Consulting

PHILANTHROPY
Founder and Owner Stacy Ehrlich has nearly 20 years of non-profit development experience.  She can use her expertise to launch an annual fund drive, a capital campaign, or a gala auction.  Her concentration is on sustainability and efficiency - both hallmark traits of a successful philanthropic program.  Through thoughtful organization, meaningful volunteer solicitation, and unique approaches to donors, Seeds for Change can guide your organization to successful ends while staying true to your organization's mission, vision and culture.  

The partners at Seeds for Change can help a big development office with specific projects, add manpower and expertise to a small shop, or guide a new non-profit board to create a meaningful and sustainable development program.  Seeds for Change can help organizations expand and deepen their donor bases by attracting more diverse communities of new, repeat and lifelong donors.  An excellent team can be put together to create a dynamic funding campaign, including annual funds, capital campaigns and grant writing programs.

DONOR RELATIONS
From a $5 donor to a $5 million donor, the Seeds for Change team can show you how to cultivate, solicit and retain donors who will give ongoing gifts to your organization.  Through careful planning and implementation, prospects and donors can be brought into the circle, give responsibly and be treated with dignity and respect.  By utilizing the Code of Ethics as described by AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals), Seeds for Change better ensures the ethical treatment of donors and the ethical use of their contributions.   The firm is able to create policies and guidelines for appropriate solicitation and stewardship, based on your organization's needs and plans.
Beyond an annual thank you note, Seeds for Change can teach you how to create a systematic, effective approach to donor relations.  Often referred to as "moves management", this approach is a time-proven way of targeting donors and carefully moving them up the gift pyramid.   Although seemingly trite on the surface, it is actually a very conscientious process.  One in which an organization creates dynamic and meaningful relationships with those people who are passionate about its mission... and translates that passion into support for the organization.

COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES
The key factor of any non-profit is its community.  Careful attention and clear and frequent communication keeps community members informed and engaged in the organizational mission. Through meaningful volunteer work, community members can become vital ambassadors for the organization as well as integral workers.  By establishing a conscious, systematic plan for both community and volunteer involvement, Seeds for Change can help your organization achieve short and long term goals.  This, in turn, will also build and enlarge your organization's community circle and volunteer force.

Seeds for Change can also help build and train dedicated board members - a group of volunteers often taken for granted.  Through empowerment, clear expectations and the creation of buy-in into the organization, its mission and its potential future, regular board members can create a dynamic and progressive environment for an organization to thrive.

COMMUNICATION
An area of substantial expertise for the Seeds for Change partners, they can help your organization create a cost-efficient, productive communication plan to reach your constituents, donors and community.  Clarity, precision, relevancy and interest are keys to efficiently and effectively communicating your organization's achievements, successes and needs.  In our present times of information overload, it is vital to reach people with meaningful and relevant information in a timely manner.  Through a well designed plan, you can systematically touch each and every constituent and remind them about your organization, upcoming events, and other important information unique to you and your relationship with them.

Through an extensive network of professional partners, including preferred vendors and collaborative partners, Seeds for Change can create your communications projects from start to finish or complete any aspect in between.  Website design, case statements, newsletters, brochures, annual reports, press releases and invitations can all be professionally crafted and published, true to your culture and mission.  Maximizing modern technology such as social media, email blasts, online registration features and other economic measures, this service is a true win-win for our clients.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Often the most critical and yet minimally attended area of any non-profit is its financial matters.  Seeds for Change is prepared with the skills to help you with all of your financial needs.  We can help you create both long and short term financial plans that balance institutional needs with realistic forecasting.  Operating budgets, balance and income statements, pledge forecasts, campaign budgets can all be designed to maximize potential.  Seeds for Change can also help with setting up industry compliant policies and procedures, committees and structures to ensure fiscal health, viability and security.

ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Keeping true to your organization's personalized culture, Seeds for Change can collaboratively design and help implement meaningful structures of responsibility, authority and management.  Policies and procedures can be designed to clarify roles and responsibilities.  These can then be clearly communicated to the employees, volunteers, board of trustees and wider community as an educational tool.  With extensive board experience, team members of Seeds for Change can consult on any board related issue.  We are also skilled at providing in-depth meaningful assessments of your non-profit organization, development office, or executive team.