Jean Craig Long
Nonprofit Development Consultant
Practical application, framework, and resources to achieve goals
 
 

 
How We Work

 Success!
 
“As a coach and consultant, I draw from decades of experience in the non profit area. I’ve been where you are, done what you’re doing and made mistakes along the way. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t and I’m willing to share that. I always learn from my clients and that makes every client partnership fresh and fun.”  -- Jean Craig Long

We empower you to be successful at development.
When you work with us you can expect to see desirable and sustainable changes in performance and productivity.

Expected Results
Expansive resource networks
Attract more donors
Effective donor strategies
Broader knowledge base
More positive perspective

 Working with us:

  • you’ll attract donors more consistently. It’s a matter of learning what works. You’ll know how to engage prospective donors in meaningful conversations that help connect their hearts to your organization’s mission. You’ll know what to listen for and how to take appropriate action.
  • fundraising and development will be less of a struggle. You’ll find yourself cultivating prospective donors as partners toward a shared vision rather than feeling like you’re selling something.
  • you’ll work from your strengths. You may or may not be an extraverted person, but you are substance and substance is what counts with donors. We’ll give you the benefit of lessons we’ve learned, principles, and techniques we’ve successfully used – and help you tailor these to suit your personal style and goals. You’ll probably adopt new ways of thinking and initiate subsequent changes.
  • you’ll build expansive partnerships. This translates directly to sustainability. You will cultivate new partnerships in diverse directions for long-term strength and adaptability with individuals and organizations.
     
  • you’ll set the stage for transformational gifts. Do you make it easy for donors to make extraordinary life-changing gifts? Would your board be in consensus about using a gift of $100,000 if it arrived today?
We believe:
People want their lives to matter. They want to be connected to something larger than themselves. It’s one of the reasons I love this work – I am always with people who want to make a difference – in the quality of life on this planet.

All things work together – eco-system thinking. In an organization, what happens in one area affects another. Development does not stand alone. Eventually whatever’s happening in the organization is reflected in the development and fund raising efforts.

The process is usually more powerful than attaining the end goal because process is where the most valuable learning occurs. Diversity of perspective breeds innovation - consider Einstein and DaVinci. The organizational dynamic is successfully driven by building diversity around unity.
 

Old Mindset

New Mindset

Non profits’ timetable Donor’s vision
Leadership as command & control Facilitation & coordination
Internal vs external (us-them) Stakeholders co-create
Executive knows all

Network is the solution

Competition

Strength in collaboration
Leveraging one gift against another Meaning & impact generate major gifts
Quota driven Relationship drives momentum
Biggest gift = best gift Loyalty/passion = sustainability
Fund raising pyramid Non-sequential giving
Force Power
I win/you lose We all win

Our Approach
We offer a custom-designed approach to attracting more donors on a consistent basis. Allowing for uniqueness of the organization and its leaders creates potential for growth.

  • Accessibility. We keep lines of communication open. Touching base with us while a conversation with a volunteer or prospective donor is fresh on your mind maintains momentum.
  • Building ever-expanding networks of resources. This leads to long-term effectiveness and adaptability. It is the most important concept to incorporate into your nonprofit leadership strategies.
  • Learning, collaboration, and interconnectedness. These three universal principles for growth and prosperity apply to organizations as well as to individuals. Applying them to the functions in your organization creates a sustainable and adaptable framework.
  • Transferring skills and capability. This way, you don’t need us forever. Our job is to instill skills so that you consistently expand your resources to achieve your goals. Staff and board increase their knowledge base and the value they add to the group.
  • Flexible, focused, and results-oriented. You’ll learn to ask new questions and see things in a different way. This charges the creative initiative in all of us and creates a rich environment for innovation.

The Advantage

Working with us you can shorten your learning curve, maximize talents and potential of board members, create expansive networks, and build collaborative partnerships – all of which are principles of long-term strength and sustainability.

To learn more about what we offer, proceed to Our Services.






“From sophisticated plans to fundamental steps, Jean customizes development strategies to fit the unique needs of and personalities within the organization. Her ideas become an integral part of daily activities, so you can see immediate results without adding new staff and expensive tools. She identifies and builds on existing resources to strengthen the organization while keeping the mission of the organization in the forefront.”
-- Robin Underwood, conservation consultant, financial advisor

 
 

 

"Foothills Conservancy is a regional land trust which assumes perpetual responsibilities for stewarding and, if necessary, legally defending lands protected by conservation easements. In our tenth year, Jean Craig Long began to work with us to institute a much-needed planned giving program that we believe will be the foundation of the conservancy in years to come. As Foothills Conservancy’s list of donors, supporting members, and landowners interested in easements grows, it is essential that we take full advantage of the interest others have in supporting our important conservation work. Planned giving opportunities arise now weekly with either donors or landowners. Jean Craig brought a wealth of expertise in this field to our doorstep and provided both our staff and board with all the training and tools necessary to first understand the many aspects of planned gifts and then to structure and launch a planned giving program and society. In addition, her expertise allowed us to confidently address specific donors’ questions as they arose."
-– Susie Hamrick Jones, Executive Director, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina

 

 

 

 


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