Dickerson Bakker
Dickerson Bakker is a privately held consulting firm founded in 1985 that provides fundraising, capital campaign, executive search, and grant services to nonprofit organizations across rescue missions, Christian schools, higher education, churches, and ministries in North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Dickerson Bakker does
Dickerson Bakker (legal entity Dickerson, Bakker & Associates) is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1985 in Raleigh, North Carolina, that provides fundraising, capital campaign, executive search, and grant development consulting to nonprofit organizations. The firm serves a diversified portfolio of sectors including rescue missions, Christian and private schools, higher education, churches (via the Cargill Associates division), the Salvation Army, global aid ministries, community organizations, camps, and broadcast ministries. Across its four core service lines, the firm operates an Assess-Plan-Deliver methodology with multi-year engagements and quote-based pricing, supported by a distributed network of consultants across 15+ US cities and international reach in Canada, the UK, Israel, China, South Africa, Australia, and Brazil.
The firm's underlying technology stack centers on proprietary, trademarked frameworks: Donor inSight™ (a 360° donor analytics platform launched in 2024 for KPI tracking, segmentation, and personalized messaging), Keystone Major Gifts Solution™ (a seven-component major gift program methodology), Hire Higher™ and Leaders That Last™ (executive search methodologies), and the "Treat Every Donor Like A Major Donor®" mass-personalization approach. The firm also maintains internal research assets (annual Giving Studies, Christian School Fundraising Studies, Nonprofit Staffing Studies, a 400-leader "A Better Way" study, and a 300+ nonprofit donor retention study) and implements third-party tools like Salesforce for client grants tracking. In 2026, the firm launched a packaged "A Better Way" fundraising model combining talent, relationship fundraising, and direct response.
The business model is professional services with custom, quote-based pricing across multi-year contracts. Revenue streams include fundraising consulting fees, capital campaign consulting (a five-phase process from feasibility study to fulfillment), retained executive search with a six-month placement guarantee, and full-service grant development. The firm is founder-led (Derric Bakker as CEO, Clark Dickerson as Founder) with a recent leadership transition (Andrew Olsen promoted to President in January 2026) and has grown via acquisition, notably the 2022 merger with Cargill Associates, which now operates as a division focused on church and faith-based capital campaigns. The firm claims thousands of clients served and billions of dollars raised cumulatively over its nearly 40-year history, with no external investment or parent company.
Dickerson Bakker firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dickerson Bakker
- Legal name
- Dickerson, Bakker & Associates
- Website
- https://dickersonbakker.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Dickerson Bakker is a privately held consulting firm founded in 1985 that provides fundraising, capital campaign, executive search, and grant services to nonprofit organizations across rescue missions, Christian schools, higher education, churches, and ministries in North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dickerson Bakker industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
Keywords
Where Dickerson Bakker is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices16 records
Markets served
Dickerson Bakker business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Fundraising Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for fundraising solutions including major gift development, direct response fundraising, donor retention strategies, and campaign management. Services include high-value direct mail programs, digital fundraising approaches, creative services, and analytics.
- Capital Campaign Consulting: Fees for capital campaign planning, feasibility studies, communications, customized planning, donor research and analytics, campaign management, and training/coaching services. Structured in five phases: Feasibility Study, Pre-Campaign Planning, Leadership Giving Phase, Public Phase, and Fulfillment Phase.
- Executive Search Services: Retained executive search services for nonprofit leadership and fundraising positions. Includes discovery & strategy, candidate evaluation, targeted sourcing, selection facilitation, applicant screening, and onboarding support. Features six-month placement guarantee.
- Grant Services: Full-service grant development including assessments, grant readiness consulting, grant management, research & prospecting, grant writing, and strategic counsel. Team embeds as part of client organization for comprehensive partnership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom consulting engagement pricing based on organizational needs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Dickerson Bakker product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dickerson Bakker provides professional consulting services to nonprofit organizations, including direct response fundraising, capital campaign planning and execution, executive search for fundraising and leadership roles, and full-service grant development. The firm operates an Assess > Plan > Deliver methodology, supported by proprietary platforms such as Donor inSight™ (donor analytics) and the Keystone Major Gifts Solution™ methodology.
Product overview
Dickerson Bakker operates as a unified nonprofit consulting platform offering four core service lines: Fundraising Solutions (including direct response, major gifts via Keystone Major Gifts Solution™, and Donor inSight™ analytics platform), Capital Campaigns (five-phase consulting process), Executive Search (Hire Higher™ and Leaders That Last™ methodology), and Grant Services. The firm also offers specialized programs for Christian schools (Fund Development Kick-Starter and Accelerator programs) and maintains Cargill Associates as a division focused on church capital campaigns. The company is organized around an Assess > Plan > Deliver methodology to help clients fuel growth, build sustainability, and achieve greater impact.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cargill Associates: A division of DickersonBakker specializing in capital campaign consulting for churches and faith-based organizations.
Products and services
- Fundraising Solutions Comprehensive direct response fundraising and marketing services including high-value direct mail programs, digital engagement, creative services, analytics, and smart testing. Built on a mass-personalization approach that treats every donor like a major donor.
- Capital Campaigns Consulting services for capital campaigns including feasibility studies, customized planning, donor research and analytics, campaign communications, management, and training/coaching. Structured as a five-phase process: Feasibility Study, Pre-Campaign Planning, Leadership Giving Phase, Public Phase, and Fulfillment Phase.
- Executive Search Full spectrum retained executive search services for nonprofit organizations to recruit talent for fundraising and executive leadership roles. Uses Hire Higher™ and Leaders That Last™ methodologies and includes a six-month placement guarantee.
- Grant Services Complete spectrum of grant services including grant assessments, grant readiness consulting, grant management, research and prospecting, grant writing, and strategic counsel. The team embeds as part of the client organization.
- Donor inSight™ Proprietary data analytics platform providing 360° insights into donors and their giving patterns, enabling KPI tracking, donor segmentation, and personalized messaging based on individual donor priorities and preferences.
- A Better Way Fundraising Model Reimagined fundraising approach that combines talent, relationship fundraising, and direct response to help nonprofit organizations address donor retention and donor exodus challenges.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35% donor retention rate increases
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Dickerson Bakker
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Dickerson Bakker technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Dickerson Bakker partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Capital for Compassion (Kevin Foster)coreStrategic alliance partner for capital campaign consulting, particularly for rescue missions and affordable housing initiatives. Kevin Foster, managing principal, assists clients with Affordable Housing Program Grants and New Market Tax Credits applications as part of comprehensive campaign strategies.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Dickerson Bakker competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CCS Fundraising: CCS Fundraising is one of the largest US fundraising consulting firms, providing fundraising management, capital campaign consulting, and direct response services to nonprofits. Highly comparable to Dickerson Bakker across campaign, direct response, and major-gift service lines.
- Campbell & Company: Campbell & Company provides fundraising counsel, capital campaign planning, and executive search for nonprofits across the US. Directly comparable to Dickerson Bakker's capital campaign and executive search offerings with a similar mid-sized, relationship-led model.
- Graham-Pelton Consulting: Graham-Pelton offers fundraising, campaign, and executive search consulting to nonprofits, higher education, and healthcare organizations. A direct competitor in campaign strategy and major-gifts work targeting similar nonprofit segments as Dickerson Bakker.
- The Alford Group: The Alford Group provides fundraising, campaign, and executive search services exclusively to nonprofits. Comparable to Dickerson Bakker in client base, mission focus, and bundled service offerings across campaign and talent work.
- Ruffalo Noel Levitz: RNL is a leading direct-response fundraising agency and consulting firm serving higher education and nonprofit clients. Direct competitor to Dickerson Bakker's Fundraising Solutions line, particularly in direct mail and donor acquisition.
- RKD Group: RKD Group is a direct-response fundraising and marketing agency serving nonprofits, ministries, and membership organizations. Comparable in faith-based client overlap and in direct mail/digital fundraising execution to Dickerson Bakker's Fundraising Solutions.
- Pursuant (formerly MarketSmart): Pursuant provides fundraising consulting, donor engagement software, and data-driven fundraising services to nonprofits. Comparable to Dickerson Bakker as a fundraising consultancy with proprietary analytics and a focus on donor retention and major-gift programs.
Broad incumbents
- Huron Consulting Group: Huron is a large, diversified professional services firm whose higher education and nonprofit practice provides fundraising, advancement, and campaign consulting. A broader incumbent competitor with overlapping capabilities but not exclusively focused on the nonprofit space.
- Blackbaud: Blackbaud is the leading SaaS provider of fundraising, CRM, and financial software to nonprofits. An adjacent incumbent rather than direct consulting competitor, but its software increasingly competes with Dickerson Bakker's advisory and analytics offerings.
Emerging players
- BWF (Barkley Evergreen & Partners): BWF is a fundraising and marketing agency focused on nonprofit and association clients, providing campaign strategy, creative, and digital fundraising services. An emerging peer with overlapping services in the same nonprofit segments Dickerson Bakker targets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Dickerson Bakker social profiles
Digital presenceDickerson Bakker financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dickerson Bakker leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Dickerson Bakker subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Dickerson Bakker funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dickerson Bakker M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dickerson Bakker
What does Dickerson Bakker do?
Dickerson Bakker provides professional consulting services to nonprofit organizations, including direct response fundraising, capital campaign planning and execution, executive search for fundraising and leadership roles, and full-service grant development. The firm operates an Assess > Plan > Deliver methodology, supported by proprietary platforms such as Donor inSight™ (donor analytics) and the Keystone Major Gifts Solution™ methodology.
Is Dickerson Bakker a public or private company?
Dickerson Bakker is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Dickerson Bakker founded?
Dickerson Bakker was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dickerson Bakker based?
Dickerson Bakker is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dickerson Bakker make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fundraising Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are capital Campaign Consulting, executive Search Services and grant Services.
Who are Dickerson Bakker's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CCS Fundraising, Campbell & Company, Graham-Pelton Consulting, The Alford Group, Ruffalo Noel Levitz, RKD Group and Pursuant (formerly MarketSmart). Broad incumbents are Huron Consulting Group and Blackbaud. BWF (Barkley Evergreen & Partners) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Dickerson Bakker have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dickerson Bakker.
What industry is Dickerson Bakker in?
Dickerson Bakker's product category is Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.