Frequently Asked Questions

1)     Will you take care of raising funds for our organization?

Answer:  We will help staff and board raise funds. The most effective person to solicit for funds is a knowledgeable volunteer joined by a staff person.  A paid consultant can help with the process (and often we make follow up phone calls or are involved in the communication) but donors do not respond as well to an outside third party. The most important relationship that needs to be built and sustained is between the organization and its prospects and donors.

2)     Why should we consider hiring you as an Annual Fund consultant when we already have paid staff and volunteers to assist with fundraising?

Answer:  Additional expertise and focus on fundraising is needed by most nonprofits. If you are working hard to raise funds but just can’t seem to get to that next level—or raise the amount of funds that you comfortably need to support your programs, grow your impact or reach a sustainable cushion of assets, you should consider adding more ammunition to the Development arsenal.

Graceful Fundraising has the unique experience of having served as the key spokesperson for many for-profit and nonprofit organizations in addition to having extensive knowledge of the best approaches to many donor prospects. (“GF”) also has the unique advantage of having served in nearly all possible roles within the nonprofit world:  board member, fundraising staff, corporate funder, volunteer and consultant.

3)     How would you work with our Board of Directors?

Answer:  Most nonprofits do not excel at the Development process without active participation of the board. Typically (“GF”) will customize a workshop or presentation for your board and help them identify next steps. We work with staff and board leadership to set out specific activities and expectations for board members and then we help the members fulfill their assignments through ongoing information, active training and assistance with communication to prospects and donors. We are also able to share current best practices in the marketplace due to working with 10-12 nonprofits annually.

4)     How would we go about seeing if we can hire Graceful Fundraising?

Answer:  Please contact us for an initial conversation about your specific needs.  We can likely meet in person to discuss further whether we are a good potential match for working together.  “GF” then emails a proposal and working agreement for project work, a board presentation, fundraising audit and recommendations or a longer-term monthly working assignment.

5)     How much does it cost to hire Graceful Fundraising?

Answer:  We work on an hourly rate in most cases. Nonprofit rates range from $90 to $125.  For ongoing work we charge at the bottom end of this range and for facilitation with board of directors, presentations and workshops, we charge at the higher end.  Longer term commitments to Graceful Fundraising typically ‘buys’ the best rate.  We offer extensive tracking of our time and activities that are provided at the time of invoicing.

In addition to providing hands-on Development work, we are happy to provide no-cost introductions and referrals to our contacts in graphic design, PR/Marketing and printing.