Author: Tom Ralser

Hundreds of organizations have utilized Tom’s sustainability planning techniques to ensure they can thrive in a tight money environment. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, which provides the framework his Investment-Driven Model™ of fundraising, and led to the development of the Organizational Value Proposition®, which is widely used by corporations, foundations, and individuals as confirmation that the nonprofits in which they invest are truly delivering outcomes with value. His specialty of utilizing for -profit concepts and methods in the nonprofit world has helped nonprofits raise over an estimated $1.1 billion in the 18 years he has worked with them.

Childcare and Workforce Development: The Critical Link for Fundraising Now

A man and a child sitting at a desk with a computer, engaged in a focused conversation.

Childcare is getting a lot of press these days.  Beyond the mountain of evidence that it pays huge dividends in reading skills, graduation rates, secondary education attainment, and lifetime earnings, the link to economic development is becoming increasingly important.  Many of our clients now consider it an integral part of their economic development program of […]

Tom’s Takeaways in 2023: A Year of New OVP’s

Graphic illustrating that large investments are both an emotional and rational act

It’s been quite a year for Convergent and we are rolling into 2024 with a full head of steam.  As some of you know, for all of our more traditional campaigns, we develop what we call an Organizational Value Proposition®, or OVP.  For clients engaged in economic development activities, we move to a more straight […]

Why, How and When to Communicate Your Nonprofit Outcomes

Convergent Nonprofit Solutions has successfully completed nonprofit fundraising campaigns throughout the country by focusing on outcomes, not outputs. These are two distinct concepts used to measure and communicate the impact of their programs and activities, outputs and outcomes. Outputs are tangible activities such as the number of classes held, people housed, or children tutored, and […]

Tom’s Takeaways – Corporate Money Realities

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Recently, I received an email with a link to a report produced jointly by Classy, a GoFundMe affiliate, and Double the Donation, entitled Uncover Corporate Partnership Opportunities With Your Nonprofit Data. Since a majority of investors in our client’s campaigns, if not directly related to businesses, have corporate ties, this naturally merited some attention. This […]

Tom’s Takeaways: The Decline of Individual Giving, 2023 Edition

The recent release of the Giving USA 2023 report, widely quoted and the most robust annual review of giving trends by donor and recipient type, showed a decline in individual giving in 2022 of 6.4 percent, or 13.4 percent adjusted for inflation. Alarming? Possibly. Surprising? No. Cause for Pause?  I hope so. Why Alarming? Anytime […]

Maximizing Fundraising Potential: The Importance of an Advancement Accelerator for Independent Schools

fundraising data is critical for sustainability

  In the competitive landscape of fundraising, independent schools face unique challenges in cultivating relationships with donors and establishing themselves as credible institutions worth investing in. To navigate these complexities, schools can benefit greatly from an Advancement Accelerator—an in-depth review of their fundraising and advancement strategies, policies, and processes. This integrative process can help school […]