production
- Campaign Leadership Cabinet
Major Gift Solicitation
- Internal Leadership Inaugural and Kickoff
- Leadership Functions
- Individual Major Gift Solicitation
- Establishment of Planned Giving Program
General Phase
- Annual Fund Enhancement/General Solicitation
- Recognition Program

The Beach Group, LLC will work closely with volunteer leaders, administration and staff to coordinate the campaign and all related components. We will direct the entire solicitation process, which includes personal solicitation of all major prospects, either alone or with key volunteers.

In addition to educating your constituency about your organization’s mission and vision, as well as raising needed funding to support key initiatives, it is our goal to create wider and deeper relationships with your Donors and Prospects.

Prospect Research

Prospect research is a key ingredient in supporting clients that require in-depth research of prospective investors. Knowing that the best preparation for solicitation involves solid prospect research, the prospect research team allows clients to obtain substantial knowledge of a prospect in order to educate the solicitor about the prospective donors likes and desires. More importantly, having knowledge of the prospect allows the solicitor to lead the prospect to a pre-determined worthwhile conclusion. Why? Because as the old adage goes “Information is knowledge; knowledge is power; and power is money.”

The prospect research team at The Beach Group does far more than compile information from printed and on-line sources. They are a multifaceted research team dedicated solely to the process of information retrieval, analysis and reporting, all of which is necessary for cultivating and soliciting major gift prospects.

Research reports on prospective donors include:

Executive Summary
Employment
Personal Profile
Professional Career History
Indications of Wealth
Philanthropic History
Professional Affiliations
Articles of Interest
Solicitation Strategy

Development Counsel

Through objective counsel and mentoring, The Beach Group, LLC offers clients ongoing development guidance in order for your organization to maximize its fund-raising objectives. Typically, this service is provided two or three days per month. It is most effective when an organization has recently hired a new Development Officer and wishes to provide training to maximize their efforts.

Specific areas include:
1. Training of staff and/or volunteers in a variety of development components and techniques
2. Accompanying development leadership on personal solicitation calls of key prospects
3. Providing counsel to development leaders on goals and strategies

Executive Search

The Beach Group, LLC works with nonprofit clients to manage the executive search process for development professionals.

In any nonprofit organization, the development professional plays a critical role in the success of the development program. In a small environment, the absence of such an individual can impede the organizations ability to raise the necessary funds to achieve its goals.

While conducting the search for your development professional, we would, if requested, provide development counsel to assist in gift solicitation. This unique, hands-on approach serves two key purposes:

First, it would allow fund-raising to continue.
Second, it would enable us to have a better understanding of the culture of your environment, thus allowing for a more adequate match of potential development candidates with your organization.

The major elements of the search process that we utilize are as follows:

Strategic Review of Organization
Position Specification
Research
Candidate Identification and Evaluation
Client Presentation
Negotiation
Closing

Strategic Planning

There are a variety of structures and approaches to strategic planning and management. While there are no absolute rules regarding the right approach, we have developed a distinctive method to examine organizational patterns and characteristics, allowing us to approach your organization with attention to several fundamental areas:

1) Analysis and Assessment –develop an understanding of your unique
current internal and external environments

2) Strategy Development –determine and document a high-level strategy
and vision, as well as a basic organizational plan for sustainable growth,
while focusing on short and long-term goals

3) Strategy Execution – translate the plan into more operational and
organizational action items

4) Evaluation and Management Phase – establish ongoing refinement,
evaluation, and measurement of performance, culture, communications,
data, resourcing, and other strategic management issues