Additional Services

International Fundraising

At Brakeley Briscoe our network of international professionals in fundraising contains a variety of talented individuals in countries across the world. With our own experience throughout the Americas; with partnerships in Canada, Mexico, and South America; and with our sister company, Brakeley Asia, we can truly say that we have international reach. Our ability to help you raise funds from friends and supporters throughout the world makes us unique. We can also help your nonprofit determine how to go about international wealth screening, job search, or any other services which you may require.

Women’s Philanthropy

Brakeley Briscoe has a depth of experience in women’s philanthropy. Fundraisers have long asserted that, unlike men, women shy away from competing with their peers to make the largest gift, and they usually do not want their names on buildings. Women are more likely to volunteer before giving and seek closer contact with the charities they support. With our experience in women’s philanthropy Brakeley Briscoe can help you develop strategies for cultivating, stewarding, and asking your women donors.

Systems Selection, Audits, and Training

Fundraising runs on data. You need to know your donors, their families, potential donors, their donor history, pledges, moves management, and all aspects of fundraising. Most of this will be stored in a fundraising database. Gone are the days when paper files and a spreadsheet or a “build-it-yourself” system will provide you the kind of information you need to manage a sophisticated development program. If you don’t have a system, Brakeley Briscoe can help you define your requirements and select the right system for your organization, not overspending for capacity you can’t use while not settling for a minimal system when you need the functionality of a sophisticated system. If you do have a system, the odds are that you are not getting the most out of it. We can help evaluate how well you are using it, train your staff on better use of it, and help you clean up the data and document your processes. Then when your staff changes, new staff don’t have to guess at how to use the existing system, and management and board can continue to get the kind of information they need to manage the development function.

Advancement Abroad

For universities, colleges, and schools with alumni/ae living outside of the country where the educational institution is located Brakeley Briscoe provides identification, cultivation, research, volunteer coordination, ask planning, follow-up, and stewardship of donors. We provide this service to U.S. institutions with alumni/ae in countries outside the U.S. as well as for non-U.S. institutions with alumni/ae in the U.S.

Initially we conduct research on potential donors, providing reports on individuals and their families, including philanthropic capacity, interests, and giving patterns as well as a suggested fundraising approach. In subsequent months, we monitor the local and national media in the country and provide updates to the initial information we have provided. Reports include a summary of capacity and philanthropic interests, and also conclusions and recommendations to our clients on how to proceed with cultivation and asking of specific potential donors.

Supplemental services include drafting, editing, and translating communications (and oral translation); counsel on cultural and social issues related to fundraising in the specific country (including travel issues and social habits); counsel on legal and financial issues relative to fundraising, including financial and tax advantages in the U.S. and in other countries; counsel on specific cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of specific donors; in-depth prospect research; alumni/ae club staffing; and in-country development writing, direct marketing, and prospect sourcing.