DS Consulting Group

What DS Consulting Group does

DS Consulting Group (DSCG) is a New York-based boutique professional services firm specializing in strategic fundraising consulting and event planning for nonprofit organizations. Founded in 2017 by Meredith Sanandres, the firm operates from 757 Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan with a team of 11-50 employees, including a Senior Director (Melissa Mundy) and Director (Margo Katz) with prior experience at Sylvester Manor Educational Farm and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces respectively.

The firm's product offering is structured as two interrelated service lines: Event Planning and Execution Services, covering large-scale galas, benefit concerts, corporate golf outings, casino nights, intimate cultivation dinners, virtual events, and livestream broadcasts; and Strategic Fundraising Consulting, including development strategy, program development, scripting, and video production. Core technology is not disclosed, and the firm functions as a labor-intensive services practice rather than a technology platform. Quantified client outcomes include over $500 million raised across 500+ managed events, with individual events ranging from $500,000 to more than $10,000,000.

DSCG monetizes through custom-quoted professional services engagements with nonprofit clients, accessed via direct consultative sales targeting senior development leadership. The firm's customer base spans more than 28 named organizations across education, healthcare, cultural, public safety, and Jewish-community verticals, with distribution concentrated regionally in the United States. The company is founder-owned, has no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no parent company. Marketing relies primarily on Instagram organic social showcasing event design and catering concepts.

Name

DS Consulting Group

Legal name

DS Consulting Group, LLC

Website

https://dsconsultinggroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DS Consulting Group is a New York-based boutique firm that provides strategic fundraising consulting and event planning services to nonprofit organizations, executing galas, benefit concerts, and cultivation events for clients across education, healthcare, and cultural verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting and Event Management

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising consulting
• Event planning services
• Development strategy consulting
• Benefit event management
• Philanthropic advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting and Event Management: Professional services revenue generated through consulting partnerships with nonprofit organizations for development strategy, event planning, and execution services. The firm creates tailored development and event plans aligned with each client's mission and strategic fundraising objectives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

DS Consulting Group is a boutique consulting firm providing strategic fundraising consulting and full-service event planning and execution for nonprofit organizations. The firm creates tailored development and event plans aligned with each client's mission, managing galas, benefit concerts, corporate golf outings, casino nights, cultivation dinners, virtual events, and livestream broadcasts to help nonprofits achieve their fundraising goals.

Product overview

DS Consulting Group (DSCG) is a nonprofit fundraising and event planning consulting firm. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their core offerings consist of two interrelated service lines: Event Planning and Execution Services (managing galas, benefit concerts, golf outings, casino nights, dinners, virtual events, and livestream broadcasts) and Strategic Fundraising Consulting (development strategies, program development, scripting, and video production). These services work together to help nonprofit clients execute results-driven fundraising events tailored to their mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Planning and Execution Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $500 million raised across 500+ managed events
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Vantage Consulting Group: Nonprofit fundraising and event management consulting firm, and the former employer of DSCG's founder. Vantage runs the same playbook of large-scale galas and benefit events for nonprofit clients, making it the closest like-for-like competitor.
• CCS Fundraising: One of the largest U.S. fundraising consulting firms serving nonprofits with campaign management, development strategy, and event support. Directly comparable in service mix to DSCG, though operating at meaningfully greater scale.
• Graham-Pelton: Boutique-to-mid-market fundraising and nonprofit consulting firm offering campaign counsel, development planning, and event strategy. Highly comparable in mission, client profile (universities, healthcare, cultural institutions), and service breadth.
• Alexander Haas: Boutique nonprofit fundraising and campaign consulting firm serving educational, cultural, healthcare, and religious institutions. Comparable in size, service scope (development strategy + campaigns), and target buyer profile.
• Bentz Whaley Flessner: Nonprofit consulting firm specializing in fundraising, campaign management, and advancement services. Comparable vertical focus and service-line adjacency to DSCG, with a heavier emphasis on long-term campaign counsel.
• MKG: Boutique event management and experiential agency based in New York, with significant nonprofit and cultural-institution clients (galas, benefits). Comparable in event execution capabilities and NYC-based premium positioning.
• JB Events: New York-based event planning firm serving nonprofit, private, and corporate clients with high-end galas and benefits. Directly comparable in scale, format mix, and target client profile.
• Marcy Blum Associates: High-end New York event planning firm with a long track record of designing and producing nonprofit benefits, weddings, and galas. Comparable in craft quality, event-format range, and premium positioning.
• Rafanelli Events: Boutique event management firm producing high-profile galas, fundraisers, and benefits for nonprofit and corporate clients. Comparable in service offering (event strategy through execution) and prestige client mix.

Others

• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): Professional membership association for individual fundraisers rather than a direct competitor, but a key ecosystem player that DSCG's leadership participates in. Relevant as a channel for talent, credentials, and industry visibility.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/dsconsultinggroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/DSCGNYC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ds-consultinggroup-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DS Consulting Group