Sarah J Consulting

Progeria Research Foundation is boosting the life expectancy and quality of life for children with a rare disease called Progeria. We loved helping PRF build on their existing fundraising success through a new strategic Development plan to reach greater levels of charitable revenue!

Today, we're celebrating Corey Jackson's first anniversary with Sarah J Consulting!!!

Our brilliant Managing Partner has helped many nonprofits to generate more revenue, enhance operations, and expand the capabilities of their leaders and boards.

Here are just a few of Corey's achievements during year one:

⭐ Partnered with half of SJC's 22 nonprofit clients

⭐ Conducted 3 strategic planning engagements

⭐ Completed 3 fundraising assessments

⭐ Helped 3 nonprofits cultivate stronger boards and created 1 Development committee

⭐ Coached executive directors and CEOs in leadership, fundraising, and board relations

⭐ Assessed 2 organizations' technology infrastructure and capital needs, and benchmarked salaries

⭐ Graduated from the esteemed LEADS North Shore Leaders program

⭐ Achieved CFRE International accreditation

⭐ Presented at the Institute for Trustees (Essex County Community Foundation)

⭐ Exhibited at the AFP Massachusetts Chapter annual conference

⭐ Held leadership roles in Rotary District 7930 and the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce

We thank these wonderful nonprofit clients for partnering with Corey: Aspire Developmental Services, Inc., Boston Area Gleaners, Centerboard, The Community House, The Enterprise Center, LEADS, Progeria Research Foundation, Peabody Council on Aging, Peabody TV, Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce

Here's to the next 12 months, Corey!

🤣

pov: your nonprofit boss buys you an ice cream and reminds you about the mission 💕🍦🥖🥀 . . . #nonprofitlife #nonprofitsofinstagram #worklife #bossesbelike #unionstrong #laborunion #nonprofitorganization #wfh #managersbelike #work #pov #tiktok #funnyreels #character

Do you run a Development department that raises $1M+ each year?

This download is for you!

Our strategic fundraising plan workbook and template will help you create an actionable fundraising plan that supports your organization’s top strategic priorities.

Just click the link and fill in a few details to get these FREE resources from SJC!

www.sarahjconsulting.com/connect-2

Executive Directors,

Are you staring at the Profit & Loss and wondering why the millions aren't showing up in that revenue box? Is it unclear to you whether your development team is zeroing in on what matters to the organization? There are ways to answer these questions. 🔽

Jot down two or three of your strategic priorities. How much funding did you have for those priorities 12 months ago? How much do you have now?

We have developed a strategic fundraising plan to help EDs and Development leaders of multi-million dollar shops make sure strategy and fundraising are tightly linked.

Here's a link to get the template. Download the materials and let me know if you need any help.
-Corey

www.sarahjconsulting.com/connect-2

Nonprofit leaders, have you recently lost your VP/Director of Development? 😥

With so many deadlines, events, and appeals on the horizon, your busy Development team can't have a leadership vacancy for long or donor satisfaction and staff morale will suffer. That's because:

🆘 Donor projects and proposal deadlines don't care if your chief fundraiser is gone.

🆘 The internal experts you staff (your faculty members, researchers, program directors, administrators, and more) need reliable day-to-day Development support.

🆘 The longer your VP/Director role is empty, the more burned out and nervous your Development team will become about what else might change.

🆘 If you're knee-deep in planning mode, either for the next fiscal year or a major campaign, you urgently need someone who can work with you to set appropriate fundraising goals and interface with the board.

So, until you can onboard a new VP or Director of Development, you've got a few options:

1. You can place one of your more experienced Dev staff into an interim director role or assign them the most pressing projects.

2. You can personally take on the most pressing work and key donor relationships.

3. You can bring in a consultant who values donor relationships, excels at planning, and boosts staff morale to steady the ship and advance key projects--all without rocking the boat.

When you bring in a trusting, experienced partner for short-term leadership support and a steady hand, you increase staff retention, maintain fundraising momentum, and keep the Development environment "warm" for the next VP/Director.

-Sarah

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Are you recruiting a VP/Director of Development but need senior-level fundraising expertise and management in the meantime? DM me to chat about how Sarah J Consulting can help!

Lol fundraising humor 🤣 🦇

Executive Directors: Are you having a " lonely at the top" kind of day, month, or year?

I've got you and I've been there. I get it. There are so many decisions only you can make. You are sometimes the only one that can have all the information. You are often the only person that understands the trade-offs of making a seemingly bad decision (to some) in order for it to be good (for so many others)!

Does something here resonate?

My favorite part of the work I do now is the 1:1 time with the Executive Directors during our engagements. 20% of the time is talking about progress and next steps on what they hired me for and about 80% is a therapy and coaching session.

it doesn't have to be lonely at the top. There are strategies in networking, confidential peer groups, your board and leadership team that you can implement now.

Drop me a comment below if anything sounds familiar here and then reach out. You don't have to be lonely anymore.

-Corey

Nonprofit leaders: If you're raising millions of dollars at your organization every year, you know that a solid fundraising plan is important.

But I'm curious about what's actually in--or not in--that fundraising plan. Can the plan be stronger? Can it be more specific? Can it get you to goal more efficiently?

If your current plan falls into one of these two extremes, there's lots of room for improvement:

➡ Your fundraising plan is a one-page calendar of events and mailing dates.

OR

➡ Your fundraising plan is dense, confusing, and tries to plan way too far into the future.

What's in the middle of those extremes? A **strategic fundraising plan** that concretely guides your staff and board to meet your nonprofit's most important priorities.

Want to learn more? Download our strategic fundraising plans workbook and template below! 👇

www.sarahjconsulting.com/connect-2

We get to work with nonprofits all over the country, but it's always special when we can help a Peabody based nonprofit.

Peabody TV is providing our youth with a safe space to explore their interest in media creation with cutting edge equipment and expert guidance.

Both staff and former students have such a strong bond with the organization because of how it has shaped their lives at pivotal moments.

It was a pleasure to uncover this case for support and guide the production of a strategic plan to build on this strength.

There are lots of ways to track your organization's fundraising progress, but these three goals are among the most important:

✔️REVENUE: The OG! How much money do you aim to raise over the next year?

✔️"MOVES" or "TOUCHES:" This is the number of donor interactions it will take to cultivate, solicit, and steward a gift or grant.

✔️NUMBER OF DONORS: How many individuals, foundations, and corporations will you receive new support from this year? How many will renew or come back after lapsing?

Our latest blog post offers more details about these critical metrics!

https://hubs.la/Q01y3zqX0

⭐One person doesn't raise a gift. An institution raises a gift.⭐

This is so very true, yet time and again, nonprofit organizations assign the task of raising funds solely and exclusively to their Development staff. 😱

This approach doesn’t bode well. It foretells a failed fundraising endeavor that will inevitably point fingers at the frontline fundraiser who hasn’t been “allowed” to tap into the board or organizational leadership for partnership and strategic support.

Who else needs to be involved? Read here to learn more about the best practice of fundraising as a team sport!🏅

https://hubs.la/Q01y3GxC0

Fundraising is a team sport — Sarah J Consulting | Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant Recently, a colleague of mine shared the best professional advice he's ever received: One person doesn't raise a gift. An institution raises a gift. This is so very true, yet time and again, nonprofit organizations explain to me that they’ve assigned the task of raising funds solely and exclus

👋Allow us to reintroduce ourselves! 👋

We are Sarah and Corey Jackson, partners in business and IRL. 💍👫

Our firm, SJC, empowers high-achieving nonprofit organizations to raise more money and maximize their missions. 🌟

We alleviate the overwhelm that nonprofit leaders and their teams frequently experience when it comes to fundraising, operations, and capacity building. ☺️

Fun facts:
✔️We're both singers and actors, and we met performing in a play together!

✔️Collectively, we've worked previous full-time jobs for, launched, and volunteered with more than 20 nonprofit organizations--from renowned institutions to critical community-based services and local performing arts groups.

✔️We helped launch Team Bill in memory of Corey's dad to raise research funds for the Alzheimer's Association. So far, Team Bill has raised more than $100,000.

✔️We're super family oriented; our two little kids are the center of our world--so are our OGs, Grammy and Mémère!

✔️We used to be in high-stress nonprofit jobs and leadership roles. We REALLY understand your everyday challenges and wish list.

We'd love to get to know YOU. Reach out any time!

Does your organization have a current fundraising plan? Whether you’re just building your Development function or have a high-performing team in place, you need a plan to guide fundraising and track your goals.

But it doesn't have to be complicated--we promise! SJC has put together 5 essential components of an effective fundraising plan that you can use to jumpstart your projections for the year ahead!

https://hubs.la/Q01xPdkd0

SJC was honored to partner with Health Leads to help reimagine their Business Partnerships & Investor Relations team: a wonderful and growing group of professionals who leverage philanthropy, business partnerships, and community investments to advance in the United States.

We so appreciated the opportunity to make a difference, and we likewise learned a great deal from the incomparable Aziza Musa throughout our 7-month engagement. Thank you, Aziza and Health Leads!

Join Sarah Jackson, CFRE, founder and CEO of Sarah Jackson Consulting as she presents a workshop on building actionable, achievable, and adaptable fundraising plans, hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Massachusetts Chapter.

This workshop will offer concrete takeaways on how to build and/or boost your nonprofit's fundraising plan. Whether your organization achieves revenue goals consistently or is unsure where to begin, Sarah will help each attendee better conceptualize the basics of an effective fundraising plan--an action-oriented yet flexible roadmap for moving your philanthropy-focused work forward.

You won't want to miss this LIVE Zoom session because it will not be recorded. REGISTER here: https://afpmass.wildapricot.org/event-5030428

SPEAKER BIO:
Established in 2012, Sarah J Consulting empowers notable nonprofits to reach new heights in fundraising, organizational strategy, and communication. Sarah works with driven, bold nonprofits on the East Coast and nationally, including some of the highest-ranked universities and hospitals in the U.S.
From leading campaign feasibility studies and fundraising plans to crafting messages for 8-figure donors, Sarah's efforts have contributed to her clients' remarkable successes in raising hundreds of millions of dollars.

Prior to SJC, Sarah worked full-time in the Development offices of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard University. She is a recipient of the North of Boston Businesswoman of the Year award for small businesses.

Corey Jackson is spending today and tomorrow with amazing cross-sectoral leadership from the North Shore LEADS cohort at Harvard Business School for Module 3 of their learning together.

Our Managing Partner Corey Jackson rocks!

⭐Meet the Board Member: Corey Jackson ⭐

Corey Jackson is a CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) with Sarah J Consulting - Nonprofit consultants that empower nonprofits with organizational and fundraising strategy.

Why is your business a member of the PACC?
The PACC has always been a "Chamber for Good" both in having the program that highlights nonprofits in our region, but also in the way it promotes community and service among its membership. At various organizations I've been a part of, my chamber relationships have led to trusted business partnerships and incredible opportunities, including mergers and capital investments as well as consistent referrals.

Why were you interested in serving on the PACC board?
I joined the PACC board as a way to give back to the business community, deepen my relationships with many business leaders in the region, and lend my voice as a strong member of the nonprofit community.

What is something that people might not know about you?
I played the Professor in Wackadoo Zoo in 2nd Grade at the Welch School in Peabody. Taught all the animals how to make the right sounds and I was brilliant! I've loved the spotlight ever since. Thank you, Mrs. McCarthy!

“SJC helped my team support a client through two complex grant proposals. Sarah's stellar writing skills were matched by responsiveness to the client's evolving needs and incredible attention to detail. Not only did she deliver compelling and competitive narratives but also earned the trust and confidence of the client who has repeatedly requested her expertise.”

Allison Gray, President
PEAR ASSOCIATES, LLC

“We hired Sarah for several projects, including training for Foundation fundraisers and high-level project management across multiple organizations. Her work was outstanding, and several colleagues remarked specifically on her accessibility, professionalism, and range of expertise.”

Lauren Hall, Chief Development Officer
NATIONAL BRAIN TUMOR SOCIETY

Would YOU give to you? Be honest.

Pretend that you're outside of your nonprofit, looking in. As a prospective donor or volunteer, do you like what you see?

Sarah Jackson, CEO of SJC Consulting, asks five questions to ask yourself honestly. Read the blog and find out where your nonprofit stands: https://www.sarahjconsulting.com/blog/would-you-give-to-you-five-tough-questions-to-ask-yourself-fad6j

SJC really shines with nonprofit organizations that:

🌟are bold
⛰️want to grow further than they ever thought possible
🌳are not afraid to move forward with change and transformation

We've got you. We can do this. 💪

Grow Further: Sarah J Consulting SJC shines when we consult with nonprofit organizations that are bold and want to grow further through their organizational and fundraising strategies. Sarah...

“If you're in need of a creative, smart, and resourceful person, hire Sarah Jackson. She's an extraordinarily talented fundraiser and is brilliant with words. I highly recommend Sarah because results are important and she will exceed your expectations every time.”

Cheryl Crounse, VP of Institutional Advancement
SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY

"Sarah is an expert in fundraising strategies who also does excellent analysis and gets along with everyone while moving things ahead. She is totally professional and personable; no wonder her client organizations want to work with her repeatedly."

Ellen McCulloch Lovell, President Emerita
MARLBORO COLLEGE

Get out of the "scarcity mindset" and into the "capacity mindset" with a Strategic Plan that has the 3 traits discussed in this article. We are having a blast with our strategy clients. They are bold. They understand the importance of innovation and new revenue opportunities. Most importantly, they have an incredible desire to help more of the communities that surround them. Nothing can be more exciting than aligning a team, bringing them clarity, and watching them discover a path to success.

Top 3 Traits of a Successful Nonprofit Strategy — Sarah J Consulting | Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant Does your nonprofit have a strategic plan that is at least ten pages long, collecting dust and taunting you from underneath a newer stack of seemingly more important paperwork on your desk? After many years of getting nonprofit teams to think more effectively about strategy for organizations, progra

"We had the pleasure of working with Sarah J Consulting to launch a major gift program and create an endowed fund. I've been impressed by Sarah’s ability to focus on the fine details of each prospect while keeping the big-picture goals and needs in mind. We really valued her strategic thinking, deep fundraising experience, and ability to pivot.”

Nancy Evans, Interim Head of School
BROOKWOOD SCHOOL

Sarah J Consulting’s expertise includes project ideation, interviewing VIP donors and leaders, content creation, collaborating with art directors and graphic designers, and making complex ideas accessible to lay audiences. Our frontline fundraising experience informs everything we write. Visit https://www.sarahjconsulting.com for more information.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. Enjoy a fun, festive week filled with family and friends!

This year, Sarah J Consulting (SJC) proudly celebrates a decade of working with exceptional nonprofits. Please join us on a trip down memory lane—and take a peek at where we’re headed!

Growth | 2016-2021
SJC built out additional services, including campaign consulting, fundraising assessments, Development operational and staffing plans, staff coaching, and donor messages. Several clients have maintained ongoing partnerships with SJC over many years. Nonprofits have come to know and trust Sarah as a skilled, strategically minded partner.

Noteworthy: SJC engaged in planning and messaging for multi-million and multi-billion dollar campaigns, coached fundraising staff and nonprofit leaders in fundraising best practices, and supported a successful $100M solicitation.

Select clients: NYU Langone Health, MIT, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, UNH

Visit our website for more 10th Anniversary highlights: https://www.sarahjconsulting.com/anniversary