This wild time known as 2020 has been my 10th year in business as an independent researcher and consultant serving not-for-profit organizations. As this milestone year comes to a close, here is a brief snapshot of the services I provide, the kinds of organizations I serve, and how I work with my clients. If you have any questions, please be in touch!
How do I help nonprofits?
Although the services I offer have broadened over the years, I began my business under the name International Fundraising Intelligence LLC, and my core services have long focused on global prospect research, including:
- prospect screening services, particularly for countries where automated screenings are not available;
- deeper-dive research to validate and expand on automated screenings of prospects in the US, Canada, and UK;
- US and international prospect profiles;
- training on international prospect research techniques;
- US and international grant research.
Some of my clients are smaller organizations that do not have a dedicated prospect researcher on staff. These organizations bring me in to help with specific research needs at strategic points in the year. Examples include:
- screening incoming parents to support an independent school’s annual fund effort,
- conducting grant research to find funding sources for a medical research organization’s new initiative,
- helping nonprofit staff develop a practical prospect rating system.
I also work with larger organizations that have existing in-house prospect researchers. For these clients, I:
- work on special projects that in-house researchers don’t have time to tackle;
- develop reference materials for in-house staff, such a guide to using international addresses for database administrators and prospect researchers;
- provide training in international prospect research techniques and global philanthropy trends for in-house staff.
Who are my clients?
Because I worked in higher education before going out on my own, many of my clients have been in the education sector. These clients include independent schools, colleges, and universities.
The services I offer are not limited to this sector, though. I also have worked for hospitals, medical research organizations, museums, global NGOs, foundations, nonprofit networks, and other consulting firms.
Where are my clients?
Although I am based in the eastern United States, my clients have been located around the world since I went into business a decade ago. In the US, I have worked for organizations everywhere from New England to Minnesota to California. I have had clients in Canada since I went into business. I also have worked for institutions in the UK, EU, and South Africa. My live courses, international research handbooks, and recorded training materials have been used by organizations in all of these places, as well as by groups in Australia and Singapore.
How do I work with my clients?
Every new client relationship begins with an introductory conversation by Zoom or phone. This discussion gives me the chance to hear what challenges the organization is facing and to talk about ways I might be able to help.
Sometimes, these conversations reveal that the organization just needs my help on a specific project. Other times, the organization may have an ongoing need for assistance on a monthly retainer basis.
Based on this initial conversation, I prepare a proposal for services that outlines:
- the project need,
- the scope of work,
- the project timeline,
- deliverables,
- a flat-rate quote for the project
- invoice amounts and dates,
- terms and conditions.
Once the proposal is signed electronically, I work with a designated contact within the client organization to:
- to get set up in their system as a vendor,
- sign privacy and confidentiality forms,
- submit an initial invoice,
- set up a system for securely exchanging project data and results,
- answer any questions the client might have before I begin my work.
Clear communication with my clients is very important to me. Unless we decide on a different communication structure, my standard procedure is to send a project update email every Friday until the project is completed. At that point, I schedule a project wrap-up call with my client to make sure everything went according to plan.
I truly enjoy developing long-term relationships with organizations. To that end, I reach out to my past clients about once a month to see how things are going. These emails are an opportunity for my past clients to ask any follow-up questions that may have come along since the project concluded and for me to learn about things are going at the organization.
How can I help you?
Since you have arrived here at the end of this long blog post, I am guessing you might have questions about how I could help your not-for-profit organization. I would love to talk with you!
Please set up a time for us to talk at your convenience by using my online meeting scheduler. (You also can reach me by email at beth @ bethbandy.com, if you would prefer.) I look forward to hearing from you!
Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash