Strategic planning. Development. Communications.

Each is a process with specific steps. Standard practice was to perform these independently of the other. That no longer applies. As the non-profit sector matures, donors look to organizations that offer greater transparency, accountability, and impact. All fundraising flows from strategic planning, and strategic planning should be done with a communications orientation, mindful of the communities organizations seek to serve.

Strategic planning provides the framework within which market testing and program design can work and which generates fundraising goals and plans. KSD helps organizations align (or re-align) their governance, programs, and administration, and identify the staff, facilities, expertise, and budget, needed to fulfill their mission.


KSD helps organizations at any stage of development reconnect with their vision and mission, think through institutional goals and objectives, and implement effective strategies.

KSD offers:
- Executive and governance counsel
- Board training and Board retreat facilitation
- Strategies for business plan development and implementation
- Analysis of organizational structure and institutional objectives.

Development Audits/Assessments

KSD conducts independent internal assessments of an organization’s fundraising program and readiness to embark on new development activities. We evaluate an institution's case, prospects, volunteer leadership, programs, systems and procedures, and external communications. We identify strengths and weaknesses, and recommend activities to further the organization's short and long-term goals through annual, capital, and planned giving programs. Finally, we assess current staff and long-term staffing needs, help to define and write job descriptions, and work with search committees.


Campaign Feasibility Studies

The decision to undertake a capital or endowment campaign requires careful study.

To help organizations make informed decisions, KSD conducts fundraising feasibility studies, strategic discussions that cover the following areas:

1. General attitudes regarding the organization, especially affecting the proposed action plan.
2. Specific attitudes and reactions to the case for support.
3. Suggestions and advice regarding key features of the campaign: prospective leaders and donors, financial goals, government and political relationships, timing and potential roadblocks.
4. Personal attitudes regarding the campaign including potential involvement as a leader, donor, advisor, supporter.
5. The interviewee’s general advice and strategies for the conducting of the campaign and communications plan.

This research, coupled with our extensive experience in planning and managing successful campaigns, serves as the cornerstone of our report.

The study report consists of our findings, recommendations for campaign strategy and operation plus a detailed campaign work plan, timeline and budget-if we conclude that the organization is ready to campaign. If not, the work plan focuses instead on campaign readiness work. The study also determines a feasible campaign goal and how the donor prospect constituency views the urgency and significance of the objectives the organization has proposed. In addition, KSD provides a separate, confidential report of findings on volunteer leader candidates and on lead and major gift prospects identified in the interviews.

With decades of experience and dozens of successful campaigns, KSD is able to produce a detailed plan that addresses volunteer structure, staffing, budgets, materials production and timelines for activities ranging from prospect identification and the case statement to special events.

Campaign Counsel