Fractional Fundraiser Service
What is it like to hire a fundraising consultant for your small nonprofit?
I am pleased to offer the Root Systems Fractional Fundraiser (RSFF) service to a limited number of non-profit organizations each year. I’ll give a brief description here of what this service entails and my process. If you would like to book a free discovery call to learn more, click here.
For information on my Campaigns service for short-term fundraising projects, see this post.
What is a fractional fundraiser?
The basic idea of a fractional __________ (anything) is that an organization may hire a fraction of an expert part-time for the fractional cost of what it would be to hire a full-time employee.
Fractional fundraisers are ideal for non-profit organizations that need to build or scale their fundraising activities but have no dedicated fundraiser on staff. This will also work for organizations that have a small or junior fundraising team but require high-level strategy, planning or guidance.
Root Systems Fractional Fundraiser (RSFF) service
Every organization is unique, so the RSFF service is largely tailored to meet your needs, priorities and goals. That being said, this is generally what it looks like to work with me in this capacity:
RSFF contracts vary in length from 8-12+ months. For most clients, at least 8 months is needed to achieve the goals we set out. Contracts may also be extended.
I work on a retainer fee structure – there is a monthly rate with no minimum or maximum hours. The hours worked will vary month to month with expectations, milestones and deliverables mapped out near the start of our time together.
What to expect
If you want to learn more, the first step is to reach out and book a free discovery call. During this call we will discuss your main fundraising challenges and what you would like to achieve in hiring a fundraising consultant.
If the RSFF service is a good fit for your organization, we will agree upon a start-date. I will schedule our deep-dive strategy session and provide a detailed service agreement.
Discovery: At the beginning of our time together, I will facilitate a 2-3 hour deep-dive strategy session where we will discuss fundraising strategy and activities, as well as a timeline for achieving the objectives of the contract. During this discovery phase I will also reach out to key staff and board members/volunteers, and perform a basic audit (looking at your donation page, social media channels and fundraising operations).
Implementation: It is important to understand that throughout this process, I will be working WITH you to implement all the strategies and plans we identify. I provide a great deal of value in my work, however there are some fundraising tasks that are simply more successful and/or provide better long-term value when completed by a staff member or leader within the organization (with my support). Overall, I want to build your systems up to the point where you can grow your fundraising program confidently and sustainably in-house.
I will work with your team to implement the plan we have developed. These activities can include things like:
✔️ Fundraising plan development
✔️ Staff training/coaching sessions, Board presentations, or fundraising committee workshops
✔️ Grant research, planning and writing
✔️ Case for support development
✔️ Project management for mail, email, digital or integrated fundraising campaigns
✔️ Major donor and corporate giving strategy and assets
✔️ Fundraising copywriting (emails, web copy)
During this phase, we will schedule regular 1:1 check-in calls every other week.
Evaluation: At the end of our contact, I will prepare a short report detailing our work together and recommendations for the best next steps. We will also schedule two additional check-in meetings over the next six months so that I can continue to provide support.
Why not just hire a junior fundraiser?
This might be a good option for your organization, however there are benefits to first seeking support from a consultant like me, who has a high level of expertise (and would typically be working in-house as a manager or director).
If your fundraising systems are early-stage or under-developed, a junior fundraiser would likely not have the breadth of experience required to develop or scale these critical systems. Putting too much on someone who is new to the profession can lead to job dissatisfaction and burn-out. High fundraiser turnover can be very costly, as you will be starting at square one with each new hire.
It takes a lot to build up a good foundation for fundraising at a smaller nonprofit. This requires big picture thinking (a full understanding of all the moving pieces), as well as the ability to put plans into action. A consultant like me provides the perfect mix of high-level customized strategy and the actual work of fundraising.
I have experience working with a variety of causes and organizations and existing relationships with a wide network of fundraising and non-profit experts! If you are facing a sticky problem, there is a good chance that I’ve either dealt with it directly or know someone who has. We are a mighty network of problem-solvers and helper-outers.
Here is the link to book a free discovery call
If you are still interested, but not quite ready to chat, below are some other ways that we can connect.
❤️ to the small shops!
My name is Kim Peterson and I am a fundraising consultant. I help non-profits establish and scale-up individual giving programs, by building fundraising strategies and systems for growth and long-term stability.
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Learn more about my consulting services and how we can work together here.
