Building Your Culture of Philanthropy

Building a culture of philanthropy for our clients isn’t just a buzz word for us. We believe strongly that just as a for profit business focuses daily on business development at all levels of the company, nonprofit organizations should have the same pervasive focus on philanthropy – so much so that it becomes a culture within the organization. From your Board to your service providers, each should hold the belief that philanthropy is the engine that keeps your organization running.

Our counsel and guidance is dedicated to building that culture through training, individual and organizational capacity building, assessing current activities and internal readiness for planning or expansion of new or current programs, and determining inspirational and aspirational key messages that engage your donors. In all of our services, we fully prepare our clients to launch philanthropic efforts – from campaigns to major gifts to planned giving to planning overall philanthropic strategy.

Our senior professionals are your hands-on team throughout the process. While other firms assign junior level consultants, Alford Group’s work with your board and executive team is conducted primarily by senior consultants. Additionally, engagement of your stakeholders, so crucial to cultivation and relationship management efforts, is conducted only by senior consultants with the experience and the sensitivity to gather information and set the stage for cultivation of each prospect in the future. Whether your Board is eager to launch a campaign or just exploring the possibility, or your current philanthropic efforts need a boost, we are ready to help.

  • Feasibility/Campaign Planning Studies – engages a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders through a combination of an Oversight Committee, interviews, group discussions and/or surveys to determine the specific campaign dollar goal, review internal readiness to move into the campaign, identify potential donors and campaign leadership, and frame key messages and communication strategies; includes analysis of your organization’s image, the appeal of the campaign components, gift potential, volunteer leadership, climate and timing of the campaign, and the organization’s internal readiness; results in either a Feasibility Study Report or a Campaign Plan. Click here to see ten reasons why you should conduct a pre-campaign study prior to launching a campaign.
  • Campaign Planning and Management – guidance that keeps you focused on the campaign, partnering with you to plan for and carry out a successful campaign while still bringing in the annual operating dollars your organization needs to survive. Click here to learn more about how Alford Group can help you with your current, or next, campaign.
  • Development Planning – creation of a detailed, actionable plan for developing revenue streams in a manner that is sustainable and accommodates future stages of growth
  • Corporate Partnership Strategy – design of meaningful and impactful relationships between nonprofits and corporations. Download our Toolkit.
  • Major Gifts Counsel – high-level internal assessment and review of both programmatic and operational needs to determine appropriate next steps for creating a major gifts program or personalized guidance on strengthening an existing program
  • Planned Giving Counsel – guidance in establishing or enhancing a planned giving program
  • Other Philanthropic Program Planning & Management – design, planning and implementation of annual fund, foundation and corporate giving, stewardship, or cultivation and solicitation training programs
  • Key Messaging and Case Development – organizing, structuring, editing, and facilitating input and buy-in from key organizational stakeholders to develop key messages and communications strategies.

Corporate Partnership Strategy

More than ever before, corporations provide critical support and important partnerships that enhance and improve the communities where they do business.  At Alford Group, we believe that the best corporate giving programs should drive meaningful philanthropic impact, while also leveraging business goals, extending the priorities and philanthropic focus of the corporation and providing opportunities to effectively attract, engage and retain employees through service and partnerships with nonprofit organizations.

We can help your company create and launch a clear corporate citizenship strategy or apply best practices and success metrics to strengthen and align an existing corporate giving or corporate social responsibility (CSR) program with your business goals.

We offer a comprehensive group of corporate philanthropy and corporate responsibility services, including counsel related to:

  • Corporate Giving Programs/Foundations – including development of a business case to justify philanthropic investment, guidelines and approval processes and an evaluation structure for measurement of business and philanthropic impact
  • Strategic Philanthropy and Reputation Management – including strategic planning and visioning, organizational assessment and evaluation, and competitive analysis and benchmarking
  • Employee Volunteerism – including executive board placement strategies, employee engagement approaches and signature employee volunteer programs
  • Corporate Responsibility – including sustainability programs, environmental initiatives and diversity strategies
  • Fundraising – including employee support for internal fundraising campaigns and for nonprofits seeking support from corporations

Download our Corporate Partnership Strategy One Pager.

Check out our Corporate Partnership Strategy Toolkit.

Contact us for more information on how we could assist with your company’s philanthropic strategies.