Nonprofit donors and funders demand sustainability in exchange for their funds.  

Non-profits that embrace the sustainability model required of donors and funders since the early 2000's are thriving.  Those holding out hoping for the ‘good ole days’ of easy giving are failing at a staggering rate.

The old funding model eschewed any mention that a donation or grant was a business transaction.  Ignoring that the fact that donors or funders are making an investment in the long term sustainability of the organizations: money or goods are being exchanged for value.  That is a business transaction, demanding business accountability. 

Non-profits can no longer expect their Executive Directors to do the development work required in todays market place.  If an Executive Directors job was 30% development in the past, in today's dynamic market that would translate to 90% of their time--if done correctly--which is not possible.  The Executive Directors we work with need to allocate less than 10% of their time on development, but that 10% is invaluable and very gratifying.  

Branded messaging to each donor segment on their chosen platform is a full time job in a space that is dynamic with marked changes multiple times a year.  

Development today is marketing, communications and income stream diversity & development.  

Back-end sustainability is required of todays grant funders we assist our clients through our proprietary: Income Stream, Tierney Sustainability Report (tm) and, Mission Match models.  Creating true sustainability eliminates the pressure to run after funding freeing up our clients assets (staff and resources) to deliver on mission.

The Income Stream Model™ used by the Tierney Development Group has been implement by dozens of municipal departments, consultants, non and for profits since 1995.  Since 2008 the model has been adopted by non-profits with large funding success.

The TDG offers a wide array of option for non-profit so that they do not OWN the costs of hiring a staff development person but get the services and expertise of top notch service delivered to their base while increasing their bottom line.  The old funding model is dead. 

Before agile marketing was widely understood it was a technique we used to dynamically assess, adjust and adapt throughout the year.  Marketing is a rapidly changing space.  Messaging trends, preferences and platforms change so quickly that any entity dependent on an audience needs to closely follow and adapt to their clients segment preferences throughout the year in order to meet goal. 

The Tierney Development Group:

• Will assess, reassess and rework giving campaigns and membership drives.

• Help you build long-term donor and community partnerships.

• Ensure marketing efforts match current best practices and donor expectations.

• Long & short term goal setting for non-profits and boards.

• Teach your organization how to advocate for public funding coming out of the recession.

• Review the operations and overhead of your non-profit.

• Facilitate brain-storming sessions with staff, board, affiliates and/or stakeholders.

• Source grant opportunities.

• Speak to boards, advocacy groups, grassroots organizers.

• Conduct workshops & seminars

  • Funding Challenge: New Perspective

  • Understanding the New Funding Metric

  • Where Is The Money?

  • Mission Match and Grantors Expectations

  • Board Challenges and Moving into the 21st Century

  • Staff Buy-in: Old Staffing Model, New World

  • Development is a Full-Time Job: Why Aren’t You Invested?